The Best Blogging Platform to Make Money! (Smart Bloggers Know – Do YOU?)

It’s no secret that many bloggers make a good chunk of change from their blogs. But what’s the best blogging platform to make money and achieve this goal?

There are a lot of different blogging platforms available, but not all of them live up to actually being a platform for business and making money.

And, without all the facts, it can be tough to decide which one is the best for you. So, if your goal is to make money with your blog, then you need to choose the right platform, and we’re going to help you with that decision.

In this post, we’re going to help you choose the best blogging platform that will help you start your journey to creating a passive income.

I’m going to share my thoughts on the blogging platform that is, hands down, the best software to create yourself a successful blog.

Keep reading to find out more!

If you’re wanting to start a blog and make money, the first thing you’re going to need is a blogging platform to create it.

With so many different blogging platforms saturating the Internet, it can be hard to determine which one is best for you.

To help you make money from your blog, this post will go over our choice for the best blogging platform to make money, along with 4 runner-up alternatives.

Let’s get started!

What is a Blog?

A blog (short for “weblog”) is a personal or business online journal or informational website that provides fresh material on a specific topic on a regular basis.

It is written in an informal or conversational style and provides information in reverse chronological order.

These blogs are websites that feature any type of informative content, such as textual content, photos, videos, and so on.

What to Look for in a Blogging Platform for Making Money?

This is fairly simple, your blogging platform should allow you to make a profit and be simple enough for anyone to use. A tall order, right?

But, if you want your blog to run like a well-oiled machine, there are several things you’ll need to take into account.

If you’re wanting to make money from your blog, you’re going to need to keep an eye out for some basics to help you achieve your goals.

Features:

1. How Easy is it to Set Up?

If you aren’t familiar with computers and software, you’ll need a blogging platform that’s simple enough to set up without any extra help.

Some blogs only require an account and log in, then you can start posting right away. However, other blogging services will require some knowledge of coding and other computer skills.

Some blog hosting services will require the installation of the software to be on their server. Although it’s not a difficult task, some bloggers would rather avoid having to do it.

2. How Simple is the User Interface?

The user interface of the blogging platform is how you interact with the software.

The blogging platform software should be straightforward and not difficult to understand. All the features should be easily accessible, and it shouldn’t take long to figure out how to use them.

Something to look for is how easy the common tasks are, for example, posting, adding images, videos, etc. If it’s a difficult task or beyond your technical skillset, the blogging platform will be a nightmare to manage.

3. How Easy is it to Customize?

The customization capabilities of the blogging platform you select can make or break the deal, plain and simple.

Is it easy to alter the theme, layout, colors, and fonts of your blog? You’ll also want to check to see if you can customize particular features of the blog.

Many of these blogging platforms will offer customization options, but not all, so beware.

For example, some of the software will allow the use of add-ons or plugins that can perform a variety of tasks, but many platforms won’t allow them.

That is something to think about while making your decision because it can and will impact how much money you can make from your blog.

4. Do You Have Control of Your Business?

There are some blogging platforms where you could give up some control, so you gotta make sure you read the fine print.

If you violate the blogging platform’s terms of service agreement, your site could be in a world of hurt. If the platform changes its rules and regulations, you could lose control over who sees your postings or how they respond to them.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you’ll want to make sure that you have full access to your content if you decide, for any reason, that you want to move it to another blogging platform at some point.

5. Are Third-Party Applications Allowed?

Many blogging platforms will allow you to connect your blog with third-party applications, allowing you to generate money quickly and gain more followers.

There are many different types of third-party applications you can use to connect your blog with.

For example, it could be:

• Video Service
• Email Marketing Service
• Social Media tool
• Or an eCommerce shopping cart for selling products

These tools and services are crucial for your business, so be sure whatever platform you decide to go with allows integration.

6. How Easy is it to Monetize to Make Money?

One of the first things you need to consider when choosing your blogging platform is how you will make money from your blog.

You’ll want to make sure that the blogging platform allows you to place affiliate links within your content and site because this is the most common way bloggers generate money.

You should also confirm that the platform will allow you to sell products. Not every platform allows this. Obviously, if this is the case, you won’t be able to generate income from your blog.

If you want to monetize your blog through advertising such as Google AdSense or MediaVine, you’ll need to make sure that your blogging platform allows it as well.

