This post is for all you bloggers out there, so if you’re not interested in that sort of thing, just glaze on over it 🙂
You know I’m a huge proponent of the Blogger Platform – I just love it! But everyone loves WordPress. Several months ago I made the jump, and I’m here to dish my thoughts about it. I’m not an expert, just my opinion after trying both – –
I love Blogger. Hands down. When people ask me about starting a blog, I always direct them to Blogger. I even have a video on how to start a blog using Blogger. Blogger is user-friendly – if you’ve worked in say Word, you can use Blogger. It is tailored to the everyday person, and that’s why I love it. I was on Blogger with this well-established craft blog for 5+ years.
People who love WordPress are always trying to get you to switch – I was on the fence, off the fence, back on for a year or two. My numbers had dropped (or so I thought! little did I know they were reporting wrong) and nothing I was doing was working to grow my readership, so I was desperate for a change and thought WP might be my answer. I switched a few months ago. I didn’t go into it blind – I contribute to several blogs who use the WP platform and so I’d been exposed to the basics.
So here ya go – – Why I Don’t Love WP:
-No Easy Font Changes – you can’t just select the font and change the size. Not an option. Boo! I like varying my font within a post, but I had to give that up (see the title above this section – it sure would have been nice to have that in a slightly larger font – instead I just had to bold it)
-No Easy Photo Sizes – in Blogger, you just pick “small” “medium” or “large” – easy peasy. In WP, you can change the photo size, but you have to take several steps and even pick the actual size (like how many pixels wide, etc) which is giving me way too many options
-NO Side-by-Side Pics – this might be my #1 complaint. My first day in WP I messaged a friend “how do I get my pictures side-by-side?” thinking I was missing something, but she’s all “you can’t. You can make a collage, and then put the collage in as one image” – what?! that’s a TON more work. In blogger you can just drag the pictures where you want them, and get them side-by-side. I love using side-by-side pics, so this is a big negative for me!
-Military Time – when scheduling your posts, first off it’s not a drop-down menu like blogger, you have to type in the time (again, i don’t need that much control!). And instead of it being “1:00 pm” it’s “13:00” – I don’t like thinking and converting time.
-No Auto Google+ – in Blogger, every time I posted it would automatically post my link to my G+ account – I love auto! WP doesn’t, and I hardly ever remember to do it.
-No Phone Pics – one of my favorite features in Blogger is that it knows all, and when I want to insert a photo into a post it has the standard “upload” option but also the “from your phone” option – it automatically has all the pictures from my phone, right there ready to be dropped into a blog post. I love that feature and really miss it!
-Hosting Fees – Blogger was free. I paid $10 a year for my domain name, but that was it. With WP, I pay a hosting fee every month.
-Scrolling – when you write a post, the scroll is weird and I’m always having to rescroll the page and then scroll within the post writing – only myself might know what I’m talking about, but it drives me crazy.
-Spam – I get bunches of more spam than ever before coming through my filters. I don’t know if they can find me easier on WP, or if the comments were there all along and they were captured as spam on WP – who knows, but some are pretty comical, so there’s that.
In general, everyone said “WP is awesome. You’re going to love it” and I don’t love it. I’m not all on board. I’d still recommend Blogger for most people. I could do anything in Blogger, manipulate my layout to whatever, add in gadgets, work in the HTML, etc. With WP, you have much more control over everything, but I don’t necessarily think I need all that control. I can’t figure a lot of things out myself and I for sure wouldn’t feel comfortable tweaking my HTML.
Now don’t get me wrong – even though I knew I loved Blogger, I switched anyway. I don’t hate WP – I just don’t love it. My motivation to switch was to grow my readership, and that has happened (maybe it would have happened even if I stayed on Blogger, not sure). The final straw in my deciding to switch was the possibility of being able to organize my tutorials pages – that’s a big deal for me (in blogger you have to manually set it all up, and WP it’ll be a little more automated). After I set it all up, I’ll be more on board with the so-called awesomeness of WP.
