If you’re new to real estate blogging there’s a bewildering array of software from which to choose. Rather than reviewing all of the choices I’m going to look at the main pros and cons for hosted WordPress and Blogger blogs. As this post is designed to help the newby blogger I’m going to ignore self hosted options altogether. That’s a topic for another post.
Blogger
Pros
- Dead easy to set up. Three or four mouse clicks and you’ve got a blog.
- Provides a number of templates that provide an acceptable, if not spectacular layout.
- Plenty of third party templates available to spice up your blog.
- For the more advanced user templates can be modified to suit your personality. Requires a knowledge of CSS and HTML.
- It’s easy to install Google Analytics tracking code into the template to measure visitor activity.
- Easy to use interface with all the blogging basics plus a few advanced features.
- Includes a number of comment moderation options.
- Easy to use image management.
- Robust, stable platform.
- Extensive support notes.
- Heaps of gadgets available that add functionality and life to a blog. Not all add value though.
Cons
- No advanced SEO options. For a beginner blogger this can be an advantage, but it can hold an experienced blogger back from taking the next step. Having said that I wouldn’t mind owning the enormously successful PostSecret blog which is a Blogger blog.
WordPress
Pros
- Quick and easy to get started.
- Advanced interface offering lots of features.
- Lots of free themes available to jazz up your blog.
- Plenty of storage available for images (unless you blog a LOT this isn’t an issue).
- Integrated statistics – no need to install the Google Analytics tracking code.
- Lots of forums and documentation to help you through those “what the?” moments.
- Rock solid hosting that keeps your blog running when others don’t.
- Lots of sidebar widgets to add some pizazz.
- Provides the ability to create static pages, perfect for About Me and Privacy Statement pages.
Cons
- Some first time bloggers find the interface complex and intimidating
- Dealing with spam takes a bit more effort to ‘moderate’ than Google.
- Statistics aren’t as detailed as Google Analytics.
- Some more advanced options only available on a paid subscription.
