The Best Virtual Private Servers (VPS Hosting)

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best VPS host for most people is definitely Bluehost.

When most people launch a new website, they use a shared hosting service to meet their web hosting needs. That’s because shared hosting is the most basic and cost-effective way to host a beginner website.

But as your site scales, its hosting needs are going to change. That’s when it’s time to start looking for a virtual private server—better known as VPS hosting.

Not sure whether VPS hosting makes sense for your business? Scroll to the bottom of this post for more on how VPS works and how it compares to other hosting options.

Finding the best VPS hosting plan can be intimidating. There are so many hosting providers out there offering VPS options. Taking the time to research all of them would take days.

Fortunately for you, I’ve already taken the time to do all of the research. I’ve gone through dozens of VPS hosting plans and narrowed down the top options for you to consider.

Here are my 7 top picks for the best virtual private server providers in 2020.

Top 7 best VPS hosting providers:

• Bluehost
• InMotion
• HostGator
• LiquidWeb
• HostPapa
• iPage
• A2 Hosting

Read on to learn more about each of  the VPS hosts above and about VPS hosting in general. Let’s start with a bit about what VPS hosting actually is.

 

Virtual Private Server Reviews

I’ve included a detailed review for each one of these services below. I highlighted their plans and pricing while explaining what makes each one a top VPS hosting option. You’ll also learn about some of the potential downsides or weaknesses of these providers as well. Lets begin.

Bluehost VPS

Visit BlueHost

Normally $29.99/month
Free domain and SSL certificate
Free SSD for extreme speed
30-day money back guarantee
Get a 36% discount

Bluehost is an industry leader in the web hosting space. Their VPS plans offer a wide range of hosting options, to accommodate the needs of nearly every website.

The reason why Bluehost stands out as a top choice to consider is because their virtual private servers offer both power and flexibility. They allow multi-server management, meaning you can add more space to your plan at any given time.

This is ideal for websites that need the ability to scale at a moment’s notice, without any delays or downtime. You’ll be able to accomplish this without any assistance from a Bluehost administrator, directly from your advanced cPanel.

Here’s an overview of Bluehost’s plans and pricing:

Standard VPS

• Starting at $19.99 per month
• 2 CPU cores
• 30 GB of SSD
• 2 GB of RAM
• 1 TB of bandwidth

Enhanced VPS

• Starting at $29.99 per month
• 2 CPU cores
• 60 GB of SSD
• 4 GB of RAM
• 2 TB of bandwidth

Premium VPS

• Starting at $49.99 per month
• 3 CPU cores
• 90 GB of SSD
• 6 GB of RAM
• 2 TB of bandwidth

Ultimate VPS

• Starting at $59.99 per month
• 4 CPU cores
• 120 GB of SDD
• 8 GB of RAM
• 3 TB of bandwidth

As you can see, Bluehost offers pricing and resources for websites of all shapes and sizes.

I found in my complete review of BlueHost hosting that even if you’re looking for an entry-level VPS plan, I’d still recommend starting with the Enhanced VPS as opposed to the Standard. For just $10 more per month, you’ll get double the SSD, RAM, and bandwidth.

Although it’s worth noting that the prices listed above are promotional rates only. You’ll end up paying $29.99, $59.99, $89.99, and $119.99, respectively, when your plan renews.

All Bluehost virtual private server plans include 24/7 support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. For a fair price, you’ll benefit from plenty of resources, support, and uptime compared to other options on the market.

InMotion VPS

Visit InMotion

Normally $64.99/month
Free domain and SSL certificate
Free and unlimited email
90-day money back guarantee
Get a 64% discount

Unlike other web hosting providers that are best-known for shared hosting or dedicated servers, InMotion specializes in VPS hosting.

It’s a top choice to consider whether you’re upgrading from an existing plan or looking to host a brand new website.

One of the biggest differentiators of InMotion is that they offer traditional managed VPS hosting as well as Cloud VPS hosting. Altogether, they have six VPS plans (three for each category).

Let’s take a look at each one to see what’s best for your website.

InMotion Managed VPS Hosting

The managed plans are ideal for business owners, agencies, and resellers. Each plan offers free server management, updates, and free site migrations.

You’ll also benefit from a resource monitoring dashboard, unlimited domains, unlimited email accounts, and unlimited MySQL databases.

