Deciding what platform to use for your blog is an important decision. Both WordPress and Blogger are great options; both have pros and cons. Let us take a look at what both sites offer, and which one may be best for you and your blogging needs.
Who Owns What?
WordPress is your own. Meaning, you have your site, WordPress is just used as a host. You have the say of what goes on your site and how long you want it up because you are the owner. All data is yours and what is shared with a third party is at your discretion. Blogger, however, is a blogging service which is owned and operated by Google. It is free. However, you are not the owner. Google calls the shots and has the right to shut it down anytime they see fit.
Who is Really in control?
Blogger is limited, only allowing your website certain capabilities. What you see is what you get, there are not rewards offered to offer you more choices. WordPress is a open source, meaning it offers many capabilities. According to The Blog Starter, the plugins offered by WordPress are endless, all allowing alteration and modification to your needs.Due to WordPress’s flexibility and options, this might be a much better option for many.
Looks Aren’t Everything….Maybe
As far as appearance goes, Blogger is somewhat restricted in its templates. You can alter the general appearance via colors and layouts, but you cannot create from scratch. In WordPress, there are over one thousand different templates to choose from, which allow you much more freedom in how you wish your website to look. It is not difficult to find a template which would fit your needs.
Movability
Should you wish to transfer your website to another platform, both WordPress and Blogger offer this capability; however, it is not easy as pie. Moving from Blogger to WordPress is slightly complex in that through moving it; you make run the risk of losing your SEO. Although you can move all your content, all of your pre-move material with still be owned by Google, thus, will still be active in its service for quite a long time. WordPress is a less complicated move, allowing you to move your website when and where you want to. You can change the name of your domain, move it to another platform, or create from scratch. And you will not be in danger of losing any SEO content.
Safety
Google has one of the toughest and secure platforms. Therefore, with Blogger you are getting some of the best security out there. You don’t have to worry about backing up your material or providing extra security because it is already there. Although safe, WordPress cannot compete with the powerhouse that is google. You are an owner in every sense of the word, that means you are responsible for backups and making sure all of your documents are secure.
Customer Care
Blogger offers very restricted customer support. It all goes through via email system. Your options for receiving support are insufficient. WordPress is known for its active support forum. Not online is it documented online, but there are community forums and chat rooms where everyone included WordPress professionals are onhand to offer advice and solutions to most issues. There are countless ways to ask for, and receive, support from WordPress all across the web.
A Final Note
Each of these two has pros and cons. One of the biggest concerns is security, so although it seems like WordPress offers more options across the board, security is a major factor, and rightfully so in the blogging world. As far as what the future holds for these two platforms, let us take a closer look.
Blogger has been around for quite some time; however little has changed since its inception. Its future strictly depends on where Google leads it, and they can do away with it at a moment’s notice, as they have for with their other services. That is important to bear in mind. All of your material might disappear at a moment’s notice. WordPress, however is Opensource, that means they have no boss, essentially, and are therefore not in danger of leaving anytime. WordPress is run by a community, not a corporation. This no doubt is one of the reasons it is so popular. Millions depend on this platform, so it is in no danger of going anywhere.
In general, Blogger is a great option if you are a newbie, and looking to start a simple blog, nothing terribly fancy. It is very user-friendly and is much less overwhelming that WordPress, which can easily drown those looking for something easy and straightforward from the get go. If you are looking for an array of choices and overall functionality, it is difficult to top WordPress.