Top 10 Best Free Blogging Sites (2022): Compared & Reviewed

Introduction

In today’s digitally-driven era, a lot of aspects of the internet have consumed us in more ways than one. Today, if someone has a business, relying merely on traditional advertising is not enough. I am sure that all would agree to the fact that online presence is imperative. This online presence can be in many ways. Blogging and having your website is one of them. Another kind of presence in the digital space is through social media. Both of these can ensure engagement with the audience.

Different platforms can provide different benefits when it comes to these tools. Often, social media is only to connect with the viewers, make them feel more connected to the brand, and spread awareness. However, websites and blogs provide information regarding the brand. All of these tools can be utilized when it comes to digital marketing to make the most of it.

Apart from brands, there are a lot of individuals that can also make the best use of these tools that are available on digital platforms. Platforms such as social media and blogging can enable individuals to make a brand out of themselves. Careers such as Influencers are born out of the benefits that the digital space provides.

When deciding to benefit from these tools on the digital platform available, such as blogging or Instagram, it is always a good idea to have a goal in mind. This will ensure that you are not getting swayed away by trends and losing your sense of originality. A lot of times, when businesses or individuals are not clear about their goal, they tend to steer in all directions not being able to leave a mark in one.

After deciding what your aim and expectation are, it is also important to segregate what kind of platform you will choose. As I mentioned earlier, it is possible to use all of these tools or choose a few of them as well. Whenever you choose a platform it is important to understand that apart from understanding your goal, it is advisable to not only know the technical jargon but look into aspects such as social media marketing, search engine optimization, keywords, understanding algorithms, and so on.

Large corporations usually have professionals who assist them in these aspects. If you are an individual starting, you can opt to understand and study these aspects with the help of resources that you can find online. If you are starting out you can choose to begin with, say, for example, blogging sites, and then expand your reach through social media.

This article is to help you understand one of the most important tools, that is blogging sites. It covers what are blogging sites and what you are required to know before starting out. It also talks about how these blogging sites can assist you whether you are a part of a large corporation, small business owner, or an individual.

The article also dives deeper into the prospects that blogging holds today. Later, it looks into the features, pros, and cons of the 10 best free blogging sites that are available on the internet. Hopefully, this article will help you gain some insight and encourage you to start your blogging journey.

While the number of users and their content are increasing day by day on the internet, the demand for such content has also increased along with it. If the right strategies of content are used, then surely it empowers bloggers to stand out in the middle of the sea of content that exists today. Now, we will dig deeper into the ten best free blogging sites that can be a potential game changer for your own blog creation.

Now we will dig deeper into the ten best free blogging sites that could be the start of your own successful blog.

WordPress has been around since 2003 and is still today one of the best blogging sites. It has been computed that 34.5% of all the websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. As mentioned above, 70 million blog posts are produced each month on WordPress. Naturally, to say the least, it is a popular site. 

WordPress has varieties such as wordpress.com and wordpress.org. WordPress.org has a community of experts and is simple to operate. WordPress.com is also a free site that is a hosted version of the open-source platform named wordpress.org. Unlike what others might assume, wordpress.com does not require you to be tech-savvy or to have coding skills to operate its platform.

Features:

Both wordpress.com and wordpress.org support various features including its reliable nature and the site being malware-free. Free themes are available that assist in creating a good design layout of your site. WordPress offers a lot of SEO tools and plugins like security plugins and speed plugins for ease of access to its users. It also offers custom domain options. Both free and paid options are available which can be availed basis the requirement. The design and layout are simple to operate and also give stats to help your blog.

Pros

  • Ease of access: It is easy to use and operate.
  • Availability of Plugins: around 55,000 paid and free plugins are available.
  • SEO: WordPress does a really good job of promoting good content.
  • It is really good for social media integration and digital marketing.
  • Apart from having really good designs, the WordPress site is mobile-friendly as well. This becomes very important especially when a lot of the audience might be going through blogs while drinking a cup of coffee or waiting around during the day.

Cons

  • Vulnerability: Because WordPress is an open-source platform; anyone can study and change its code. It can be susceptible to potential hackers.
  • Customization on WordPress can make a huge difference but at the same time, this option is quite expensive.

