Choosing the Best Web Hosting For Blogs: The Top Blogging Platforms & Hosts
People blog for countless reasons. For many, writing is an outlet to express themselves, an editor-free, no-deadline zone.
While some professionals and businesses blog to share knowledge, gain exposure, and build a network, or add a revenue stream, many hobbyists just want to share their lives online in a format deeper than social media allows.
Because blogging is such an accessible way to get online, you can start a blog with very little tech experience. All you need is a domain, web hosting, and blogging software.
What Is Blog Hosting?
Blog hosting is an online service where you rent server space from a web hosting company to host your blog. Without blog hosting, no one can see your website. The server is what connects your blog to the internet so people can visit it.
In addition to giving you server space, blog hosting providers include other blogging-friendly features to tailor the experience. Your provider will likely include features such as a free domain name, blog-themed website templates, pre-installed WordPress, and speed optimizations to enhance website performance.
How Much Does Blog Hosting Cost?
Blog hosting doesn’t have a set cost. However, you can expect to pay anywhere from $1 to $50 monthly for a blog hosting plan. The price you pay depends on a few factors, such as:
- The type of server (shared, VPS, dedicated, etc.)
- Amount of RAM, bandwidth, and CPUs
- Whether or not the plan offers managed support
- Add-ons such as domain privacy protection, advanced security features, and a free domain name
- Hardware enhancements, such as NVMe SSDs over HDDs
Some blog hosts are known for their affordability, such as IONOS, while others are considered premium services, such as managed hosting from WP Engine.
What Features Should I Look for in a Blogging Platform?
With such a massive market for beginner website owners and aspiring bloggers, hosting providers go to amazing lengths to make the path to a new website as foolproof as possible. You’d be hard-pressed to find a host that doesn’t have one-click installations of the top blogging platforms — in fact, some even come with WordPress pre-installed.
These are the features you should keep an eye out for:
- One-click installations for the top blogging software
- Free domain for your new blog to park at
- Unlimited storage for your content and media
- Website builders with customizable site templates
- Marketing tools to help get your blog noticed
I’ve always gone straight to WordPress for all my blogging needs, but the open-source platform certainly doesn’t have a monopoly on blogs. In addition to commonly included website builders, such as Weebly and Wix, many hosts have invested resources in crafting their own site builders and blogging tools.
Most Popular Blogging Platforms
Let’s be honest — WordPress reigns supreme when it comes to blogging. The highly customizable content management system powers roughly a third of all websites and at least 500 new WordPress sites are created each day.
However, that’s not to say that other options aren’t worth exploring. If you want to take the path less traveled, check out b2evolution, Medium, or the blogging tools of site builders.
WordPress Blog Hosting
You can take two different routes to hosting WordPress. Signing up through WordPress.com will give you a free account and a very basic blog hosted at YourName.WordPress.com.
For those looking for more features or more ownership over their site and brand, you should go through WordPress.org — the open-source software requires a web hosting plan but unlocks a seemingly unlimited supply of themes, plugins, and website functionality.
You can install WordPress on literally any hosting plan. Some providers, however, do an exceptional job at optimizing their infrastructure and support specifically for WordPress. InMotion Hosting and WP Engine are well-known for their WordPress offerings.
InMotion powers its infrastructure with ultra-fast SSDs, while WP Engine’s legendary software layer serves up caching, security monitoring, and a staging area.
b2evolution Blog Hosting
Developed from the same original project as WordPress, b2evolution is a comprehensive tool that includes features, such as anti-spam, analytics, digital marketing, and SEO tools, in the core code — no need to rely on third-party plugins or updates as you do with WordPress.
SiteGround optimizes blog hosting by offering a free domain name, transfer, email, and simple b2evolution installations through Softaculous. SSD storage and a free CDN, along with SiteGround’s customized server setup, mean you won’t leave someone on the edge of their seat with lagging page loads. The b2evolution platform is second only to WordPress in terms of the blogging software SiteGround runs most frequently.