7. Do You Have Access to Many Theme Choices?

Although the theme of your blog will not have an impact on your ability to generate money from it, it is still important to think about.

Although content is most important for getting traffic to your site, there’s nothing wrong with your site portraying professionalism and beauty.

For modifications, the theme must be adaptable and flexible. It also needs to match your budget, or you’ll wind up spending more than necessary for a useless feature.

8. Is the Blogging Platform Optimized for SEO?

A high-functioning blog requires more than an optimized theme, layout, and content–it must also be SEO and built for speed.

SEO optimization is crucial if you want your blog to be both easily found and rank high on Google. The blogging platform you choose will play a big role in how good your SEO can be.

You’ll also want to consider how fast your site loads because if it takes too long, people will just leave and find another one.

The Best Blogging Platform for YOU and Your Business!

Now that we’ve covered features that make for a good blogging platform, if you’re new to the blogging world, you’re going to want a platform with a small learning curve and one that doesn’t require technical knowledge.

You’ll also need to consider the type of blog you want to start now and also what type of blog you’d like to have in the future.

A blog is ever-changing, which means the blogging platform you choose should allow for future growth along with new features.

Even if you don’t have immediate plans to make money blogging, it’ll be a good idea to keep the option open for the future.

With all that in mind, let’s jump in with our top choice for the best blogging platform for making money.

1. WordPress.org

If you haven’t heard of WordPress before, let me be the first to introduce it to you.

WordPress is the most popular blogging platform for blogs and websites, especially for those wanting to earn an income from their site.

WordPress is the most popular platform covering nearly 43% of the internet’s websites.

It’s also free and open-source, making it the most sought-after content management system on the internet.

WordPress.org is designed for you to host your own site, which is a huge plus for everything we’ve been talking about up to this point.

Because it’s a free platform, you can also save money on third-party tools or plugins.

You can use WordPress.org to create a blog or website, but you’ll need to connect it with a web hosting provider. With just one click, you’re finished!

WordPress is best known for its customization options, which allow you to use custom themes, install plugins, and do all kinds of other things on your blog.

You can also monetize your blog very easily with WordPress.

You’ll be able to fully customize it how you like, so if you want to be completely independent along with having full ownership, WordPress is the way to go.

WordPress.org is a free, feature-rich content management system (CMS) that you can use to create an online presence for your business or personal brand in minutes.

WordPress is a great choice if you’re looking to have complete control over your blog’s future. It’s a self-hosted solution, so you’ll need to sign up with WordPress hosting in advance.

WordPress.org Pros and Cons

Pros of Using WordPress as a Blogging Platform:

• WordPress.org gives you complete control over your website from the ground up
• It is easy to write, edit, schedule, and publish blogs
• You’ll have the option of adding extra features like an online eCommerce store, memberships, or Internet courses to your blog
• It’s an extremely versatile and powerful website management system that allows you to design any website you want
• With the thousands of free WordPress themes available, you can create a stunning website that will make heads turn
• You’ll get access to almost 60,000 free WordPress plugins. These plugins are similar to mobile apps for a WordPress blog that allows you to add functionalities such as contact forms and galleries
• WordPress is optimized for search engines. You may quickly generate SEO-friendly URLs, categories, and tags for your articles. Furthermore, there are several excellent SEO plugins available to optimize your site even further
• You can easily add a Google Analytics dashboard within your WordPress blog, so you can see how you’re doing in the SERPs. This can help you increase your blog traffic and get more subscribers
• Last but not least, WordPress’ drag-and-drop editor makes it simple to create any sort of blog material without having to be born with the tech gene

Cons of Using WordPress as Your Platform:

• As with anything else, there is a learning curve in which you’ll need to acquaint yourself with the WordPress dashboard (plenty of help online)
• You must handle your own security and technical issues, but that’s what’s great about Google and YouTube, you can find solutions to anything

Ways to Make Money Using WordPress as Your Blogging Platform

By starting a blog using the WordPress blogging platform, you can make money in several different ways:

1. You can join affiliate marketing programs and then sell affiliate products through your content via affiliate links
2. By joining a premium ad network like Google AdSense and showing advertisements on your website
3. You can make money by selling digital products on your website or opening an eCommerce store
4. You can build an email list from your blog and then sell recommended products through your list
5. You can create and sell online courses through your blog
6. You can create a forum or membership website and sell memberships
7. You can choose to publish sponsored content on your website.

