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Top 7 Website Builders Perfect for Blogging

April 26, 2024
Written and researched by experts at AvadaLearn more about our methodology

By Sam Nguyen

CEO Avada Commerce

In this post, we’ll explore the 7 best website builders for blogging, offering an insightful guide to help you choose the perfect platform for your online presence.

The 7 Best Blogging Website Builders

Here are the top website builders for blogging, known for their ease of use and robust features, to enhance your blogging experience and success.

WordPress.org

Wordpress.org

WordPress.org is a highly flexible and popular open-source platform that allows users to create diverse websites, including blogs, pages, and posts. It is renowned for its versatility, allowing simple and complex blog customization. 

Highlight website-building features and blogging tools:

  • Powerful Blogging Tools: It provides essential features such as forums, comment sections, RSS feeds, and analytics, catering to the diverse needs of bloggers.
  • Plugin Integration: A standout feature is its seamless integration with thousands of free and paid plugins. This flexibility allows users to enhance their blog’s functionality, incorporating features like comment management, email marketing, visual analytics, SEO, and anti-spam.
  • Bluehost Integration: Partnering with Bluehost, WordPress.org ensures a smooth experience with automatic installation, updates, and at least 10GB storage on the cheapest plan.

Pricing:

WordPress.org is free to use. However, they should consider additional hosting (Ex: Bluehost starts at $2.95 a month), security, and domain registration costs.

Who is WordPress best for:

  • Technical bloggers seeking complete control over their blog’s design and functionality.
  • Those looking to develop complex or content-heavy blogs for the long term.
  • Budget-conscious bloggers

Note: WordPress.org may not be the most user-friendly for beginners, and those prioritizing design aesthetics may find a steeper learning curve than drag-and-drop builders like Shopify, Wix, or Squarespace.

Shopify

Shopify

Shopify, widely recognized for its e-commerce capabilities, also offers a robust platform for blogging. It allows for easy creation, management, and customization of blog posts, providing a unified solution for store owners or bloggers to engage their audience through content.

Highlight of Website-Building Features and Blogging Tools:

  • User-Friendly Interface and Customizable Themes: Shopify has a drag-and-drop website-building interface and over 150 customizable templates on the Shopify Theme Store, allowing bloggers to create a unique, mobile-responsive website.
  • E-commerce Features: Shopify excels in e-commerce with features like inventory and product management, diverse payment options, abandoned cart recovery, a point-of-sale system, and more. The platform seamlessly integrates blogging with selling, making managing both aspects on one site easy.
  • Built-in SEO and Marketing Tools: Shopify offers SEO-friendly features for blog posts, allowing customization of meta titles, descriptions, and URLs. Additionally, users can set up email campaigns, share blog content on integrated social media, and more.
  • Efficient Content Management: Shopify allows bloggers to categorize and tag their posts to keep the content organized and easily accessible. It also has a built-in commenting system, fostering engagement with the community.

Pricing:

Shopify offers 5 subscription plans, ranging from $39 to $2000+ per month. You can visit our Shopify pricing plan article for more details on all Shopify subscription plans.

Who Shopify is Best For:

  • Bloggers who own an online store or plan to sell products directly through their blog
  • Influencers or content creators who sell or plan to sell merchandise
  • Business and brand bloggers who want a platform to share relevant content and updates and engage with their audience.

Wix

Wix

Wix is the premier blogging platform in 2023, securing an impressive rating. With a focus on user-friendly design, Wix caters to both beginners and seasoned users, making it a top choice in the competitive market.

Highlight Website-Building Features and Blogging Tools:

  • Detailed analytics: This feature allows users to track their blog’s performance effectively, gaining insights into audience engagement and content popularity.
  • Comments Sections: The built-in comments sections foster interaction, enabling seamless communication between bloggers and their audience.
  • Social Bookmarking: Wix simplifies revisiting blogs by incorporating social bookmarking features, encouraging readers to share and return to content quickly.
  • Search Feature: Including a search feature improves blog navigation, aiding users and readers in finding specific content efficiently.
  • SEO Tools: Wix offers a comprehensive SEO tool known as Wix SEO Wiz, designed to assist users in optimizing their Wix websites for search engines.
  • Mobile-Friendly: This feature is particularly beneficial for bloggers who prefer updating their content on the go.
  • Easy management: Wix has features like creating an organized archive and adding an RSS feed, ensuring blogs remain fresh and up-to-date effortlessly.

Pricing:

Wix offers five subscription plans priced from $16 per month. 

Who is Wix best for:

  • Individuals new to blogging who seek an easy-to-use platform
  • Bloggers who prioritize updating their blogs on the move
  • Those who value visual appeal for their blogging websites

Squarespace

Squarespace

Securing the silver medal among the best blogging platforms, Squarespace emerges as a top choice for bloggers. Squarespace is characterized by its unparalleled designs, robust SEO tools, user-friendly interface, and budget-friendly plans that offer an array of powerful blogging features. 

