How To Set Up A Blog On Blogging Platforms

Looking for some blogging sites to help you set up your blogs for FREE?

 If yes, then you have landed at the correct place!

When you are blogging or on a tight budget then the best part of the “no pay” platform is that it is “free” and “functional” at the same time.

 For you to enjoy the benefits of free blog sites we have curated a list of The 10 Best Websites

 Let’s dive in!

 

10 BEST FREE BLOGGING SITES

1. WordPress

 

WordPress comes with three variations namely:

Choosing between these versions completely depends on what functionality you are looking for. Read the functionalities provided by each version carefully and then make your decision.

Let us know if you need a separate blog post on “Which WordPress version to use”?

2. WIX

Wix is an amazing platform to get started for free with minimum technical skills.

You just need to manage the website from the front end and the rest is taken care of by Wix itself. That is you do not need to worry about the backend (data storage, Operating System).

It comes with an easy drag and drop feature that lets you create your website layout within a few hours and that too without coding, isn’t it cool.

There are more than 500 professionally designed website templates that you can customize as per your business requirements. These templates come with intuitive designs with amazing video backgrounds, scroll effects, and animations which are used by beginners as well as professionals.

STEPS TO LAUNCH YOUR WEBSITE

• Go to https://www.wix.com/ and sign up to create a new account.
• You can sign up for either your Gmail and Facebook account or enter your email id and create a password.
• Now, to launch a Wix blog you have two options. Firstly, you can use WixADI to create a website for you by answering a few questions. Secondly, you can build your website on your own by choosing a template and then arranging layouts by the Wix editor(WYSIWYG editor).
• If you want to take your website to another level then you can even hire a professional out of the hundreds of website developers provided by Wix.
• Wix also provides you with some sample websites related to your niche for you to have some inspiration.
• When you think your site is ready click on“Publish”s and start blogging!

Not only for designing and coding your website, but Wix also gives you a professional to promote, get establish an online store, take care of small tasks like updates, mailbox setup analytics, and many more. This facility is however paid.

 

3. LinkedIn

If you are a business owner looking to reach an already built or ready-made traffic then LinkedIn can be your best fit.

 According to the latest LinkedIn Statistics, there is a total of 800 million users registered on LinkedIn, out of which 310 million are active monthly.

These numbers are a clear sign of how much engagement you can expect through blogging on LinkedIn and that too for FREE!

You can use LinkedIn to write blogs or to promote your brand by sharing your blog links especially when your focus is B2B lead generation. In fact, according to a recent study, 80% of B2B marketing leads from social media come through LinkedIn.

To get started on LinkedIn, open your LinkedIn profile feed and click on the “Start a post” widget located at the center of your homepage. But this will be a LinkedIn status that will get published.

However, to write an article on LinkedIn click on “write an article” located under the “start a post “widget (see the image above) and this will enable a full-screen text editor with all the formatting features, photos, and many more properties essential for blogging.

 

4. WEEBLY

Weebly is another great platform designed for bloggers and business owners looking to sell their products online. 

 This platform is similar to Wix in the sense it provides you with free customizable templates and a drag-and-drop functionality in its WYSIWYG  editor to add any website components.

For example, if you need to add a slideshow to your blog page/website then simply drag and drop it to the desired location and customize it. The same happens with any other components like buttons, photos, and many more.

 Anybody with or without coding knowledge can use Weebly to set up their blog site. Weebly also provides you with a paid functionality to track your website analytics.

Follow these steps to get started:

• Go to www.weebly.com and click on “Get Started” (top right corner or center of the homepage)
• Sign up and then click on “Try Weebly Websites” which will take you to the Weebly template directory.
• Select a theme according to your niche and customize it accordingly.
• Choose your domain. Free domains end with ”.weebly.com”. If you do not want this then register one for yourself. 
• For sales, you can add Apps to your website.
• When you are satisfied click on “Publish”
• Congratulations! your blogging site is up and running.

With a free Weebly plan you get the following things:

• A 500MB Storage Space
• SEO Functionalities
• Chat And Email Support
• Free SSL Security
• Domain With Weebly Branding
• Lead Capture And Contact Forms
• Community Forum

 Click to see different plans provided by Weebly. 

 

5. MEDIUM

Medium was founded in 2012 in Sans Francisco. It is used by 60 million users monthly and the number increases substantially every year.

It is an open platform where writers can share their ideas, thoughts, and stories with a large already built community. Unlike other blogging sites you can not “own” your data on Medium.

This means you can not create your blogging site and publish blogs but use the medium’s website to store all your blog posts which is a common platform for all writers. If you delete your account you cannot access your data anymore.

 However, Medium is a great platform to attract visitors. The medium algorithm creates an audience for you. Also, it lets you integrate your Facebook and Twitter Ids and connects you to people who are on your friends’ list and on medium as well.