The reason I strongly recommend that you start a blog with WordPress is that it allows you to have complete control over your website, giving you the freedom to create a passive income from your blog however you choose.

Pricing

Although the WordPress.org software is completely free, you are required to own a domain name (which can cost up to $19.99 a year).

The cost of blog hosting can range from $2.95 a month all the way up to $45 or more per month for the high-end, premium plans, which you won’t need until you have 500,000 visitors or more per month (many years from now).

You can get started by creating a website on WordPress using SiteGround, which I highly recommend for as little as $2.99 a month for blog hosting.

You can also purchase a new domain or register your existing domain name with SiteGround, along with installing WordPress with the 1-click install button.

Click this Link for a 80% off Discount Coupon for Web Hosting

Whether you’re blogging for fun or business, you can use WordPress to create a personal website, an online store, or a small business website.

4 Out-of-the-Box Blogging Platforms to Make Money With

The following are some of the best blogging platforms that can help you make money, but they do have limitations – read on.

With paid website builders like Wix and Squarespace, you can build beautiful websites using pre-made templates. But you will pay a fee to keep your site up and running. They will also be the host for your website.

Out-of-the-Box Website Builder Pros and Cons

Pros of Using Out-of-the-Box Website Builders:

• Point-and-click site builders make website creation user-friendly and straightforward
• You can have a website up in no time at all
• Your website will be professional looking

Cons of Using Out-of-the-Box Website Builders:

• A smaller support community and forums.
• A website builder may limit your business’ functionality – WordPress Plugins, for example, can give you virtually any functionality you desire that isn’t available in Wix or Squarespace
• Not only does WordPress have the functionality to grow with your business in regards to SEO and analytics, but it also has features that Wix and Squarespace lack- like landing pages
• However, when compared to self-hosted alternatives, it is rather pricey
• (BIG ONE) – Unlike self-hosted websites, you don’t truly own your website.

WordPress is more powerful and flexible than Wix, Squarespace, and other similar alternatives. Even though those platforms can create a site faster, WordPress offers so much more under the hood for running a money-making business.

WordPress is the most popular website platform for a reason: it’s user-friendly, reliable, and versatile.

Wix, Squarespace, and other site builders may look appealing at first glance, but they don’t have the same robust features as WordPress.

Are Out-of-the-Box Website Builders Cheaper Than Self-Hosted Websites?

In general, the cost of using a paid website builder over creating a self-hosted site using WordPress is much higher in the long run.

For most self-hosting plans, you’ll spend anywhere from $3 to $15 per month, depending on which web hosting you decide to go with.

However, paid website builders such as Wix usually double to triple the cost per month.

Who Should Use These Out-of-the-Box Platforms?

Some people only need a website that looks good without too many additional features. If, for example, you’re an artist and all you want is to show off your artwork.

Now, let’s take a look at how you can generate money from each of these other platforms in greater detail.

2. Wix – Create a Website Without Limits

Wix is a popular website builder that was founded in 2003. Wix is an Israeli-based free website builder.

Over 200 million individuals across 190 nations use the site to construct their websites online.

If you are starting from scratch with website creation or don’t have much experience in creating websites, this guide is for you, but it does have its limitations.

It’s known for its simple-to-set-up websites that may be created with only drag-and-drop components, as well as its strong AI system.

Wix Pros and Cons

Pros of Using Wix as a Blogging Platform:

1. The design is optimized for search engine optimization
2. The automatic email subscription feature on the Wix platform will allow you to capture leads effectively
3. You can easily add multiple people to your website and assign different roles (I.E. administrator, publisher, editor, etc.)
4. Blog posts are easy to create, edit, and publish using this software
5. You can easily create websites by dragging and dropping various elements into place

Cons of Using Wix as Your Platform:

1. While it’s simple to create a blog on Wix, it’s difficult to migrate your content off the platform if you decide to switch later down the road (this is a BIG Con)
2. Although it has a free plan, it has serious restrictions on the free plan
3. It can be very costly if you decide to upgrade to get more features
4. You’re given limited storage and bandwidth with the free plan
5. Once you go live with your website, you cannot change the theme or template