Highlight Website-Building Features and Blogging Tools:

  • Blogging Categories: Squarespace allows users to organize their content into multiple categories, enhancing the overall navigability and structure of the blog.
  • Integrated comment management: With features like archiving posts and enabling comments, Squarespace fosters an organized and interactive blogging environment, encouraging audience engagement and promoting community.
  • RSS Feed and Social Sharing: Including an RSS feed and social sharing options facilitates blog syndication and increases the blog’s reach, promoting content sharing and reader interaction.
  • Paid Newsletter and Analytics: Squarespace empowers bloggers to monetize their content through paid newsletters, providing an additional revenue stream. Comprehensive analytics tools offer insights into blog performance, aiding in strategic content planning.
  • SEO Tools and Scheduling: Strong SEO tools contribute to a perfect SEO score, helping users drive traffic and establish authority. Additionally, the ability to schedule posts enhances the convenience of content management, allowing bloggers to maintain a consistent posting schedule.

Squarespace Pricing:

Squarespace has four subscription plans with a 14-day free trial, ranging from $23 to $65/ month. Additionally, users can enjoy up to 30% discount for subscribing annually.

Who is Squarespace best for:

  • Individuals who prioritize visually stunning blogs
  • Bloggers who need robust SEO tools to drive traffic and build authority
  • Budget-conscious writers
  • Individuals looking to present a professional online presence 

Square Online

Square Online

Square Online (formerly Weebly) is a user-friendly website builder suitable for blogging. With a free plan available and a simple and intuitive drag-and-drop editor, Square Online caters to beginners, offering a hassle-free blog creation experience. 

Highlight Website-Building Features and Blogging Tools:

  • Drag-and-drop builder with customizable templates: The platform offers a user-friendly interface, allowing users to create and customize their websites easily without needing coding skills.
  • Customizable Templates: Users can choose from various aesthetically pleasing and mobile-responsive templates.
  • Blog-Specific Features: It caters to bloggers with different writer profiles, an accessible archive, a comments section, social bookmarking, a search bar, and specialized SEO tools tailored for blogging needs.
  • Customization Options: Users can create sidebars, forms, media boxes, ad spaces, and social media icons, link their accounts, manage newsletter subscriptions, and more, offering comprehensive customization options for blog design.
  • Fast and Reliable Loading Speeds: Weebly ensures quick and reliable loading speeds for blog pages, positively impacting SEO and user experience.

Pricing:

Square Online has a free plan and 2 paid plans, starting at $29/month.

Who is Square Online best for:

  • Individuals who are new to website building and blogging.
  • Budget-conscious writers
  • First-time bloggers
  • Entrepreneurs and creators who need a straightforward platform for combining their online store with content creation.

Webflow

Webflow

Webflow is a viable website builder for blogging. It excels in design capabilities, making it suitable for bloggers with prior building experience or technical knowledge.

Highlight Website-Building Features and Blogging Tools:

  • Blog management: With features like writer profiles, blog categories, archives, social sharing, and scheduling tools, Webflow ensures essential blogging elements are readily available.
  • SEO optimization: While not outstanding, it offers essential tools for SEO improvement, including 301 redirects, sitemaps, schema markup support, meta tags, and structured search support for enhanced visibility.
  • Design excellence: Webflow excels in design. With over 2,000 templates, users can find CMS-specific themes designed for blogging needs. The high level of customization rivals top recommendations but may pose a challenge for beginners.
  • Advanced customization: The editor’s advanced customization capabilities make Webflow suitable for complex blogs, although there may be better fits for those new to website building.

Pricing:

Webflow offers three plans: Basic, CMS, and Business, with prices ranging from $14 to $212 per month for yearly plans.

Who is Webflow best for:

  • Bloggers with previous building experience or technical knowledge.
  • Bloggers who prioritize design.
  • Those who blog as a part of their profession or business need a website that can be meticulously tailored to their brand.
  • Creative professionals like designers, artists, photographers, and writers who want to combine a portfolio with their blog.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy

GoDaddy website builder is a user-friendly platform offering a straightforward web-building experience for individuals and businesses. With a clean drag-and-drop editor and a range of features, it is an excellent choice for new bloggers and small enterprises.

Highlight Website-Building Features and Blogging Tools:

  • Blogging Features: GoDaddy facilitates the creation of small, straightforward blogs. It provides a scheduling feature, specialized blog SEO, easy category display, efficient comment sections, and seamless social sharing
  • Drag-and-Drop Interface and AI-Powered Builder: it has a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor to create and customize website layouts effortlessly. It also offers the artificial design intelligence (ADI) option that accelerates website creation based on user-provided details.
  • Responsive Design Templates: The platform boasts over 200 sleek templates designed by professionals that cater to diverse needs.
  • SEO and Marketing Tools: GoDaddy Insight provides valuable website performance insights, while its SEO tools, including Google Analytics, empower users with strategic improvements. Additionally, GoDaddy’s email marketing features facilitate visually appealing and consistent campaigns.