Some things like about WP:
–Email response to comments – this is huge and maybe worth the switch. Maybe. I can reply to a comment on my blog, and the author is automatically emailed the response as well – LOVE that! on blogger I could response directly through email, or I could leave a comment on my blog, but not both (well, I could manually do both, but that’s a hassle)
-Updated tutorial page – I haven’t gotten in to revamp and reorganize, but it already is better than before and auto updates, so that’s a big big deal to me.
-I am part of the “in” blogging crowd – when people mention a super cool new plugin, I can be a part of checking it out. (this probably shouldn’t matter, but it’s nice to be mainstream with others in the blogging world)
-I think it overall it’s helping grow my blog traffic, but I’m not for sure how much of it is WP and how much of it is the hard work I’ve been putting in
So should you switch?? Good question – I really don’t think it’s a must. I’d say if you’ve been on Blogger for over 5 years and are trying to take your blog another step, it might be something to consider. I obviously switched and overall it was the best decision for me. But I don’t think as a new blogger you need to jump over to it. Good luck!
I love Blogger so much that I started a Facebook group for Blogger on Blogger/ Blogspot so that we can help each other against the WP bloggers that INSIST we are not “real” bloggers because we are not on WP. A safe haven if you will. An island of misfits. You can do anything on Blogger, just as you can on WP, with the proper knowledge. “I am part of the “in” blogging crowd – when people mention a super cool new plugin, I can be a part of checking it out.” I’ve never been one to bow to peer pressure or feel the need to sit at the cool kids table. Maybe I will make my goal to be the most successful Blogger on Blogger ever!? Really, a terrific article Mandy!
Kathe recently posted…Anything Goes – You’re Gonna Love It Tuesday!
ha, island of misfits 🙂 That’s a great idea to have a group – Blogger bloggers and WP bloggers are all the same in my book – we’re all awesome 🙂
Hi Kathe, I am real newbie to the whole blogging scene. I don’t have ANY readers just yet, but I’m okay with this because I am still struggling to find my way. So, at the moment I am just fumbling along. But I am really happy with Blogger. I tried another site, Webs, but I found this a bit difficult to use and very restrictive (limited number of pages) was my biggest issue and the constant push to add to the blog/website with pricey additions. So, for the time being, I am happy with Blogger. I did check out WP, but found it extremely daunting as a newbie. So, I am glad to read there are others out there who still appreciate Blogger 🙂
I’m in the same boat as you- I did it so I could customize my layout more for optimizing income, for some reason my Blogger stopped responding to the changes I was making, and no one could figure it out! I also heard it was better for SEO, which I do like that visible control I have over the SEO when writing my posts in WP. Still, I can’t figure out a lot of WP. I also get way more spam, even with askimet! And when I switched, even though everything was re-routed to WP, I lost almost half my page views- feeds are somehow lost for those readers. Since I was hoping to make more money more easily through WP, this totally negated the whole switch! We’ve tried everything and still, I’m back down to where I was 2 years ago. I’m going to get rid of my ads and have already done away with sponsored posts and just blog for fun because I’ve become so frustrated! Not worth my investment.
Melanie recently posted…Fabric Banner Wedding Backdrop
oh no! so sorry you’ve lost pageviews, I’ve heard of that sometimes happening, but I’m not sure why it does —
Such a great article, Mandy. I love blogger as well and am constantly bombarded with being told to switch. I finally found a great group of fellow blogspot lovers and it reaffirms me staying. I get there are some customizations that you get on WP, but if I can somehow manage to do it on blogger I will try first.