WordPress is one of the best sites to start your blogging with because it's also easy to transition with. If you do not have much experience, still you can easily learn through their blog on their site. It’s accessibility and simplicity make it popular among bloggers and their audience.

Start your blogging site today! Get WordPress Now!

2. Wix

Wix is another popular blogging platform that is known for its simplicity of use. The free Wix plans allow you to have the option to use the wix.com subdomain and also the ads on Wix get displayed. There are several paid plans also available on Wix.

While Wix might not be a great option for sites that witness huge traffic, it can work wonders for beginners and individual bloggers. The site offers various features that add up to the popularity it has gained over the years.

Features:

Wix allows customizable templates where you can select a prototype and personalize it based on your preferences. This feature provides visual appeal and refrains you from creating instances where your blog’s niche does not match the aesthetic of your theme.

Wix also provides a mobile editor which makes the blog mobile user-friendly as well. It also enables you to create a personalized SEO plan. The freedom to design using an AI designer or the liberty to design on your own, is a major reason why Wix is so popular among beginners.

Pros

  • The site speed of Wix is really good for sites with less traffic.
  • The template collection is huge and provides various options.
  • You can also extend the features that you get through the Wix app market.
  • The help and support that you get from Wix are very helpful.
  • The interface of Wix is extremely intuitive.
  • The security that Wix provides is good but at the same time, it does not compromise on the speed.

Cons

  • Tracking and assessing analytics requires a paid plan.
  • The templates are not interchangeable, one template cannot be transferred to another.
  • The free site comes with the Wix branding which you cannot get rid of.

These are the features, pros, and cons of choosing Wix as your free blogging site. Wix is a really good option for someone who is an individual choosing blogging as a hobby or a side hustle. If the traffic is not very aggressive, you can make the best of the features that are available.

Start your blogging site today! Get Wix Now!

3. Weebly

Another one of the popular free blogging sites is Weebly. It is basically a website builder that comes along with free blogging services. When it comes to Weebly, there is complete freedom to make your own blog designs.

You can get the free version of Weebly with subdomain name and branding as well. Paid plans are also offered in the form of 'connect', 'pro', and 'business plans' programs. You can only upload 500MB content on Weebly. This restriction makes it difficult for photographers to operate on Weebly.

Features:

Weebly is known for the simplicity it provides. The site is easy to use and operate. It also has a drag and drops website builder that can help you create the blog that you want with powerful tools. The media management, that is collection of images and videos is also very simple. Adding images and videos to your files can increase the engagement that your blog gets.

Weebly offers professionally designed templates that you could also alter based on your needs. Along with these templates, it also has SEO tools that help in ranking your site. The app collection, allows multiple application integration.

Pros

  • The speed of the site is really good. This is important because users can instantly disconnect if the speed is slow.
  • The design of the templates is flexible.
  • The functionality of the site is easy and hassle-free to use.
  • The editor features also come along with customized code, SEO integration, and allow contributors to collaborate on-site.
  • Weebly allows the users to export their sites and does not give them an ultimatum to either use their site or not. It understands that users might want to shift eventually when they get better options.

Cons

  • If you are using the site for free, the domain name will remain weebly.com.
  • Weebly is not a dedicated blogging platform hence there is some amount of limitation that comes along with it.

While Weebly has several cons, it is important to understand that there are certain features such as transferability that are not provided by many sites. It can also be another win if you want to choose a free blogging site and are starting out, here you can also expand into your domain easily later on.

Blogger.com is one of the oldest and most popular blogging platforms. It was launched in 1999 and then Google took it over. Logging in is extremely simple as all you will need is a Google account. Obviously, this site is free, and does not require you to commit to it. It gives you freedom to test it out and you can make a decision later.

Apart from the free part when you get a subdomain, you can also connect it to a custom domain name once you buy it and set it up. The functioning of the site is intuitive.

Features:

The various features of the Blogger include the free subdomain or the ability to buy a domain name. It also has templates that are easy to use and can be selected based on your niche. When it comes to monetization, it is very easy to accommodate Google Adsense and place ads to earn money from blogging.