You get to know real statistics about your visitors which enables you to strategize your blogs in a better way.

 To get started on Medium simply log on to https://medium.com/ and create your account. Pretty simple, isn’t it?

 

 

6. JOOMLA

Joomla is not as popular as WordPress but is an effective tool for blogging.

 So far we have told you platforms that are easy to use and not very techie. But what if you are a professional coder? Here comes Joomla into play.

 Joomla is best for people with coding skills. It is similar to wordpress.org in way that it is free for building websites but you need to pay for domain and hosting (Free and Open source Software). Although there is a way you can skip this. Which we will come to know in some time.

 This platform has hundreds of templates to use and customize as per the business needs. However, Joomla is a better bet if you are coding your website since it does not have as many templates as WordPress so Joomla is a better bet if you are coding your website. It has almost 10,000 extensions to add functionality to your website.

 Do not want to pay for hosting?

Since 2015 Joomla has teamed up with SiteGround to offer a great solution which is Joomla.org.

With this, you get hosting for free with a free domain ending with ”.joomla.com”. 

The best thing about Joomla is that SEO comes built-in with Joomla which enables you to attract more traffic.

To get started simply go to https://www.joomla.org/ and download the latest version of Joomla.

 Click to know about various versions and features of Joomla.

  

7. HUBSPOT

Hubspot was earlier used by Marketers, salespersons, and customer relationship teams. But with their instinctive drag-and-drop website builder and Customer Management System (CMS), Hubspot is a great option for all kinds of businesses (big or small) to build free websites and manage their entire business.

 If you are in your initial business stages then you can take a free plan, and later you can upgrade with your growing needs.

 You must be wondering: “What is included in a Free HubSpot Plan?”

 Don’t worry. We got you covered!

 Here are some features included in the Free HubSpot plan:

• Marketing tools 
• Sales/ CRM tools 
• Service tools
• CRM tools

Want to know more features? Click here. 

As per HubSpot statistics, 143,000+ customers in over 120 countries are growing their businesses with HubSpot.

If you want to get started, click here. You can either get a free demo or get started for free.

8. BLOGGER

If you are a blogger who does blogging for personal use and not for professional purposes then ‘Blogger’ might be your go-to choice.

 You can start blogging with just a few simple steps:

•  Go to blogger.com and create your account by “signing in”.
• Choose a theme for your blogs and start writing your thoughts.
• The interface that you will see is easy-to-use just like a World Page.
• Get a domain for free with Blogger branding (blogspot.com) or buy a custom domain.
• Blogger also gives built-in analytics to find what works and what doesn’t work for you.

 Blogger has multiple customizable themes to choose from but nothing really fancy. In general, Blogger focuses more on writing than designing.

 Additionally, the website provided by Blogger comes with ad spaces that you can place within your content to earn money.

 

9. TUMBLR

Tumblr is one of the oldest blogging websites available on the web. The interface of Tumblr is not very professional but on a little playful and easy-to-start side.

 This is a free publishing platform that offers both blogging and social media in one place. Ideal for people who are more into short multimedia-oriented content to attract visitors. This is different from WordPress which focuses on providing thousands of options with more advanced features.

 Tumblr is a great option if you are looking for a website on a budget because you do not have to buy hosting, domain ( .tumblr.com), or configure a bunch of settings to start blogging.

 REMEMBER- Do not violate Tumblr’s Community Guidelines else it will suspend your website anytime.

Tumblr lets you display ads on your page, use affiliate links, and integrate your blog with Google Analytics.

 To get started, go to tumblr.com  and sign up to create your account.

 

10. GHOST

Ghost is developed for content writers who are looking to schedule and manage their posts effectively. It comes with modern tools to build a website, launch content, send newsletters and offer subscriptions to members for monetizing your followers.

 It provides you with hundreds of themes that can be customized easily as per your requirements.

 Ghost is an open-source software that lets you build a website for free, while you need to pay for hosting.

We recommend you use DigitalOcean which is an excellent hosting service provider and supports Ghost.

It is simple to write a blog on Ghost once you set up your website. The editor is not fancy and comes with easy-to-use features. Additionally, it also offers a live preview of your content on the right side of your working screen.

 To get started click here and create your account.

 

CONCLUSION

If you are a content writer looking for free blogging sites, this article is a perfect fit. we have discussed the Top 10 best free-to-use blogging platforms for budding and professional bloggers.

 Here is a glimpse of the list mentioned in the article above:

1.  WordPress
2.  Wix
3.  LinkedIn
4.  Weebly
5.  Medium
6.  Joomla
7.  Hubspot
8.  Blogger
9.  Tumblr
10.  Ghost

Did you find the post helpful? Let us know which one is your favorite platform out of these. Also, let us know your purpose to find a blogging platform for your business.  Stay tuned for more content coming your way! See you.