How to Make Money Using the Wix Blogging Platform

While Wix offers the free plan, if you want to earn money blogging, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Here are a few ways to earn money using Wix:

1. By upgrading to a premium plan, you can display advertisements on your website and profit by joining popular ad networks
2. You can offer affiliate items on your website
3. You can develop a membership website with premium material for a monthly subscription.
4. You can be a freelance writer using Wix as your platform
5. You can create and manage an entire eCommerce store to sell physical goods, digital products like courses or ebooks, and even merchandise
6. You can get paid to write about the products and services you love on your website

Pricing

With the Wix free plan, you can use your own domain, which will be a subdomain as shown: yourdomain.wix.com.

At their least expensive monthly cost of $16 a month, you’ll get a custom domain.

Get started with Wix today!

3. Squarespace – Everything to Sell Anything

Squarespace is a website design and web hosting business based in the United States that was established in January 2004.

Squarespace is one of the most popular options for building professional websites with excellent design and functionality.

Over one million people today use our platform for their websites.

Squarespace Pros and Cons

Pros of Using Squarespace as a Blogging Platform:

1. There are numerous templates to select from, or you can create your own and upload it to Squarespace
2. It comes with a built-in email marketing program for building your list
3. They offer excellent customer support that is always of high-quality
4. Make edits to your website on the go with their easy-to-use mobile app
5. Some of its blogging features include commenting, a multi-author section, and post-scheduling.
6. Because it’s a closed-source platform, you won’t have to worry about website security

Cons of Using Squarespace as Your Platform:

1. It doesn’t have many extra features and applications
2. It can be an expensive option
3. Editing blog posts can be tricky and time-consuming

How to Make Money Using the Wix Blogging Platform

Take a look at some of the best methods to generate money writing for Squarespace.

Here are a few ways to earn money using Squarespace:

1. You can promote affiliate products
2. Similar to Wix, you can display ads on your site
3. You can post sponsored material on your website
4. You can sell tangible and digital items on your eCommerce store
5. You can create a Portfolio and work as a freelancer
6. You can also establish a membership website with premium and restricted content available on a monthly basis
7. You can use email marketing to grow your list, send campaigns promoting your product or service, and funnel leads through the sales process

We’ve all heard that blogging is a great way to make money, and Squarespace is another blogging platform to do it with.

Pricing

With Squarespace, you can create a website for free for 14 days. After that period expires, you will be charged.

Squarespace has different pricing plans for personal, business, and online eCommerce stores.

The cost for a personal website is $23/month or $16/month, paid annually.

For a business site, it will cost you $33/month or $23/month, paid annually.

If you want all the bells and whistles, it will cost you $65/month or $49/month, paid annually.

Get started with Squarespace today!

4. Joomla – The Flexible Platform Empowering Website Creators

Another free yet highly popular CMS is Joomla, which is an alternative to WordPress in the open-source category.

Joomla was initially released in 2005, and since then, it has impacted nearly 2 million active websites worldwide.

The flexibility, customizability, and security features of the platform have made it a popular choice.

Joomla is managed and run by volunteers from around the world. Here are some benefits and drawbacks of blogging on Joomla.

Joomla Pros and Cons

Pros of Using Joomla as a Blogging Platform:

1. It’s a highly SEO-friendly content management system (CMS)
2. A flexible system, easy to extend and customize
3. It’s an excellent e-commerce CMS
4. The system is easy to set up, utilize, update, and manage
5. Improved user management capabilities
6. Global and professional support thru forum and documentation

Cons of Using Joomla as Your Platform:

1. It’s considerably more difficult to set up than WordPress
2. There are very few Joomla free extensions available
3. There are issues with its compatibility
4. It only has a few decent-looking templates for free

How to Make Money Using the Wix Blogging Platform

Here are a few ways to earn money using Joomla – similar to WordPress:

1. You can promote products on your website
2. You can advertise affiliate products on your website.
3. An eCommerce site gives you the ability to sell both physical and digital products online
4. You can accept and post sponsored material on your website.
5. As a freelancer, you can provide professional consultation and services

Pricing

Just like WordPress, Joomla is an open-source CMS, which means you’ll need a domain and blog hosting to build a Joomla website.

