subject: How To Choose Blog Software For Your Website [print this page] How To Choose Blog Software For Your Website
Choosing the right blog software for your website is essential to an enjoyable blogging experience. The wrong software platform often discourages and kills blogs before they really have the chance to grow. People keep blogs for a variety of reasons, so before you decide on a software that is right for you, it is important that you have a clear focus and understanding of what your blog will be about and what you hope to accomplish. Blogs that fail often do so because they have no focus. The writer simply talks about whatever he wants to talk about with no sense of building an audience. He hopes that his personality alone is dynamic to keep large groups of people coming back for more. Most of the time, it is not. That's why you should definitely have a focus. Once that is determined, it is time to find the blog software that's right for you. Here's how you do it: Firstly, determine what the cost will be, or if there will be one at all. Many platforms such as Blogger and WordPress are willing to host your blogs for free and allow you to add in pictures and widgets at your own discretion. While this can give you a fast start, it also loses some of the personalization and professionalism based on self-imposed limits that make you opt up for a paid version anyway if you truly want to customize. Secondly, it is a good idea to take advantage of free trials whenever possible, as that will give you a chance to work with the cPanel and operations within the blogging site. Seeing immediate results from your work gives you a sense of confidence that will allow you to more easily part with your money. Thirdly, find out if there are any limits to the blog software. How easy is it to post photos and videos? Can you tie it back to your social media accounts easily and effectively? What is the learning curve, and what amount of technological know-how must you have in order to be up and running in minutes? The easier the experience is on you, the better it will be for your readers. Finally, make sure that your hosting platform will allow the type of software that you've chosen without requiring major changes to the formatting and layout. Nothing is quite so annoying than spending all that time and hard work on creating the perfect blog only to discover your limitations at the last minute. While most reputable hosts work well with the bigger names in blog software, you can't leave something like this to chance, and you shouldn't limit your options if there is another selection you're considering.