• VPS-1000HA-S — Starting at $22.99 per month
• VPS-2000HA-S — Starting at $34.99 per month
• VPS-3000HA-S — Starting at $54.99 per month

To get these low introductory rates, you’ll need to sign up for a 2-year plan.

All plans are ecommerce optimized and come with optional root access for those of you who want more advanced control over your settings.

InMotion Cloud VPS

The cloud hosting account plans offered by InMotion are best for developers and system administrators. That’s because each plan comes with full root access, including SSH keys, which gives you total control over customization.

As a developer, you’ll essentially get a blank-slate to customize a VPS to meet the exact needs for your website. You can also code in the language of your preference, like Java, Ruby, and other population choices.

InMotion Cloud VPS provides enterprise-level hardware, with SSD servers that are 20x faster than the competition.

• cVPS-1 — Starting at $5 per month
• cVPS-2 — Starting at $10 per month
• cVPS-3 — Starting at $15 per month
• cVPS-4 — Starting at $20 per month
• cVPS-6 — Starting at $30 per month
• cVPS-8 — Starting at $50 per month
• cVPS-16 — Starting at $80 per month
• cVPS-32 — Starting at $160 per month

 

In my review of InMotion hosting I found that in order to get the best introductory rates for cloud VPS, you need to commit for one year, as opposed to two years with the managed plans.

As you can see, the pricing for the managed plans and cloud hosting plans are very similar. So the biggest difference between the two is basically how much control you want over the server.

Unless you’re a developer, I think that the majority of you should lean toward the managed plans, just based on the simplicity.

HostGator VPS

Visit HostGator

Normally $89.95/month
Flexible Software Options
Advanced Server Features
45-day money back guarantee
Get a 75% discount

HostGator is another popular name in the world of web hosting. While they are best known for their low-cost shared hosting plans, they also have virtual private servers that are worth considering.

HostGator offers competitive VPS pricing, although their plans aren’t the lowest that we’ve seen.

Snappy 2000

• Starting at $29.95 per month
• 2 GB of RAM
• 2 CPU cores
• 120 GB of disk space
• 1.5 TB of bandwidth

Snappy 4000

• Starting at $39.95 per month
• 4 GB of RAM
• 2 CPU cores
• 165 GB of disk space
• 2 TB of bandwidth

Snappy 8000

• Starting at $49.95 per month
• 8 GB of RAM
• 4 CPU cores
• 240 GB of disk space
• 3 TB of bandwidth

The prices are fair for the resources. But like most hosting providers, these introductory rates will increase when your plan renews.

However, HostGator gives you the option to lock in these low rates for the longest time compared to other options we’ve seen so far. You can pay these intro rates for 36 months.

But with that said, the price increases are the most significant compared to other providers as well. The introductory rates are all roughly 75% cheaper than the actual rates.

HostGator stands out with its reliable and multi-layer security network. This enhanced protection paired with the ability to easily scale your resources is what makes HostGator a top VPS choice on our list.

They also offer good cloud hosting plans as I found in my review of HostGator cloud hosting. Just keep in mind that their customer service and support falls a bit short compared to other providers.

LiquidWeb VPS

Visit LiquidWeb

Normally $59.99/month
Fully managed services
Enhanced SSD servers
59 second support guarantee
Get a 66% discount

LiquidWeb isn’t one of the most well-known hosting providers on the market, but they still offer excellent hosting solutions.

All LiquidWeb VPS plans are fully managed. They manage your hardware and the network. Their administrators also handle all security updates and patches as well as support for the operating system and all software.

Unlike some of the other hosting providers we’ve seen so far, LiquidWeb doesn’t have any special or fancy names for their plans. You’re essentially paying for your resources, starting with RAM.

• 2 GB RAM — $29 per month
• 4 GB RAM — $49 per month
• 8 GB RAM — $69 per month
• 16 GB RAM — $129 per month

All of these prices are based on annual contracts. You’ll pay significantly more if you choose to go month-to-month.

LiquidWeb has 2-year plans available upon request. But you’ll need to talk to their customer service team to find out those special rates for your website.

Speaking of customer service, the support offered by the LiquidWeb team is exceptional. They are available 24/7 via phone, email, and live chat.

All LiquidWeb virtual private servers have 10 TB of bandwidth, which is the most we’ve seen so far. The 16 GB of RAM plan has up to 200 GB of SSD disk space, which is also the highest we’ve seen so far.

Most VPS providers don’t offer a 16 GB plan. I can’t imagine most of you will need it, but for those of you who do, this is where I recommend getting it.

