I’m sure that those who have been using the Internet for a while are familiar with or have come across the free blog platform – Blogger (blogger.com). To put it simply, Blogger is a blog-publishing platform, hosted by Google that allows you to create a blog and maintain it without any charges. All blogs registered under Blogger will be hosted by Google’s servers at the blogspot.com subdomain.
Besides Blogger, there are many free blog providers available such as WordPress.com, Xanga, Tumblr and etc, which all have their boons and banes. But one thing that they have in common is that they allow you to start a blog for free, and play around with the layout and customize it to make it personal, informational, or commercial as well as let you keep track of your followers.
Though Blogger is one of the most popular blog publishing tools around, it has its limitations. Firstly, it is a rarity for professional blogs to be hosted on Blogspot domains. Hence, to some people, some Blogspot blogs may be deemed unprofessional. Many spamblogs also originate from Blogger, as it is the most common and esay to use blogging platform. Compared to other hosting providers, there are less original themes and widgets provided by Blogger. You also can’t sell your domain in the future, as your site is hosted on a subdomain (blogspot.com).
Why many still use it? The top 5 reasons:
Apart from all the limitations Blogger has, it is still loved and being used by many bloggers. Blogger is still able to anchor its status as a popular blog hosting platform as many still use it. Why is it so?
It is owned by Google
Google is the leading search engine on the Internet. Since Blogger is owned by Google, when people search for the keyword ‘blog’ or ‘free blog’, the first site to pop out in the search results is Blogger, hence many start their first blog through Blogger!
Easy to use
It is generally regarded that Blogger is the most user-friendly blogging platform. There are many who have returned to the embrace of this blogging tool after trying out other ones. Great for beginners and good enough for the average blogger, it is no wonder that Blogger blogs are still very popular. Its user-friendly interface, widgets and theme designer are also great for easy publishing and customization of your blog, hence, well welcomed by novice and experienced bloggers.
Use ad-sense and other advertising options
If you intend to monetize your blog, the easiest way is through Blogger. As Blogger’s owner – Google, also owns AdSense, Blogger is integrated so that you can monetize your blog by putting ads into your Blogger blog easily. For registrations with Google AdSense, higher priority is also given to blogs hosted on the subdomain blogspot.com, so, it is easy for you to earn some revenue while blogging.
Personalised domain on Blogger
Some bloggers who are more ambitious usually will think of registering their custom domain, i.e. use a .com domain name. When it comes to blogging under your own domain, Blogger offers you a better deal compared to other blog hosting platforms. When you hook your domain to your Blogger blog, you will not be subjected to any charges, while WordPress.com charges you $12 for each domain you incorporate. If you happen to have many domains, this may cost you a lot of money. Hence, comparatively, Blogger seems to offer a better option!
More traffic on Blogger
Last but not least, Blogger blog can be established and gain popularity faster compared to blogs hosted on other platforms. Why is this so? When you visit any Blogger blog, you will see a navigation bar at the top of the page, so, you will be able to visit random Blogger blogs easily. In the same way, random visitors will also come across your blog at any time! Hence, apart from your own friends and online acquaintances, you may also receive visits from people from the other parts of the world. If your content is unique, interesting or informative, they may even bookmark it, increasing your potential traffic.
A few final words
Though I myself have tried blogging on other platforms such as WordPress.com and Tumblr, I found that Blogger is still the most appealing, with its easy to use and user-friendly features. Despite the limitations, you can do a lot by playing around with the widgets and themes, to get your own personalized blog with your own unique twist. For individuals or companies with custom domains, you would not have to worry about extra charges when you hook them up with your blog. Hence, let’s all start blogging on Blogger.com!
