You are interested in blogging. You now know the three powerful reasons to blog for your business and you’re ready to begin!

But where, oh where do you blog at?! Which platforms do you choose? There seems to be countless platforms, but which one is the best? Or which one is the most user friendly and will work best for you?

Although I cannot tell you which platform will be best for you to use, but I can give you the top 5 Websites that are Hassle Free and Popular for Bloggers! Then it’s up to you to experiment and see which one will work best for you, your personality, and the best use of your computer skills.

This month is all about Splashing into Summer with Blogging where I take you through getting your blog started! I want your voice to be heard and your message to be shared and blogging is a GREAT way to do just that! So today, we’re going to focus on which platforms you can chose to host your blog and I’ll even tell you what I use as a host!

Here are the 5 top platforms that I see people using to host their blog or website:

WordPress – WordPress is the most popular by far with blogging. This is because many bloggers like the ease of use, the plugins you can easily installed to add additional features to your site, and the beauty of the layout. Many blogs you see online are a WordPress site. WordPress has many different layouts, both free and paid, to design it to your liking, which ease of adding more pages or installing plugins to create an opt in for your monthly newsletter. However, you must know basic HTML code to work WordPress.

SquareSpace – Squarespace is a customizable blogging site that I know many bloggers rave about. I think compared with WordPress, Squarespace is the second one in the running. Many bloggers love the fact that they can put their personality in the blog without having to know basic HTML code. You also have the ability to expand your services if you’re running a business. Check more out at their website.

Weebly – Weebly is a great option for those who are not computer savvy just of yet. This platform is great for those who love drag and drop! This is also good for those who are in a hurry to produce a blog now instead of learning how to use WordPress or basic HTML code. If you never want to learn coding, then Weebly may be the best option for you.

Wix – I actually started my own website and blog with Wix. I loved the ease of use and the design of layout exactly how I wanted it! Wix is great for those who are starting out because you can custom design each page exactly the way you want it. Everything is easy to use. When you want to see your page as everybody else does, you can view it on your own desktop and it’ll show how it’s viewed from a mobile device as well. They have additional features that are both free and paid to help you elevate your business even further.

Blogger – I started out my blogging on Google’s Blogger platform. It’s easy to pick a layout and theme and then start blogging (adding pictures is easy peasy too!). You can add Widgets to your blog to help add additional features (sign up for newsletter, events, subscribe and much more). I enjoyed using Blogger when I first started out because it was free and since I had a Gmail account, it was simple to get in and begin typing!

If you want to know what other hosts that are out there to build your website, then click here to compare other hosting sites for yourself and your blog.

Now, what do I use currently? You probably never heard of this company, but I love using their hosting and they are called AllProWebTools, where they are a all-in-one website company that includes your website, blog, newsletter, selling products, and much more! They are located in Loveland, Colorado, and I personally know the CEO and owner of AllProWebTools. Their back-end looks a lot like WordPress and their design is much like it too. But they are easy to use and if you get stuck or need help, you get to talk to a REAL HUMAN BEING! It’s so nice!

Now, you will need to know a little bit about coding, but I know enough to work around it. However, I’ve been using AllProWebTools for about a year now and the pricing structure is great and I enjoy having them host my website! Check them out and give them a call! Tell them that Monica Miller sent you!

The list I just gave you is just a HANDFUL of sites that work well for bloggers. There are so many more, so when you are choosing which host is best for you, please research the other sites I didn’t mention, as there are plenty of them.

 I want to quickly talk about when to buy a domain for your blog. You NEED to have a domain without the .blogger.com or .wordpress.com If you want to be taken seriously, then you need a domain. It will cost you about $80 or less to buy a domain for 2-3 years (not bad!). Now when should you get one?

Since there’s 3.4 billion internet users, I suggest getting one right away since domain names are getting used and new, unique ones are being hard to come by. However, you could wait and try out different sites at first to find the right platform you want to use and then buy your domain name then. But it might be too late. You can also buy a domain name now, try out a couple of sites for free, and then when you’re ready to plant yourself on a platform, get your domain name to be directed to that platform.

There’s usually a price to pay to have your domain name on a platform and each platform is different. It may range from $60-$100+, but it’s usually pretty affordable.

I hope this has given you an idea on which platform you can go to. I would suggest that for the next week, starting today, spend 15 minutes looking at one platform I mentioned and look through their features, their designs, and what they have to offer. Then after this week, see which one you like the best, buy your domain, and get blogging!

If you have a question about AllProWebTools or any of the platforms I suggested, please comment below! Until next time, happy platform hunting!