To put that into perspective for you, 16 GB of RAM is double the amount of the highest plans offered by both Bluehost and InMotion.

Click here and use coupon code QUICKSPROUT to get 40% off 2 months of any Liquid Web hosting plan.

HostPapa VPS

Visit HostPapa

Normally $49.99/month
Free SSL certificate
Enhanced SSD servers
30-day money back guarantee
Get a 60% discount

If you’re looking for an enterprise-grade virtual private server, HostPapa needs to be toward the top of your list.

With up to 12 CPU cores, 24 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of SDD, HostPapa’s capacity is unmatched.

Here’s a closer look at all of their plans and pricing.

So for those of you who want as many resources as possible, you’ll have to pay top dollar to get it. The Extreme VPS plan starts at $249.99 per month and renews at $299.999 per month.

It’s safe to say that’s a huge jump from their lowest price-point, starting at just $19.99 per month.

For those of you who are developers or more advanced, you’ll have root access to make customized changes.

Another top benefit of HostPapa is that you can increase your power and resources at any time. They also give you the option to manage multiple servers simultaneously. Regardless of your plan, you can always add an extra server directly from the HostPapa dashboard.

So for those of you who are planning to scale significantly, you won’t have to worry about outgrowing your VPS.

All HostPapa VPS plans are ecommerce optimized and provide enhanced security for online stores.

HostPapa is a top choice for companies who want to build a web-based app as well.

For technology and features that are so advanced, the cPanel interface offered by HostPapa is extremely easy to use. You can monitor all of your resources, and make any adjustments in real-time with just one click.

If you’re currently using another hosting provider, HostPapa offers a free domain transfer and free VPS migration. They also have outstanding 24/7 support.

With all of this in mind, I’d only consider using HostPapa if you need a plan with the most possible resources. Otherwise, you can get comparable plans at a better rate elsewhere.

iPage VPS

Visit iPage

Normally $24.99/month
Free domain and SSL certificate
FREE drag and drop site builder
30-day money back guarantee
Get a 20% discount

If you’re looking for a low-cost VPS plan, look no further than iPage. With plans starting as low as $19.99 per month, iPage offers a quality service at an affordable rate.

iPage has been around for more than 20 years. Over 1 million sites are using this platform for web hosting. So if you decide to go with one of their VPS plans, you know that you’re getting it from a reputable provider.

Let’s take a closer look at their plans.

Basic VPS

• Starting at $19.99 per month (renews at $24.99)
• 1 CPU core
• 1 GB of RAM
• 40 GB of disk space
• 1 TB of bandwidth

Business VPS

• Starting at $47.99 per month (renews at $59.49)
• 2 CPU cores
• 4 GB of RAM
• 90 GB of disk space
• 3 TB of bandwidth

Optimum VPS

• Starting at $79.99 per month (renews at $99.99)
• 4 CPU cores
• 8 GB of RAM
• 120 GB of disk space
• 4 TB of bandwidth

As you can see, these are the lowest prices that we’ve seen so far, even after the full-price renewal rates kick in.

iPage also specializes in web design and other services that I discovered in my in depth review of iPage hosting. So for those of you who are building a new website from scratch and want to start with a cheap VPS hosting plan, iPage is a top choice.

Even with these low rates, you’ll still benefit from quality 24/7 support. You just won’t get the capacity and resources offered by some higher-tier providers.

A2 Hosting VPS

Visit A2 Hosting

Managed starts at $49.99/month
Unmanaged starting at $5/month
Free SSD with root access
30-day money back guarantee
Get a 50% discount

A2 Hosting stands out because they offer both managed and unmanaged VPS plans.

Typically, unmanaged VPS plans with root access and custom features come at a higher price point. But not with A2 Hosting.

Experienced developers can get an unmanaged virtual private server for as low as $5 per month. Although with just 20 GB of storage and 512 MB of RAM, this entry-level plan likely won’t meet your needs.

Here’s a closer look at A2’s VPS plans:

Unmanaged VPS Plans

• Entry — Starting at $5 per month
• Mid — Starting at $10 per month
• Elite — Starting at $15 per month

With the unmanaged plans, you can configure your server preferences for disk space, CPU, memory, and bandwidth. Obviously, any adjustments will impact the price.