Free Blog Hosting Sites
We get it — why pay for something when you can find it for free? Yes, free web hosting sites exist. No, you don’t want to use them. For a minimal investment, you can have a faster, more reliable website from a reputable host whose team will be quick to answer your phone call or chat 24/7.
If you want to take web hosting and blogging tools for a spin before you spend any money, give Wix a try. The popular drag-and-drop site builder platform will give you a free Wix domain and 500MB of storage to get started, but it’s a pretty bare-bones environment. If you upgrade to a paid account, which ranges from $10 to $50 each month, you can use your own domain and receive more storage and unlimited bandwidth.
Best Blog Hosting Reviews Overall
The nuts and bolts behind most shared hosting plans are usually pretty similar: one-click installations, advertising credits, and 24/7 support. Hosting providers can distinguish themselves based on ease-of-use, price, and marketing tools.
Easiest Blog Hosting: Wix
Always one of our top recommendations for first-time site owners, Wix offers low-barrier entry to blogging for a price that’s hard to beat. The website editor is easy to navigate, providing easy access to blogging tools and other apps you might want to integrate into your site.
Cheapest Blog Hosting: iPage
Sister companies with Bluehost and HostGator, iPage is another high-value provider with a surprising number of features for an eye-popping price. For roughly $2 per month, iPage gives you three site builders and dozens of automatic installations. If you choose WordPress for your blog, the hosting service will also give you several curated themes, as well as pre-installed caching and social media plugins.
Best Blog Platform for SEO: WPEngine
We adore Bluehost, and the top-notch host does more than just optimized WordPress hosting. Hosting customers can either benefit from a free Weebly site builder and blogging tools or a premium WordPress experienced powered by one of the few hosts supported by the WordPress Core team itself. Each platform comes with search engine marketing credits and built-in tools to optimize your search performance.
Best Blogging Platforms For Professionals or Hobbyists
The beauty behind such an accessible format to share text, images, and videos is that blogging is effective for so many types of users. Businesses and professionals can grow their audience and authority on a given topic, while casual enthusiasts can share their passions and advocate for a particular topic — or just write about themselves.
For Writers: InMotion Hosting
Whether you’re a professional writer or harbor secret dreams of penning the next Great American Novel, you’ll want a steady platform that lets you get to work. InMotion Hosting is among our favorite WordPress hosts. You’ll pay a bit of a premium compared to other shared hosting plans, but you are rewarded with great support, powerful hardware, and ultimate reliability.
For Travelers: Wix
Known for its drag-and-drop website builder, Wix is a popular service for sharing your adventures. The platform boasts more than 90 million users and around 45,000 new signups each day. The hosting company’s blogging platform resonates with travelers thanks to hundreds of modern, impressive templates specifically geared to traveling and photography. A robust mobile app lets you manage your blog on the go from your phone or tablet — instantly upload photos and edit posts while on location.
For Entrepreneurs: SiteGround
A luxury host, SiteGround developers have crafted top-tier solutions to optimize all levels of hosting packages. The company’s managed WordPress offering is engineered for speed, built for security, and molded to WordPress. Those trying to start a business or profit from blogging will appreciate that the GoGeek plan from SiteGround includes free PCI compliance and premium SSL certificates.
For Businesses: A2 Hosting
We recommend A2 Hosting for businesses because of its NVMe SSD drives which offer up to 20x faster speeds than traditional HDDs. The web host also boasts a 99.9% uptime guarantee and 24/7 network monitoring to ensure your blog hosting service stays online at all times. What’s more, A2 also has WooCommerce hosting for those who want to make a blog for their online store. Or, if you want to blog on the world’s most popular content management system, A2’s got you covered. Its are packed with enviable features.
Found Your Blog Host? Create and Share Your First Post!
Casual blogging experiences let writers share their life with friends and family who lived several states away, while the professional writer and designer is able to showcase their work, tap into new professional networks, and potentially even develop some income. No matter your goals or inspirations for blogging, hopefully these hosting suggestions help you find the perfect solution.
