Moving from Blogger to WordPress… It seems like the latter is what everyone prefers these days.
Just consider that WordPress powers 25% of all websites (according to a study by w3techs.com of November 2015).
Take a minute to do some research and you will see that a good percentage of the bloggers out there don’t really like the Blogger platform.
In this post, I will talk about the two platforms and more specifically when Blogger is better and when you should go for WordPress instead.
Why Blogger is Good for Newbies?
Yes, Google’s platform does have its good sides, my dear Blogspot critics. Think about those days when you got into blogging and learned about that great piece of software called WordPress.
Setting it all up and writing your first article wasn’t as easy, was it?
Setting everything up and starting to publish right away is something that Blogger does way better. The process is straightforward – no installations are needed and there is no need to deal with buying and configuring a hosting service. You also don’t have as much fancy functions, which for a guy, who is just starting out, would be more of a headache than a facilitation.
So if:
- You are just learning what blogging is and how it works
- You want simplicity and not a lot of things to go wrong
- You’d like to learn some HTML and CSS in the process (they allow for slight customization on your theme plus they are easy to learn and useful in the long-term)
If one of the above is true then the Blogger platform might just be the better option for now. And don’t take it wrong – you can still get thousands of monthly visitors.
Why Blogger Becomes an Obstacle?
As I said above, the two great things that you don’t have to deal with when you are on Blogspot are hosting and… WordPress.
In reality neither the first, nor the second is an unsolvable puzzle. But then again, all problems that arise in this early stage of a blogger’s career can easily kill the enthusiasm. And that might get you to quit faster than it took you to get started.
If you have content that’s worth sharing and if you do a good job at promoting your posts, then sooner or later, you will get noticed. When that happens you will certainly start to pay more attention to the competition and the fancy toys they have access to…
At that point, moving from Blogger to WordPress, might just be the thing to do!
If You are a Serious Blogger, You Need Functionality
So yeah, as good as Blogger is for beginners, it simply loses edge on the functionality part.
For one reason or another (probably because everyone criticizes it) there simply aren’t enough widgets and plug-ins available to help you customize each and every aspect of your blog. Whereas when we talk about WordPress, plug-ins and flexibility are what comes to mind (as you certainly have heard already).
Time is always a factor and let’s be honest – every saved minute in playing the do-it-yourself game is a step towards more time for writing and promotion – dynamic tasks, requiring one’s attention day in and day out.
What that added functionality does is:
- It saves you time by putting tasks on autopilot (Automation? Anyone?)
- It gives you (pretty much) whatever you want whenever you want it (all plugins are a Google search away)
- It provides eye-candy for your visitors thus helping you keep them browsing your blog longer
Moving from Blogger to WordPress has an added advantage – an advantage you might need or might not need, depending on how you’d like to use your blog. On to the next paragraph.
A Self-Hosted WordPress Gives You Freedom
The Blogger platform offers a way to monetize what you write – in the form of Google AdSense advertisements.
However, affiliate marketing i.e. promoting other people’s products and earning a percentage (50-60% in most cases) of the sales is one of the best ways to make some cash from your hard work as a blogger.
And the problem with Blogger is that you never know if you are actually going against their TOS. You are working on their property, not yours!
With a self-hosted WordPress, you simply don’t have to worry about that (I’ve a dedicated server, see HostGator review here).
Moving From Blogger to WordPress – Conclusion
Before deciding whether doing the move is worth it:
- Consider the money investment – do you really need a paid hosting or can you go with what Blogger has to offer?
- Consider the whole process – doing the whole move took me close to two weeks. Right now might not be the best time for such a long pause, especially if you are just starting and trying to build a name for yourself.
- Consider whether you actually need it – if you haven’t yet began monetizing and you’ve found the right widgets and functionality, you probably don’t need WordPress just yet.
Final Words
On to you!
What do you think of the Blogger service – is it underrated or is the negative feedback well deserved?
And what about WordPress – is it really the better option, what flaws does it have?
Let me know your thoughts!
Update: Do you want to read a guide on the practical steps to migrate your posts from Blogger to WordPress? Read this post:
Moving from Blogger to WordPress: Importing and Fixing Your Blogger Posts
I am a die-hard Blogger fan. I have used both platforms and I simply like Blogger best. I am a writer, not a designer or IT tech. I hate, hate, hate fiddling with all the bells and whistles a lot of people seem to find necessary. When I read other writers’ blogs I go for info, not the pretty pictures or gadgets, so I design my blog the same way. I have found, time and again, that for my purposes, Blogger is perfect. I have even learned quite a bit of HTML through the years in order to customize my templates and posts.
Many people have tried to convince me to convert to WordPress, but at this stage in my career, I still refuse. I do what I love, so I don’t stress over lacking IT knowledge. I just write, and Blogger is just perfect for those who “just write.” All that said, I can’t guarantee some future thingamajig won’t make it necessary for me to finally make the leap, but for the foreseeable future, I’m sticking with good ole’ Blogger. My one nod to WordPress; their themes are so much prettier than those designed for Blogger, but I guess that’s expected when it’s simply the more popular platform.
Hi Trina,
I see you have your portfolio in your Blogger site.
You are a writer, not a designer, that makes sense.
However, I think with WordPress you could improve your “business card”.
My portfolio site looks like this, on WordPress, with Genesis Framework:
http://erikemanuelli.com/
It’s pretty simple, with a neat and clean design.
But I read in your comment you are a very pragmatic person, so I guess, in this case, Blogger is still the perfect choice for you.
I really appreciate you taking the time to tell me a bit about you in the comment.
All the best!
Finally! Finally I found an answer to my question.
I have been looking for days and just a few moments ago I was feeling confused and overwhelmed. It felt like going down a rabbit hole.
Thank you for the great article that tackles the question better than all previous articles I encoutered whether or not you should move to wordpress depending on what phase you are in.
I decided to stay with blogger for the next couple of months and I feel relieved. Getting discouraged is exactly what was going to happen to me if I worried about that right now.
I am really enjoying blogging. It is becoming a good habit, the quality of my posts is rising and I see a positive tendency in the very modest traffic.
But I still need to develop my writing style (practice my English), determine the boundaries of my theme and invest in myself.
So thanks to this post I decided to focus on writing good and relevant content. Only later, I will worry about promoting my blog more and then, if need eventually, I might consider moving to WordPress.
Thank you for this eye opening article!
I’m so glad you found this post useful, Simon.
This is exactly the aim of this article.
I really appreciate your words, and good luck with your online venture!
Thanks Erik for great post actually i have already purchase a domain and i am starting blog on blogger after increase my traffic then I move WordPress can you suggest me that is correct decision for me.
25% of all websites?? That’s incredible. I am glad to have found the first part in your two part series about this. As I have stated before I am new to wordpress and I am looking to optimize my website for maximum traffic and enjoyability. Thanks Erik!!
Great post! I do like the stats, you’ve supplied. I also think about moving Blogger to WP, but for the lack of coding skills I gonna use an automated service, such as cms2cms and alike. Has anyone such an experience?