Managed VPS Plans and Core VPS Plans

• Power — Starting at $25 per month
• Prestige — Starting at $35 per month
• Pinnacle — Starting at $50 per month

The only difference between the Managed plans and Core plans is that the core plans come with root access. However, you won’t be able to configure your server the same way you would if you select an unmanaged plan.

Overall, A2 is a great choice for developers who want complete control and customization over their VPS at an affordable rate. For traditional managed hosting, I’d probably look elsewhere.

With that said, A2 Hosting has one of the best customer support teams on the market. So if that’s something that you prioritize, it’s worth taking a closer look at their plans. Check out my full review of A2 hosting for more about the company.

How to Find the Best VPS Host For You

Now that you’ve had a chance to look at some specific VPS plans, it’s time to determine the best possible choice for you and your website.

To make things easier, your decision should be based on two main factors.

1. What resources do you need?
2. How much are you willing to spend?

In most cases, price and features will go hand-in-hand. If you need the highest possible RAM, disk space, and storage, then you should expect to pay higher prices.

Aside from that, you could lean toward one provider or plan over another based on other features like customer support, security, and the ability to scale.

Some of you might be wondering what qualifications and standards we used to determine which VPS services are the best. All of the plans on our list scored high based on the following considerations:

Uptime Rates

Uptime is arguably the most important factor to consider in web hosting. Every VPS plan on this guide performed well in our uptime tests.

Most providers guarantee a 99.9% uptime rate and they’ll credit your bill if they fail to meet those standards. However, you’d like to avoid this scenario altogether. Getting a few extra bucks back isn’t worth your site being down.

So if you’re evaluating VPS plans from an uptime perspective, you can rest easy knowing that every provider on our list is a safe option.

Speed

The main reason why VPS hosting is so appealing is because it can drastically increase your website’s performance. Your website will experience a major speed boost now that it’s not sharing resources with other sites.

Site speed is important for all websites, but it’s especially crucial for those of you who plan to experience high volumes of traffic. You want to make sure that you find a plan that can accommodate your traffic without sacrificing speed.

Resources

The amount of resources required to effectively host a website will vary from site to site. Your needs will depend on the type of website you have and the size of your website.

These are the primary resources that you need to look at when selecting a VPS plan:

• CPUs — Computer processing unit cores within a server for computing information.
• RAM —  Amount of working memory that can be accessed by your CPUs.
• Storage — Space available for things like images, videos, content, web pages, etc.
• Bandwidth — Amount of data flowing between your server and website.

The amount of resources you’ll get will be determined by the plan you choose. It all depends on what you need and how much you’re willing to spend.

For example, we’ve seen RAM as low as 512 MB (A2 Entry Unmanaged VPS) and as high as 24 GB (HostPapa Extreme VPS).

Root Access

To be clear, not every VPS plan on our list comes with root access. But not everyone needs it.

Root access is only necessary for those of you who are developers, technically advanced or want to make custom changes to your virtual server. The vast majority of you will be better off choosing a fully managed VPS plan.

With that said, there are some fully managed plans that come with optional root access as well. So just make sure you know ahead of time whether you want to have root access or not, before choosing a plan.

Support

Don’t underestimate the importance of web hosting. If you select one of the providers on the list above, there’s a good chance you won’t run into any issues.

However, things happen. When something goes wrong, you want to make sure you have a web host that is easy to get in touch with.

I’d recommend a VPS plan that comes with 24/7 phone and live chat support. Some of the choices on our list stand out for their support more than others. I made sure to point that out in the reviews.

Add-ons and Freebies

While this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, add-ons and freebies could sway you in one direction if you’re torn between two web hosts.

For example, if you’re creating a new website from scratch then you probably don’t care about free site migrations. But for those of you who are looking to transfer from another provider, a free migration and free domain transfer could save you a couple of hundred dollars.

What is VPS Hosting?

VPS hosting is a step above shared web hosting. With a virtual private server, you’ll still be sharing a single server, but you’ll be sharing it with fewer websites.

Here’s how it works.

Basically, a virtual private server is one server that’s divided into separate virtual machines. Each virtual server can be run with custom configurations and separate operating systems.

VPS hosting comes with dedicated server resources as well. So even though you’re sharing a single server with other websites, your RAM and CPU are independent of those sites.

A virtual private server is best for those of you who want the benefits of a dedicated server, but don’t want to pay the high costs associated with dedicated hosting.

Here’s a visual representation that shows the difference between shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers.

Most of you probably don’t need a dedicated server. But you’ll eventually outgrow your shared hosting plan.