Google Analytics is a very comprehensive analysis app that can assist you to understand various aspects of your traffic and enable you to make the most out of your blog. Because blogger.com is owned by Google, naturally, the storage will also stay with Google which gives higher security options. 

Pros

  • The ease to operate the system is appealing to both audience and bloggers
  • You do not need any technical knowledge to use this platform.
  • Being owned by Google, you can be assured of high security.
  • Blogger’s team is extremely supportive and helpful.
  • The interface is intuitive and seamless.

These are the few pros that come when you make an account on blogger.com. Another beneficial factor is also Google analytics which can help you understand your traffic.

Cons

  • Usually, Blogger is considered more of a hobby blogging platform, and people will not take you seriously if you are here.
  • There is a lack of customization or control when it comes to blogger.com.

Blogger.com is a great free blogging platform to start with when you have no idea of how to use a site or what to analyze and trust me, it can be an insightful experience for any beginner. It can also be useful when you are merely writing for the passion and do not want to pursue it professionally.

Start your blogging site today! Get Wix Now!

5. Medium

Medium is a popular form of blogging that everyone is aware of. However, it is not merely a blogging platform, it can be considered as a content publishing platform as well. It is a site that encourages new talent and can be considered as a haven for people who are passionate about writing.

Medium partner program enables you to cash it your work, based on the engagement you receive. You are for sure going to find avid readers here, that's why it is easier to build a community and get feedback on this platform.

Features:

While Medium is generally advised to be used as an additional platform, apart from the main blogging site, nobody can take away the fact that it has a vast audience of readers and writers that can be converted to your audience.

The monetization feature can actually help you earn a good amount of money. It is a free app and can be accessed easily from mobiles as well. Though, there are certain paid features incorporated in the application. Social media integration is extremely easy with Medium as you can share your social networks on this app. 

Pros

  • The exposure and views one receives from the reader and writers, forming a community, is immense on Medium.
  • The set-up is simple to use and does not require technical knowledge. 
  • Usually, in all of the blog sites that we have seen above, there is a certain amount of SEO knowledge required. With medium, all of that is taken care of by the application itself which simplifies the job for you.
  • Social media sharing is encouraged on the application, which means you can also build your socials here and make the community there.

Cons

  • There is less control as to how your content appears. The application decides it.
  • While analytics are offered by the app and are enough, they cannot be compared with the comprehensiveness of Google Analytics. 

Medium is a great alternative for someone who not only is passionate about writing and reading but also wants monetization. Here the monetization is based on the audience response to the quality of content and not on ads. This can also be extremely satisfactory to a writer. 

6. Tumblr

Tumblr is another popular blogging application that one would have definitely heard of if they are active on social media. It can be categorized as a blogging platform that is based on pop-culture. Naturally, it is a platform that is centered on the youth.

This platform is not like a traditional blogging site. Here you can put out short blogs based on the theme that you customize. Here, some features are also like social media. There is a concept of followers. It is not seen as a professional blogging platform, however, if your audience is here, it might act as a feature.

Features:

Tumblr is a microblogging platform that enables you to post content that includes visuals. It is for people who do not want to write long posts. You can get custom domains here and there is also an export tool available. All the files could be gathered in a ZIP file content.

There is also a password protection system where blogs can be viewed only using a certain password. You can also customize themes and use them based on what suits your blog. A good amount of social integration is possible with Tumblr. 

Pros

  • Tumbler offers a wide variety of interests and thus, you can write what you want. Apart from writing, you can also explore various tags for your reading concerns.
  • Tumblr produces a lot of memes that afterward get popular on Instagram and Facebook. This way you not only remain informed in advance but you can use it to create more content as well.
  • It is a good platform for social engagement like discussion on world politics and other global issues. If you want to be part of it, try your luck here.

Cons

  • ⦁Since the platform has a huge audience and a wide exposure, it has potent risk for negative responses as well. You might get harsh responses that may negatively affect you.
  • ⦁It is difficult to identify original posts if someone shares them.

