Blog Platforms For Beginners - What Blog Platforms To Choose And Will It Cost A Lot?

If you want to set up your blog then you need to do some research first. You have to know exactly the amount of money you need to spend and the time you will have to invest.

Also, you must know that you will have to learn some new software needed for the your blog. The good news here is that all blog software is super easy to use and has a multitude of plug-ins and other resources that helps you construct your blog in a unique way, differentiating yourself from other blogs out there.

Most blogs can be setup in a matter of hours, if not minutes, and you can learn how to use them on the way.

Now, let's see what blog platforms are best suited for you and your company (if you have one, if not that's fine):

The three most widely used platforms include:nn* Bloggernn* WordPressnn* TypePad

Choosing the Right Blog Platform for You

The first two are free, while Typepad is a paid service because it offers some extra features that give your blog a more professional touch. But there's no need to pay for that because you can build a wonderful blog with blogger or Wordpress.

I'll talk a little about the 2 free ones and how to get them up and running in no time.

These 2 have a simple editor box for publishing, usually called a WYSIWYG editor - which means What You See Is What You Get. This is so easy to use that even a 6 year old can use it and get great results. It's that easy! You don't need any html, php or other scary stuff like that for publishing something on your blog or for any of the things necessary to get it on the road.

Before you build a blog, you have to know exactly what you are going to use it for. If you are using it simply to entertain yourself and others than you can set it up with no cost at blogger or Wordpress (these services also host your blogs - so it's 100% free). If you're like me and want to promote your business or maybe some affiliate products, I found a very useful report (http://www.resellrightslimitedoffers.com). After I read this, I've put a blog online in 1 hour and most importantly, I now have a step by step plan for the development of my blog and how to make money with it, so this report was very helpful.

As I was saying, if you want to look professional, you might want to host the blog on your own domain.

And here are 2 examples so that you understand what I mean when I say professional:

1. If you have a blog called "Dan's Blog" and host it for free at Wordpress or blogger, your blog address where you'll send all your traffic to will look like this: " www.Dan'sBlog.wordpress.com"; or "www.Dan'sBlog.blogspot.com" if you use blogger.

So, you see, it's doesn't look so good because people know that this is a free service and if you are trying to build credibility for your business or even for yourself tha
I recommend that you take option number 2.

2. Buy a domain, for example "www.Dan'sBlog.com" if it's available (this will cost $7-$10) and get a hosting account at a company of your choice (this ranges from 7 to 10 dollars per month). This means that you'll have to make a $91 a year investment so that you look good online (because most hosting companies allow you to set up a blog from either Wordpress or blogger on your site and it's easy and fast). Is this worth it? Definitely! It's worth every penny! But, in the end, this is your choice to make.

In making your choice you should also know that most free hosts will not allow advertising, which limits your ability to start generating a separate stream of income from adsense or sales. If you're just starting out, it's best to pick the basic version (the cheapest hosting account) so you can at least start driving traffic to advertisements. Most basic packages allow you to add your own design elements and start making money with advertisements immediately.