Upgrading from a shared plan to a virtual private server will improve the speed and performance of your website. Since you won’t be sharing resources, your site will be more responsive on the user-end. VPS hosting is more equipped to handle traffic spikes as well.

For more information on how VPS stacks up against other hosting options, check out my guide on the best web hosting providers.

Virtual Servers Compared to Other Hosting Options

Before you finalize your decision on a VPS hosting plan, you need to make sure that a virtual private server is your best option.

If you’re creating a new website from scratch and don’t plan on having too much traffic for a long time, then shared hosting will be your best bet.

For those of you who want complete customization over your server and expect 100,000+ visitors each month, then you might want to consider a dedicated server. You can refer to my guide on the best dedicated hosting plans for more information on this.

VPS hosting is for everyone else who falls in the middle.

So if you’ve outgrown your shared plan but don’t need the resources offered on a dedicated server, then a virtual private server will be perfect for your website.

Summary: The Best VPS Hosting for 2020

With all of that in mind, I’ve put each VPS provider above into a “best for” category. Use can use list this as guidance to steer you in the right direction. As you can see, each review on our list stands out for a different reason. So I’m sure the needs of you and your website will fit somewhere into the categories below.

• Bluehost – Best for power and flexibility at a reasonable price.
• InMotion – Best cloud VPS plans.
• HostGator – Best for locking in low introductory pricing rates.
• LiquidWeb – Best fully managed VPS with high memory and storage plans.
• HostPapa – Best enterprise-level VPS plans.
  
• iPage – Best cheap VPS plans.
• A2 Hosting – Best low-cost unmanaged plans for developers.

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The Best Domain Registrar

My quick take?

I prefer Domain.com over other top registrars. They have great prices and super easy to use. It’s the registrar that I personally use and always recommend.

Click here to get 25% off with my special coupon code: QUICKSPROUT

But in case Domain.com isn’t the best option for you, I’ve reviewed it along with six solid contenders based on years of experience. Over the course of my career starting, running, and selling businesses, I’ve bought hundreds of domain names. I’ll walk you through what makes the best domain registrars stand out from the rest, plus a few I would not recommend, how to skip the upsells you don’t need, and how to get your features up correctly.

This guide will help both the first-time and the experienced buyer pick which of the thousands of accredited domain registrars to use to buy a domain name.

Read on to learn more about each of my top picks for the best domain registrars of 2020.

The Top 7 Best Domain Registrars Ranked

1. Domain.com — Fast checkout, limited upsells, and multi-year purchases *Get 25% off with my special coupon code: QUICKSPROUT
2. Bluehost — Best option for getting a free domain name when you buy web hosting.
3. Namecheap — Simple checkout, free privacy protection, and clear dashboard.
4. NameSilo — Cheaper than Namecheap and super-easy bulk purchase process.
5. Gandi — Beautiful interface, but not worth the price jump.
6. Google Domains — Classic Google interface, but you’ll be giving more information to Google.
7. Hover — Straight-forward purchasing process.

Pro Tip: How to Get a FREE Domain Name!

Get a free domain name when you bundle domain registration and web hosting together at BlueHost

Visit BlueHost

Free domain name included
Plans start at $2.95/mo
24/7 phone and chat support
30 day money back guarantee
Get your FREE domain

Although you may be tempted to bundle domain registry with your web host, if you’re planning on buying more than one domain over time, you should keep them separate.

It’s not a big deal to go ahead and buy them together if you’re doing something simple, like starting a portfolio site or a small personal blog. But, domain names and web hosting are two different competencies and it’s best to use expert providers for each.

With that said, if you have a very specific need and don’t think that you’ll ever need more domain names, you can save money by registering with Bluehost when you start your website or blog.

Bluehost offers a free domain name with their web hosting plans. This is my recommendation for those of you who want to bundle these services from the same provider.

How the Best Domain Registrars Compare

#1. Domain.com

Visit Domain.com

Straightforward and easy to use
Great for buying multiple domains
Easy domain transfers
Get 25% off with coupon code: QUICKSPROUT

Whether you’re a first-time or experienced buyer, Domain.com is the most logical place to start your domain name registration process. It’s my top overall pick due to the simplicity and quality of the service.

You can get a .com domain from Domain.com for just $9.99 per year. During the checkout process, you have the option to purchase your domain for up to five years, which is one of my favorite features offered by this provider. I can set it and forget it.