I hope it all goes well for you! but if you want to switch back we will welcome you with open arms 🙂
suzy recently posted…corn bread waffles – with only 5 ingredients
ha! if I switched back, right after I’m getting the hang of things, I might really drive myself crazy 🙂 But yes, there are lots of WP custom things that you can code into blogger – blogger can do more than people think
Thank you so much for posting this Mandy! I have been blogging for a long time and I am still on Blogger and others make fun of me, but I love it for the reasons you mentioned! It’s easy and it’s free! But the peer pressure gets to me and I think I should change sometimes. It’s so refreshing to hear a different opinion! Have a great week! Angie xo
[email protected] of Laughter recently posted…Fall Fruit Spritzer Bar & Win A SodaStream PLAY Machine + Starter Kit with “Pin It to Win It’
ah, that blogging peer pressure 🙂
yep, it’s just whatever’s best for you – – I hit a point where I thought it was time for WP for me, but not everyone is there, and that’s totally okay- Blogger is great too
I’m a HUGE Blogger proponent (and a long time reader of your blog.. ) and this is one of my favorite posts you have ever written. I think Blogger gets a bad rap since it is ‘easy’ and ‘basic’ and therefore it may not be the “best” in people’s eyes. But the truth is.. you just need it to get the job done. Just like I dont’ need a heart surgeon to clip my toenails. 😉
I also want to point out that and even some of your negatives towards blogger/pros towards WP are easy to address.
For example.. Email reply to comments.. You can use third party ‘plug ins’ which will let you do that. (I use Disqus.. but you can use CommentLuv which I see you are using) and I get an email, and can reply by email to all comments.. No biggie.
And the drawback of not being in the ‘in crowd’.. well, that rings true a little bit.. BUT.. now there is a small (but mighty) group of us “Blogger Bloggers” who have found each other and it is a much less ‘lonely’ place to be. We help each other out with Blogger specific tutorials, troubleshooting, formatting, coding, monetization etc. There is finally a group for just Blogger users, where everyone ‘gets you’ and the reply isn’t “I dont’ know how to do it on Blogger.. you should switch to WP.”
So I would encourage anyone who thinks they MUST switch because everyone is doing it to realize that they aren’t the only ones still on Blogger. And switching to WP is not the ‘magic bullet’ to success!
Kim who is still blogging on Blogger at TheKimSixFix 😉 recently posted…Turn Your Landscaping into Minions!
Right! pros and cons to both platforms, but neither is the magic to success – – great thoughts – thanks Kim!
Hey Mandy – I hear you! I hated many of those things when I first switched. A couple of remedies. To change font size, over on the dropdown menu on the top left in the post editor, change from “Paragraph” to one of the “Heading” sizes. Easy to do, hard to find. It took me forever to realize that was a way to change font sizes. As for side by side pics, you can do it with a quick HTML table, and those are 2nd nature to me now. I also like knowing that they’ll render the same no matter the viewing platform (ie, mobile – Side by side photos on Blogger didn’t always render side by side for me on mobile). Here’s how you do those: https://mellysews.com/2013/01/how-to-make-an-html-image-table-in-blogger-and-wordpress.html
Finally, make sure you’re using the Yoast SEO plugin. That’s where I saw the biggest growth in my readership, making sure to fill that in every time I wrote a post until I get the “green light”.
Hope that helps you not hate WP as much!
Melissa recently posted…Magic Pattern Book Review
Thanks Melissa — I have the Yoast thing, but I don’t use it on every post – but I should! And the “heading” is news to me – thanks! And now I’m off to check out your html table… 🙂
Hi Mandy,
Thanks for this! Definitely interesting for a WordPress geek like me to hear some concerns. I’m a WordPress Junkie, but do understand that blogger has its place… just wanted to point out a couple of things. 🙂
1. Some of your complaints could be fixed with the right plugins / WordPress theme. WordPress now has a built in gallery functionality that could get your pictures side by side for instance. Or other themes have better picture management built in. The fonts issue is one that is definitely theme specific, not to be self-promoting, but all of the the themes we create have custom font options. Image sizes? Yes! Theme specific again. Get yourself the right theme and you’re good to go with various image sizes.
2. That said, I will say that WordPress is a learning curve. Blogger is definitely a great way to get your start and become familiar with blogging. (And there’s no upfront cost like you mention!) It’s just that for bloggers who do grow their readership, there are MUCH fewer options with plugins, for multimedia features, etc. with blogger.