As mentioned above, a domain will cost roughly $19.99 a year for registration (you own it).

Then the cost of web hosting will cost you anywhere from $2.95 a month (not recommended) up to $45 and more per month.

Just like I mentioned above for WordPress, if you choose to run with Joomla, you can get started using SiteGround, which comes highly recommended for as little as $2.99 a month for website hosting.

You can also purchase or register your existing domain name through SiteGround along with installing Joomla with a 1-click install button.

Click this Link for a 80% off Discount Coupon for Web Hosting

5. Medium – Discover Stories, Thinking, and Expertise from Writers

Medium is an online content publishing platform that was created in 2012 by Evan Williams, who also co-founded Twitter.

If you’re looking to start a blog because you don’t want to deal with technical difficulties, Medium is the place to go.

Many bloggers, journalists, and individuals use Medium as a blogging platform and social media site.

With other blogging platforms, you post content and hope that people will see it. But on Medium, your potential audience is already more than 150 million people per month.

By publishing your content on Medium, you’ll have a better chance to get your content in front of an audience.

This platform would be considered a stepping stone for testing purposes only to see how your content is liked by the public.

Continue to read to find out why I say this.

Pros and Cons for Medium

Pros of Using Medium as a Blogging Platform:

1. Creating an account and navigating the platform is a breeze
2. The content editor makes writing, editing, and publishing blog posts a breeze
3. You can follow and receive notifications for other popular blogs on your feed, just like with social media platforms

Cons of Using Medium as Your Platform:

1. You don’t own the blogging platform like you would with WordPress or Joomla, so if something happens, you lose traffic and followers
2. With fewer analytics data, it’s more difficult to track your content performance
3. You cannot make money by displaying ads on your medium website
4. There are only a few options for customizing and designing your material

How to Make Money Using the Medium Blogging Platform

Here are a few ways to earn money using Medium:

1. You can make commissions by adding affiliate links to your blog posts
2. Medium makes money by charging its members a monthly fee of $5 or an annual fee of $50. When visitors read and clap for articles on Medium, the author of the article gets a share of the membership fees as compensation.

Unfortunately, this is virtually the only way you can make money using the Medium blogging platform.

I’ll say it again in case you missed it… Medium is a great place to test out your writing skills to see if the audience likes your work and to see if you like blogging.

It’s not a true money-making site by any stretch of the imagination.

Pricing

If you’re a blogger or a content creator, you can publish as many blog posts as you want on the platform for free. If you’re not a member, you will only be allowed to read 3 articles per month.

If you want to read articles on Medium without any ads or limits, then you will have to upgrade your plan to either $5 a month or $50 a year.

If you were wondering why there were no Free blogging platforms to make money mentioned in this article, then this section is essential reading.

Avoid Free Blogging Platforms if You Want to Make Money

If you’re looking for blogging platforms that will earn you money, keep reading.

None of the following popular free blogging platforms, such as Blogger and Tumblr have been included for three primary reasons.

1. These free blogging platforms do not give you complete control of your website and, if you violate their guidelines or don’t follow their rules to the letter, they can delete your site without any notice
2. You can’t make money other than advertising on free blogging platforms, so your earning potential is extremely limited
3. Most of the free platforms have fewer capabilities and can’t handle much traffic
4. Free blogging platforms tend to look unprofessional and unattractive, which could reflect negatively on your site

If you truly want to make money blogging beyond simply having a personal blog and desire complete domain control, you can’t afford to start your own site on free blogging platforms like Blogger, Tumblr, or Weebly.

Conclusion – Best Blogging Platform to Make Money

Remember, if you want to make money blogging, then you must treat your blog like the Internet-based business it is.

Like any other business, it will require a small investment to get started.

This will include investing in a blogging platform capable of earning money, your domain name, and web hosting before you can expect to generate an income.

So, what’s the best blogging platform to make money? My personal opinion, along with 43% of the world’s websites (that’s 455 million websites), is WordPress.

But, much will depend on your goals and preferences. If you want complete control over your blog, then the BEST Web Hosting for WordPress is the way to go.

But if you’d rather not worry about setting up and maintaining a website, or you don’t have the technical skills, a hosted platform like Wix or Squarespace would be a good option.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide which blogging platform works best for your needs and goals.

We hope this article has helped give you some food for thought.