Privacy and protection overwrites your WHOIS information. The name and address of every domain owner is available publicly. Obviously, this can cause privacy issues. Domain registrars will offer to overwrite your personal info with their generic info to help protect your privacy. Some domain registrars offer this for free but Domain.com charges $8.99 per year per domain. I get around this by having my domains under a company name which I’m fine being publicly available. If you’re buying domains personally, I’d definitely protect your personal info even if it means paying a bit more.

As you continue through the checkout process, Domain.com will hit you with some additional upsells, which is standard procedure in the domain registrar industry. They offer things like G Suite, web hosting, SSL certificates, and SiteLock.

You can skip these add-ons. G Suite is something that you can purchase independently and directly from Google. SSL and SiteLock should come with your web hosting service.

The entire purchase process can be completed in a minute, at most. This is ideal for those of you who plan to purchase multiple domains. With helpful 24/7 customer support, Domain.com is a great option for domain transfers as well.

Overall, I can’t find anything bad to say about Domain.com. It should be one of the first places you look for a domain. Get 25% off with coupon code QUICKSPROUT

#2 Bluehost

Visit BlueHost

Free domain name with any hosting plan
Hosting plans start at $2.95/mo
Easy domain manager
Free SSL certificate
Get your FREE domain

In most cases, it’s best to keep domain registration and web hosting separate. But if you’re starting a new website and want to bundle your domain and web host, Bluehost is the only provider that nails both of these services.

More than 2 million websites across the globe are powered by Bluehost. They are an industry leader in web hosting.

If you don’t plan on buying any more domains then you can save money by registering with Bluehost. A free domain comes with all of their hosting plans. With shared hosting plans starting as low as $2.95 per month, you really can’t find a better deal elsewhere. At least not from a provider that offers quality hosting and quality domains.

As soon as you select a hosting plan, you’ll be brought to this page to set up your domain:

The Bluehost domain manager makes it easy for anyone to buy, track, transfer, and update domain names from a simple dashboard. You’ll also get a free SSL certificate, which is something that other domain registrars try to add-on as an upsell.

Bluehost also offers autorenewals for domains, so you won’t have to worry about your domain expiring because you forgot to renew every year.

Add domain privacy and protection to your registration for just $0.99 per month. You can also prevent any unauthorized domain transfers with domain lock, which is $1.99 per month.

#3. Namecheap

Visit NameCheap

Free privacy protection
Simple checkout process
24/7 live chat support
Find and buy a domain name in 2 minutes
Search for your domain

Namecheap’s checkout process is simple, with very limited upsells. There’s nothing confusing about the process and nothing to slow you down either. It’s everything I want in a domain purchasing experience and nothing I don’t want. I’m able to search for a domain name and purchase it in under two minutes.

How to navigate the Namecheap upsells

During the purchase process, Namecheap will hit you with a few questions. You can blast through that section pretty quickly using this cheat sheet of which to add and which to skip:

• Stellar Shared Hosting ($2.88/month) – Skip it

As I said before, web hosting and domain registration are very different. It’s tough to find a company that nails both. If you’re looking to bundle domain registration with hosting, then my recommendation would be Bluehost. Otherwise, you can get your domain from Namecheap and check out my guide on the best web hosts for alternative options.

• Private Email (two months free, then $9.88–$49.99/year) – Skip it

If you want a business email, it’s always free to forward emails from Namecheap. If you’d like cloud storage for that email, or to send emails from your domain name, we recommend not buying it from your registrar. My universal recommendation is a no-brainer: G Suite ($6/user/month), which includes Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Calendar, and Hangouts.

• Professional Gmail ($6/user/month) – Skip it

This is the going price for G Suite but I think it’s simpler to keep your billing for G Suite directly with Google. That way, if you ever leave Namecheap, you won’t have to get them to transfer your G Suite account back to Google. You don’t save much time (once you get your Gmail on autobill it’s the same amount of work — none). And you risk entangling things that you’ll have to detangle later. Build for the long term for the start by setting up best-in-class accounts across the board and separate their billing.

• PositiveSSL ($1.99/year) – Skip it

You’ll need an SSL certificate if you plan to accept payments or collect other sensitive information on your website, but not this one. The PositiveSSL Namecheap is upselling here is just a Domain Verification. I recommend getting your SSL from your web host instead.