So I guess it truly is different for everyone. 🙂
Anywhoo, just my two cents, I hope that I came across the right way. 🙂
Angie recently posted…Vintage Flowers Design Trend
I really need to dive in to plugins more – I’m sure it’s the learning curve! Everyone says I’ll love it – I’m sure I’ll get there – – and I didn’t know the fonts and image sizes were related to the theme – great info!
Thank you for this comparison! I don’t think I have been this indecisive about anything in a long time (and that’s saying something). I’m attracted to WP when I hear bloggers talk about all these cool plug-ins and the ability to respond to comments right on the posts is quite attractive too. I think for now I’m convinced to stick with Blogger!
Jennifer recently posted…Delightfully Wicked Halloween Hop: DIY Halloween Book Page Art & Giveaway
I was indecisive forever! there are benefits to both WP and Blogger, but if you’re happy with blogger, don’t feel like you have to switch
I appreciate this so much! I’ve been blogging for a year on blogger and I am constantly seeing statements like “You can’t be a ‘real’ professional blogger unless you switch to WordPress.” I am not willing to do that unless I can start earning an income with blogging, which hasn’t happen enough yet to justify the switch to a website I have to pay for! But I’ve worry that maybe I’m getting myself into a corner with it. It’s refreshing to hear that it IS possible to have a Blogger blog be successful!
Carolyn recently posted…Lemon Caraway Seed Cookies: Sourdough and Non-Sourdough Method
totally possible – I was able to have an income while on Blogger – it doesn’t hold you back from that at all!
I’ve been wondering this for the past several months. I love blogger, but I feel the pressure to switch as my blog grows. I do love the idea of replying to comments and the reader will automatically get an email – that would be amazing!
Did you hire someone to help you migrate everything over for you? If so, do you mind asking me the general price range for that kind of switch work?
Meg – Life of Meg recently posted…Stitching + Brews: A Night With Hey Paul Studios
I had several blog friends recommend RFE hosting and they do blog mirgration as well. Once you migrate it over, they don’t do the design side – you’ll need someone else for that if you want to change anything.
Always glad to find other bloggers who love Blogger. I have been blogging for several years. I spent some time trying out WordPress last year at the urging of many other people. I do see some advantages to WP, but personally I like Blogger so much better.
Janet @kyklips recently posted…Dove Awards 2014: Best of the Best
I love blogger too!
Every now and then I get the little twinge that maybe I should switch over, but then I think about all the customizing I’ve done, plus I already do all the seo stuff manually, including schema mark up for recipes. It would be nice to have a plug in do all that for me, but I just don’t want to have to go through that learning curve or pay the extra expense…
I do feel like it might be time for a header/logo/ and a sidebar makeover. It’s been feeling a little cluttered lately…
~Jamie
Jamie @ Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom recently posted…Healthy Snacking- Outshine Fruit and Veggie Frozen Treats
Hi Mandy!
I hear you about using Blogger. I LOVE WordPress but I always have a second blog (or two) on Blogger.
Blogger is so easy to use and set up. I’m watching your video now and I’ll be sure to pin it 🙂
Ileane recently posted…10 Awful Mistakes That Keep You Away From Success on Twitter
Interesting post, thanks for your honest opinion. The number 1 reason I switched years ago is because I wanted to OWN my blog. On blogger, Google owns it. And, my traffic increase helps their traffic increase and I just wanted to help me.
I’m curious, 6 days later how are you feeling about it? What are the hardest things to get used to?
Kristie Hill recently posted…A little more about Blog Ambitoins
Thanks for the post Mandy. I am on the fence about this one. I think you have helped me decide to stick with blogger for now. It is so user friendly.
Deborah recently posted…Priorities
I really do love blogger – there’s a time and place for WP, but it’s perfectly fine to be happy with blogger 🙂
Thanks for this post – and everyone who commented. I’ve felt the pressure too in the blogging world and have so far resisted switching. I’m pretty basic and my readership is small. I was actually searching on Pinterest for tutorials on how to switch and found this. I think I’ll stay where I’m at for now. 🙂
it’s different for everyone, but I stayed on blogger a long time and loved it