Tumblr is a good option for the youth who are looking for a blogging platform with active social media integration. It hosts several features that help you in making a good post. However, it cannot be the only platform you can use if you want to blog professionally. 

Start your blogging site today! Get Wix Now!

7. Ghost

Ghost is an open-source platform that was created in 2013. It was launched by a Kickstarter campaign. Ghost is fully managed by the state of art cloud management technology which allows it to have comprehensive developer control. It offers the opportunity to control the design of your blog.

It is a blogging platform meant for journalists, editors, and writers. It is software that one can download for free and also has paid options. The Ghost interface looks professional and can be used by people who are seriously considering blogging. 

Features:

Ghost gives the user the power to have complete control over the content. This can be very useful for the blogger and they can make the best of it. It also allows you to schedule posts. What this essentially means is that you can create an editorial calendar and stay ahead in time.

Ghost comes along with comprehensive SEO features that enable high rankings. It has templates that are simple and easy to use. The automatic backup feature allows you to never lose

Pros

  • The appearance, themes, and the user interface itself is not only simple in their functionality but also gives a clean professional look.
  • The site believes in providing good quality content and stays true to it. It promotes good writers.
  • The built-in SEO and social sharing enable the blogger to not worry about several aspects. 
  • The site is faster than most blogging sites, this can be a crucial factor in a time when one has to catch attention in a span of seconds. 

Cons

  • Ghost site does not support plugins for customization.
  • You require technical knowledge to have control over your site.
  • The themes are limited and the pro version is costly.

Ghost is another great platform in the realms of the blogosphere. It has several features that can make it very hassle-free. It is also a good option if you want to blog professionally and want to be taken seriously because of the kind of content it promotes. 

8. Joomla

Joomla is a blogging site that can be considered similar to WordPress. It is free however, it does require a domain and hosting. It has an open-source CMS like WordPress and powers 58 Million websites.

Joomla was originally called Mambo and was developed in 2000 by an Australian company. Joomla was launched in 2005. One thing to keep in mind is, Joomla requires some degree of technical knowledge in terms of coding, only then you will be able to make the most of it. It has a more advanced user system as compared to WordPress.

Features:

Joomla is known for its multilingual support without many complications. Apart from core packages you can add extensions as well. For the core packages, you do not have to add additional plugins. It has a flexible user interface and there are people who have created websites on Joomla. If you want to self-host, you will require a hosting platform. 

Pros

  • The multilingual option can enable a lot of users to cater to different types of audiences.
  • The level of flexibility that Joomla offers is quite good when it comes enabling users to create their blogs and helping them grow it further.
  • Even as a free blogging site, you can monetize your website. You can add affiliate links, ads, and sell products. Joomla also has e-commerce extensions where you can choose to add products and then sell them. 

Cons

  • You must possess some technical expertise if you want to work over Joomla. A brand-new blogger might find it difficult.
  • The plugins that Joomla offers might have some compatibility issues. Limited coding knowledge might not solve it.

These are the pros and cons of Joomla platform. It is a really good website for people with technical skills and for those who have already worked upon it earlier. It is a good option for people who are looking to blog professionally as well. 

Strikingly is a quick one-page blogging platform that can be easily rated as one of the best blogging platforms available nowadays. The site is very simple in terms of design and does not require you to have any form of technical knowledge.

It is a free site but you can explore more advanced options with its paid version. It has made the process of site-building a no brainer. Apart from this, it also offers web-friendly and mobile-friendly websites. This helps in enhancing its user base. 

Features:

Strikingly offers a variety of features. This site has a single page design. You can review the full sample sites in built-in templates. It also offers you to sell products on the e-commerce site.

The site offers amazing ease of access as you can simply select a template and start typing. Strikingly offers a non-fuss experience and also provides 5GB monthly bandwidth along with unlimited sites for free. Social media tools and analytics tools are also provided to improve the quality of your blog. However, the free version will also add an ad on your site which you cannot remove.

