We have compiled a top list of the most popular blogging platforms that will be useful for content authors. We tell you what opportunities they provide and which platform is best for blogging.
How to Choose a Blogging Platform
Blog Builders
Social platforms
Niche platforms
How to Choose a Blogging Platform
Table of Contents
Choosing the best blogging platform depends on the following criteria:
● Audience
Beginner bloggers without marketing skills should start with large social platforms. Experienced bloggers who know how to attract an audience can try creating their own website on a separate domain using blog builders.
● Functionality
It is important to decide what functions are needed for blogging. For example, the ability to create different types of content , integration with social networks, the presence of design templates. For example, not all sites allow you to post long articles and provide the ability to customize the blog design.
● Price
Some platforms can be used for free, others offer free basic features, and you will have to pay for additional functions. Still others provide only paid plans. Beginning bloggers often prefer free platforms, but those who are ready to invest in the development of the blog from the start have a fairly large selection of platforms.
● Ease of use
The best blogging platform for inexperienced authors is a site with a simple interface and clear functionality, for example, one of the social networks. And if the author has at least a little experience in creating websites, he can use constructors that provide more options for blog design.
● SEO optimization
Optimization is important for attracting organic traffic to a blog. For example, it is good if there is an opportunity to place keywords in posts, and blog pages from the platform are often found at the top of Yandex search results.
● Scalability
It is important to think about how the blog will develop in the future and choose a platform that will be able to meet the author’s needs as his project grows. For example, if you choose a platform with a small audience or limited functionality at the start of the blog, as its popularity grows, you will have to move to other platforms to expand your reach — essentially starting a blog from scratch.
● Compliance with the law
There are prohibited platforms in Russia, such as Instagram*. There is no punishment for using it yet, but it is worth considering the possibility of a complete block and taking precautions. For example, duplicating blog content and collecting an audience in parallel on other platforms.
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Blog Builders
Some of the most popular blogging platforms that might be useful in 2024:
WordPress
Cost: free.
An open version of the popular CMS WordPress and one of the best blogging platforms. It is convenient because it has a simple interface and many templates, themes, and plugins that can be used to create a blog. For example, there are plugins that help optimize texts so that they attract more traffic, as well as create posts using artificial intelligence. The peculiarity of this platform is that it is distributed using open source code. This means that any developer can change it to their taste. Thanks to this, new plugins are constantly appearing in WordPress that can be used in a blog.
Tilda
Cost: free without domain connection, from 500 RUR per month with connection of your own domain and additional functionality.
A popular website builder with a large number of functions for creating blogs. The platform allows you to easily customize the design, add content and manage the site. It is convenient for beginner bloggers because it has several ready-made templates that do not require any programming knowledge. And for those who are ready to tinker with the builder and have basic web design skills, there are zero blocks in which you can create your own design. On Tilda, you can create both a separate personal blog and a site with a blog section. That is why this builder is often chosen by people who promote their services through a blog.
Wix
Cost: from $17 per month, there is a free version.
Another popular builder with many functions and features for creating blogs. In addition to a wide selection of themes and templates, the platform offers convenient features, such as creating content by dragging and dropping elements. In addition, the platform gives bloggers access to a collection of images, clip art and icons, the ability to do SEO optimization of posts and provides 24/7 support. Since 2022, Wix has stopped providing paid services in Russia, but you can use free features. For example, Russians cannot transfer a blog to their own domain, but they can run it on the platform. In this case, the address will look like this: accountname.wixsite.com/siteaddress.
Squarespace
Price: from $16 per month. There is a 14-day trial version.
A convenient constructor for creating websites and blogs. Provides wide functionality, for example, the ability to work on a blog by several authors, delayed publications and posting via a mobile application. In addition, the constructor has a good set of built-in SEO content optimization. When ordering an annual subscription, Squarespace gives bloggers a free domain name for a year. In addition, the platform has a built-in SSL security protocol, thanks to which the blog will be displayed with a green secure lock icon in the browser address bar. This protocol will also be a plus for ranking the blog in search engines.
Social platforms
This category includes not only social networks, but also social platforms where users have the opportunity to blog. Several popular social platforms that can be useful for bloggers in 2024:
Instagram *
Russian audience: 25.1 million users
Despite the blocking of the social network in Russia, the platform continues to be popular. It was there that many major authors began their blogging careers and gained an audience. The platform offers several blogging formats: photos, reels, stories, mailing channels and live broadcasts. On the one hand, the platform is oversaturated with bloggers, on the other hand, novice authors have the opportunity to gain an audience with the help of reels, which, if presented correctly, will be shown to other users in recommendations.
Telegram
Russian audience: 82.3 million users
Every second Russian uses the messenger daily . Some bloggers started running channels on this platform after Instagram was blocked*. Content can be monetized through contextual advertising within the messenger or affiliate programs. At the same time, Telegram has a simple interface and has automation capabilities, for example, bots for delayed posts or collecting feedback. The messenger works on different devices, so you can blog from both your phone and your laptop.
Zen
Russian audience: 80.6 million users
The platform is used daily by 35% of Russians. Zen allows you to publish content in different formats: texts, photos, vertical and horizontal videos. A blog on this platform can be monetized: the longer users watch videos and articles on the channel, the more the author earns. Statistics on publications are collected in your personal account, where you can also see how much money the blog has already brought in. However, you can connect monetization when publications have more than 30 hours of viewing from subscribers in 30 days.
YouTube
Russian audience: 95 million users
74% of Russians use the video hosting service . There are three main content formats on the platform: classic horizontal video, vertical shorts, and short posts in the community. The peculiarity of YouTube is that it is important to create high-quality content to promote a blog, so good equipment and editing skills are needed for filming. In 2022, YouTube stopped official monetization for Russian bloggers, but authors continue to earn money through advertising integrations in videos.
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Niche platforms
It is worth highlighting thematic sites, where in addition to reading editorial content, users have the opportunity to post articles. The peculiarity of such sites is that it is important for authors to deeply immerse themselves in the blog topic. Here are some examples:
VC
Audience: 21.2 million users
The platform is dedicated to technology, business and the IT market. Here, authors can talk about their startups, share experiences and life hacks. The greatest response from the VC audience is received by personal stories of successes and failures. The more facts, figures and details the author provides, the more popular his blog is. At the same time, humor and memes are welcome in the texts.
Habr
Audience: 38.7 million users
Portal for specialists in programming, system administration and design. The peculiarity of Habr is that in order to publish posts and get good coverage, you need to gain a certain level of karma or have a full-fledged account. The opportunity is quite real, the main thing is to write really useful and reliable articles.
