Key Points

  • Platform Choice Matters: Different platforms offer varying capabilities for blog monetization.
  • Customization is Key: More control and customization often equate to more advanced monetization opportunities.
  • Consider Costs: While free platforms may work well to support your content, they often lack essential features for monetization, which will be key down the road. Ensure you are factoring in all related costs.
  • Own Your Content: Platforms where you don't own your premium content usually limit the opportunity for implementing an effective blog monetization strategy.

Blogging and content creation are more popular than ever.

In fact, around 32 million people in the U.S. are bloggers — up by ten million since 2014. Bloggers are reaching new and more engaged audiences and turning a sizable profit doing so.

But there’s more to becoming a digital entrepreneur than crafting content and throwing around ads.

To build a business, you need the right tools, beginning with the very foundation you build upon: the right blogging platform.

So, if you’re considering taking the next step toward blog monetization, what are the best platforms to make money blogging? Stay tuned; we’ll walk you through what you need to know.

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The Complete Guide to Monetizing a Blog

How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform

You’ll find a plethora of great platform options out there when it comes to blogging. However, while it might seem like one option is just as good as any other, that’s just not the case, especially when you want to monetize your blog.

It’s kind of like buying a car. 

Sure, they’ll all get you from A to B, but if you’re searching for a speedy supercar to go from 0 to 60 in a few seconds, that Smart Car just won’t cut it. So, when it comes to choosing the right blogging platform for monetization, here are a few factors to keep in mind.

Monetization

We need to make a distinction, and an important one: not every blog platform is built for effective monetization. 

While it might seem obvious, if it’s difficult to monetize on a specific platform, it’s clearly not the right choice.

There are plenty of ways to monetize a blog:

  • Affiliate marketing
  • Brand sponsorships (sponsored content)
  • Selling ad space
  • Exclusive content (an online course, paid newsletter, etc.)
  • And many more

Not every platform will be compatible with every monetization strategy. So, if you have one in mind, be sure your chosen platform will play nicely both at the beginning of your blogging journey and later on when monetization opportunities begin knocking on your door.

Customization

Are you looking for easy-to-use features to help you build, or are you interested in fully customizable functionality and a build-from-scratch kind of approach?

What about content controls? Access to the backend? 

If these are features you prioritize, you need to make sure you’ll have access to them. This area often separates the more “novice” platforms from those the pros use. 

We hate to say it, but if it’s a free platform, it’s probably not the best for monetization, which leads us to our next factor: cost.

Cost

As we mentioned earlier, some blogging platforms are absolutely free. 

This can be great for aspiring bloggers and content creators. But that’s not you, is it? You’re a business owner, a digital entrepreneur. You need the right tools, which means free probably won’t cut it.

Here are some factors to consider when estimating costs:

  • Platform fees
  • Web hosting
  • Blog theme
  • Plug-ins
  • Security

Some platforms bundle these services together, while others offer them al-la-carte. Think about what works best for your business. Sometimes, bundles offer a better bang for your buck. But, on the other hand, if you know exactly what you need, that al-la-carte approach might save you some money.

Either way, it’s critical that you choose a platform that works with your budget from day one but also with the option to scale up down the line.

The Best Blogging Platforms

Okay, now that we’ve got the most important factors to consider covered, let’s start digging into the best blogging platforms for monetization.

1. WordPress

First on our list is WordPress. It’s the Swiss army knife of blogging.

It offers customizable features like themes and plugins and gives users ultimate control over every blog post, your overall blog design and the available monetization features

WordPress is also pretty friendly with other software and platforms. Moreover, with extensive customer support functions and tutorials, even if you’re just starting out, you have access to what you need to get off the ground.

With that said, there’s still a bit of a learning curve, and the responsibilities of security backups lie almost entirely on the user. But if you’re serious about making money blogging, a WordPress site offers the most flexibility and control.

Learn More About WordPress

2. Wix

Wix is more of a website-building platform first, with blog content functionality built in. It offers user-friendly drag-and-drop design as well as integrated eCommerce features. 

While it may not offer the same customization tools as a WordPress site, you still get access to a variety of design templates that make creating a blog a bit easier. Unfortunately, it lacks the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features of a WordPress site, which is critical for driving more blog traffic, and has limited third-party plugin support.

In the end, though, it's a good platform for beginners but lacks robust monetization options.

Learn More About Wix

3. Squarespace

Another website-building platform, Squarespace, is easy to use, even for those without coding experience. 

It comes with unlimited storage and bandwidth, which is a big plus. Much like Wix, Squarespace offers sleek and modern design templates that make building a stylish personal blog, whether you're a food blogger or kicking off your finance blog, easy. 

However, like Wix, it simply lacks the robust monetization features a digital entrepreneur might need to act on certain strategies.

But if you’re going for looks over monetization, Squarespace might be a good choice.

Learn More About Squarespace

4. Weebly

Weebly comes into our list with simple drag-and-drop tools as well as some fairly robust built-in SEO features.

It’s also great for on-the-go management inside its mobile app.

But, with fewer customization and software integrations, it’s best for small-scale blogs. If you’re looking for large-scale monetization, it’s just not the platform for you.

Learn More About Weebly

5. Blogger

Last on our list is Blogger. 

This easy-to-use platform comes with a simple interface and is one of the only free blogging platform options for bloggers looking to monetize their content. It seamlessly integrates with services like Google AdSense and can work with limited affiliate marketing programs.

While it takes a point on price, it lacks customization options and third-party plugin integration.

Because of this, it’s good for beginners but not for those looking to scale or customize extensively.

Learn More About Blogger

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Browse our full library of resources on blog monetization

Owning Your Content

Before we leave you to choose a blogging platform, we have one more important note. As you see on our list, there are some significant omissions in terms of a popular blogging platform. 

Where’s Medium, Substack, or other free platforms?

Well, these platforms simply lack monetization features. Why? On these platforms, you don’t own your content; the platform does. If you’re trying to make money on a blog site where you own nothing and have no branding or customization abilities, it’s almost impossible to stand out and make an impact.

The same goes for any popular social media platform. 

When you create and share on these platforms, you’re not serving yourself. That’s why, as a digital entrepreneur and business owner, you need to find a platform that allows you to own your content and all the potential revenue that comes with it.

Start Your Monetization Journey with Playwire

From WordPress to Blogger, you now have in front of you several of the best blogging platforms for monetization.

But, a platform is only one piece of the monetization puzzle. To get it right, you need not only the right capabilities and strategies but the right tools. That’s where Playwire comes in. 

We’re your one-stop shop for all things digital advertising. Our robust ad tech stack and support team can help you turn your passion into a steady ad revenue stream. Don’t wait; start using the tools that all the top publishers and content creators use to make the most out of their content.

Get in touch with the Playwire team today!

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