Pros

  • The design template and the user interface are extremely easy to use. You do not require previous coding experience.
  • You will get unlimited site options.
  • Various tool incorporation like social media tools, analytics tools, a comments section, and a search bar makes it a go-to website.
  • Both desktop and mobile layouts can be created with equal ease. 
  • There is an option to automatically save changes; and free support is provided at all rates that you choose to start your blog with. 

Cons

  • The free plan has limited functionality.
  • Because it is a single page builder website, it is important to understand that long information cannot be added to the blog site. This can prove to be a bane for some. 
  • The customer service is provided by phone only using the English language, it can prove to be difficult for some people.

Strikingly is an excellent option for people who do not want to write long paragraphs and can fit all of their information on a single page. It is extremely easy to use and the simple design is visually appealing. It can be a really good option for people who are starting. 

10. Yola

Yola is another free blogging site that gives advantages to the learners and is extremely easy to use. Yola was created in Africa and has over 12 million users. It has around 80 free templates and they are not categorized. Based on your need, you can make the selection.

The site builder has incorporated multiple language options such as English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. This can prove to be beneficial for non-native speakers as well. Yola is user friendly and if you are barely starting, it can become a really good alternative for you. 

Features:

As mentioned above, Yola has an easy-to-use interface and comes with several templates for the user to choose from. In the free plan, you will get 3 pages along with 1 Gb bandwidth. You will also get 1Gb storage. Apart from this, you can also avail the subdomain of Yola as well.

In case you want to start using Yola from a blank template, that option is also available. This can help you get the customization you might require. Font, color, and alignments can also be customized on Yola. There are certain limitations to customization however, it can be a good learner option.

Pros

  • The simplicity of usage of Yola makes it accessible to everyone.
  • You can use Yola as your blogging site without having to pay for it. There are paid upgrading options that are available in case you are interested later on. 
  • If you have knowledge of coding, you can perform customization in the site as well.
  • The layout of Yola is simple and appealing to the eye. It looks professional and you can tweak the available templates. 

Cons

  • If you are choosing the free plan, Yola branding is not an option but rather a compulsion.
  • There is no option to run a blog that is straight from the editor when it comes to Yola. 

Yola is a good site that you can sign up, to try and check your standing in the world of blogging. It can help you to get used to designing templates and understanding what suits you. It is a suitable option for someone who is only starting out.

About blogging sites

When we talk about blogging sites, it is important to understand what a blogging site really is. It can be described as websites where the content that is presented is in reverse chronological order. Most of the time, blogs are run by individuals. Large corporations and brands also produce blog-based content to produce informational or trend-based content to spread awareness.

While blogging has been around for several years, the most popular blogging site called blogger.com was then launched in 2003. The idea of blogging has been derived from the idea of journaling. The increasing popularity of blogging has led to the birth of blogging sides and several tools associated with it.

It can be easy to confuse blogging with websites. While they are similar, blogging sites have updated and new content consistently and have a display that enables a reverse chronological order. Websites that are typical in nature usually provide merely the information regarding the business.

However, blogging can be a part of websites that are large in nature. Often if you go onto a website you might find that the tabs include blogs. Here, they produce fresh content on a regular basis. It cannot be stated directly which is better when it comes to websites or blogging, as mentioned in the earlier section, it is your goals that will determine this.

Various blogging sites are available today. Paid and free versions enable users to have options when it comes to blogging sites. The top ten free sites are explored further in this article. A lot of popular blogging sites have a niche such as blogilates has fitness, lost with purpose is a travel blog and we the parents is a parenting blog.

Here comes an important point to note is that a lot of people advise that it is important to pick a niche before starting out blogging. This can help you to become an expert in a particular area and the audience can form a sense of trust over time for a particular topic. For example, if your blog is for fashion, sticking to it for a long time can assist you to form a niche target audience as well.

Another common question that comes with blogging sites is, how do people make money out of it. With the development of the digital space, it has enabled people to earn money through personal logging as well. The most common way to earn money through blogging is advertisements and affiliate marketing. You can use Google Adsense for advertisements and affiliate marketing is recommending products on your sites of different brands that pay you to do so.

Other methods include opening a store linked to the blog or even memberships. Developing an Instagram based on your blog can also expand your opportunities to earn money through doing sponsored posts on Instagram. These are the few basics when it comes to starting your blogging site about understanding your niche and earning money through blogging to build your own business. 