Pricing:

GoDaddy Website Builder offers 3 pricing plans ranging from $9.99 to $20.99 a month (for an annual term) and a 30-day free trial.

Who GoDaddy is best for:

  • Individuals with busy schedules who want to maintain a consistent blogging presence.
  • Bloggers who want to optimize their content for search engines.
  • Bloggers looking to incorporate email marketing into their strategy 
  • Small to medium-sized businesses who want to engage with their customers through blogging.

What To Look For In A Blogging Website Builder?

What To Look For In A Blogging Website Builder

Here are some key factors to consider when selecting a blogging platform:

  • Ease of Use: Look for a user-friendly platform that doesn’t require extensive technical knowledge. An intuitive interface can save you time and effort when creating and managing your blog.
  • Customization Options: Ensure the platform allows you to customize the look and feel of your blog. Look for themes, templates, and the ability to modify the design to match your brand or personal style.
  • Mobile Responsiveness: With a growing number of users accessing content on mobile devices, it’s essential that your blog looks good and functions well on smartphones and tablets.
  • SEO Tools: Optimize your blog for search engines by selecting a platform with built-in SEO tools. This includes customizing meta titles, descriptions, URLs, and features like sitemaps.
  • Content Management System (CMS): Check if the platform allows you to easily create, edit, and organize your content. Look for features like a user-friendly editor, media management, and scheduling options.
  • Integration with Third-Party Tools: Choose a platform that integrates well with social media, email marketing, analytics, and other plugins or apps that enhance your blog’s functionality.

5 Tips For Maximizing Your Blog’s Potential

Maximizing your blog’s potential involves a combination of content quality, user engagement, and strategic promotion. Here are five tips to help you achieve that:

  • Quality Content is Key: Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content that resonates with your target audience. Well-researched, engaging, and informative articles will attract and retain readers. Regularly update your blog with fresh and relevant content to keep your audience coming back for more.
  • SEO Optimization: Use relevant keywords, optimize meta tags, and create a sitemap to enhance search engine rankings. Regularly update and repurpose old content to align with current SEO best practices.
  • Engage with Your Audience: Engage with your readers through comments, social media, and email. Respond to comments on your blog, participate in discussions, and encourage user-generated content. Conduct surveys or polls to understand your audience’s preferences and tailor your content accordingly.
  • Mobile Optimization: Ensure your blog is mobile-friendly, as more users access content on smartphones and tablets. Optimize your website layout, images, and fonts to provide a seamless experience across different devices. Optimize images, use a content delivery network (CDN), and leverage browser caching to enhance performance.
  • Promote Across Multiple Channels: Expand your blog’s reach by promoting your content across various channels such as social media, email newsletters, and other relevant platforms. Share snippets, quotes, or visuals to capture attention and drive traffic back to your blog. Collaborate with influencers or other bloggers in your niche to widen your audience and build valuable partnerships.

Final Thought

With the knowledge of these top 7 website builders tailored for blogging, you’re well-equipped to embark on your online journey. Next, sign up for a free plan or use these builders’ free trials. This hands-on experience will allow you to explore the functionalities, design capabilities, and overall user experience, helping you make an informed decision about the platform that best aligns with your blogging goals.

FAQs

WordPress is famous for its flexibility, extensive themes, and plugins catering to bloggers. Other user-friendly options include Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace, which provide intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces for easy customization. Ultimately, the best choice will depend on your specific requirements, such as design preferences, functionality, and ease of use.
Yes, blogs are still valuable in 2023. They continue to be a relevant and effective medium for sharing information, expressing opinions, building a personal or brand identity, and improving online visibility. Blogs contribute to search engine optimization (SEO), audience engagement, and establishing authority in various niches, making them a worthwhile investment for individuals and businesses alike.
Yes. While Shopify is primarily known as an e-commerce platform, it does offer basic blogging features to complement its main functionality. However, if your main focus is blogging and you don’t plan to sell products or services, platforms like WordPress might be more suitable, as they are specifically designed for content management and blogging. Shopify is better if you intend to run an online store with blogging capabilities rather than a blog as the primary focus.
Yes, you can make money with your blog through monetization strategies such as advertising, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, and selling products or services. However, success typically requires consistent and quality content creation, building a loyal audience, and strategically implementing monetization methods. It may take time to see significant income, so patience and dedication are key. 
WordPress is a popular and user-friendly platform for creating and managing a blog. It offers various themes, plugins, and customization to suit your blog’s preferences and needs. Additionally, its large community and extensive documentation provide ample support for troubleshooting and expanding your blog as it grows.

Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.