Contribution of blogging sites: Businesses and Individuals

It is no secret that blogging is extremely popular. However, people might have the question of how blogging can really benefit individuals. When it comes to blogging, there are several benefits that blogging can include.

1. Sharing passion and educating
A lot of the time, individual bloggers choose to blog to share their passions. Whether doing a 9-5 job or not, everyone has a passion and blogging can help one to share these. This can also help in creating a community that is passionate about the same thing as you are. For people who love to teach or are professionals in different fields, blogging provides a platform to help them educate. This kind of blogging also provides various monetization opportunities.

2. Exposure and authority
Business owners can gain exposure through blogging. Blogging requires people to create content regularly, this also demands research and also gives you the opportunity to create content for other established websites relevant to your industry.
Blogging also enables individuals to build the authority of a professional for a particular niche. This can also lead you to give talks and interviews about the topic that you have developed an authority in.

3. Building an online identity
While having a social presence can ensure that the online presence exists, it becomes important to understand that a blog can not only expand your online identity but give more credibility to it. Blogging can also help you build a community and add to your reputation.
If you are in fields such as content writing or copy blogger, personal blogs can help recruiters understand your writing skills and discover you through this process.

While these are the benefits that individuals face there are some benefits that all three- individuals, small businesses, and large corporations as well.

4. Search Engine Rank Boost
When there is new and fresh content created through blogging, it gives Google and other search engines the boost to push that content forward. This will help you in increasing visibility when it comes to search engine ranks. Having more visibility can also have a resultant effect where one will receive backlinks.

5. Relationship with consumers
Blogging when having a small or a large scale business can help you build a relationship with your consumers. There can also be an opportunity to post questions and have conversations with them in the comment box. It helps in building a community.

6. Add value and differentiating your business
Whether you have a small or a large business, blogging can enable you to add value to the consumers. Companies often have informative blogs which help in providing the consumers with knowledge as well.

Often, creating a community not only adds more loyalty to your audience but can also assist you to differentiate your business from other businesses in the same field. Apart from your existing consumers, blogging can also help you to attract new consumers who might be looking for information and end up on your page.

These are a few of the many benefits that blogging can provide to individuals, small businesses, and large corporations.

Prospects Of Blogging Today

When one hears statistics such as 70 million new posts is produced every month on WordPress or that there are around 31.7 million bloggers in the U.S.A itself recorded in 2020, it can feel daunting and questionable how relevant it will be to start a blog at this point.

However, blogging is still an extremely relevant form of digital marketing even today. It depends on how you expand the reach of your blogging post and help it to stand out more. One of the simplest ways to do this is by adding value to your content. Quality will never fail to stand out and you will be elated when readers are ready to jump onto the next content in a click.

Another way is to ensure that the content is skimmable, not everyone can sit and read everything that you have to say. It is better to make content that can be divided into chunks or smaller segments to convey the information easily. Words do have power, but not enough to solely engage the audience. Adding images and infographics can spice up your content and make it more attention-worthy.

Usage of backlinks and external as well as internal links can assist your audience to steer within your blog. An easy navigation within the blog is a must to do process to hold any reader on your blog. This will also help your consumers spend lesser time on your blog and still you might get engagement within the timeframe you experience.

Conclusion

These are the top ten free blogging sites that you must try if you want to start your own blogging career. Each of these sites has its own features, pros, and cons. While choosing a blogging site, it is important to make sure that you know who your target audience is and what your goal is. This will majorly decide the kind of site you would like to choose.

Apart from these aspects, it is also advisable to see a little more in the future and understand if you will require to have your own domain name, you might have to shift. While some sites make that easier, others might not allow it. It is safer to choose a site that allows this shift, especially when you are planning to take up blogging professionally.

We have provided a variety of options for everyone to ensure that there are options for each type of objective that one might have. It is also important to look into social media aspects when we look at these sites. Hopefully, this article gives you an insight into all of these free platforms that are there, and encourage you to start blogging to gain exposure and discover your own talent.


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