• EasyWP ($1/month) – Skip it

You’re here to buy your domain name and only your domain name. If you want managed WordPress hosting, I recommend using a top web host that focuses on hosting. SiteGround and Dreamhost both have some good managed WordPress built into their shared hosting plans. But Bluehost will still be your best bet if you want to get WordPress hosting and domain registration in the same place.

Namecheap’s $0.18 Fee

That $0.18 ICANN fee is a mandatory charge from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, for each domain registration, renewal, or transfer. It’s negligible, although noticeable, especially considering other registrars, including NameSilo, absorb it.

Free Domain Privacy

Namecheap provides a WhoisGuard subscription for free forever. You definitely want WhoisGuard. It’s a privacy protection that prevents your personal contact information from being displayed in the publicly accessible Whois database. As long as your domain is with Namecheap, you’ll never pay for WhoisGuard. GoDaddy, on the other hand, charges $10/year and most web hosts that offer domain registration charge $12/year.

Note: WHOIS Privacy is also free with NameSilo, Gandi, Google Domains, and Hover.

Once you’ve purchased your domain, the dashboard is clearly laid out.

I’ve found Namecheap’s knowledge base to be thorough and helpful. Great documentation is key: buying and setting up a domain isn’t part of most people’s expertise. It’s just not something you do every day. If you need more support, Namecheap has 24/7 live chat help and a 2-hour ticket response time.

#4. NameSilo

• Outdated site and aesthetic
• Really cheap — cheaper than Namecheap
• Free privacy protection
• Bulk domain discount program
• Visit NameSilo

At first glance NameSilo is laughable, especially compared to its competition. Its aesthetic seems to be late 90s PowerPoint — although a new site is thankfully in beta testing. I suspect this is in large part due to NameSilo being acquired in early 2018 by software company Brision Innovations.

It’s almost impossible to believe that it’s the second fastest growing domain registrar in the world (based on November 2018 sales). Even more impressive, NameSilo’s CEO says this growth isn’t fueled by marketing dollars:

“The fact that NameSilo is growing faster than nine of the top ten domain registrars in the world, most of which are public companies with at least a billion-dollar market capitalization and very large marketing budgets, is a testament to the team and the service we are providing our customers. This growth by NameSilo has been accomplished with a near zero marketing spend.”

NameSilo’s comically outdated site isn’t stalling growth.

What I appreciate about NameSilo

It’s a domain registrar and that’s it.

It’s really cheap (even cheaper than Namecheap), throws in domain privacy for free (though you’ll need to opt-in by selecting it in your cart), and offers a full-blown discount program for bulk domain purchases.

There are virtually no upsells and you can start configuring your domain in checkout — linking it to a third-party service (like a website builder) and entering custom NameServers.

Customer support is also comparable, with a rich knowledge base and 24/7 live chat.

So, if you don’t mind some (hopefully temporarily) outdated interfaces, NameSilo is a great option.

You can start configuring your domain name during NameSilo’s checkout flow. Don’t forget to opt-in to WHOIS privacy protection.

#5. Gandi

• A few dollars more expensive than Namecheap ($15 vs. $10–$12)
• Beautiful interface
• Free domain privacy, free SSL for one year, email hosting
• Good deals on multiple domain bundles
• Visit Gandi

For over $15/year for the same domain we can get for $10–12/year from Namecheap, I want to see more from Gandi. It has a beautiful interface, and is well-regarded amongst developers, but there’s not much it offers that Namecheap or even Google Domains doesn’t: free domain privacy, free SSL for one year, email hosting. One standout is its domain bundles. You can score a deal if you want to buy multiple domains at once.

If you want to bundle domain registrations, Gandi will give you a good deal.

#6. Google Domains

• Familiar and simple Google-style interface
• Literally zero upsells
• But, you’ll be sharing even more information with Google
• Visit Google Domains

I like the familiar and simple Google-style interface.

It’s clean and there are literally no upsells and absolutely zero flourish.

But, most web developers prefer not to share more information with Google than is absolutely necessary. I felt the exact same way.

One huge downside with Google Domains: If you need help, you won’t be able to dig into a rich knowledge base.

However, there is chat, email, and phone support in English, 24 hours a day, and in French, Spanish, and Japanese with more limited hours.

In February 2019, Google hosted an early access program for users to pay extra to register a .dev domain through Google Domains through its early access program. As of February 28, 2019, these .dev domains are available without any additional fees — just the annual registration charge of about $12 to $15. Google has a filterable list of domain registrar partners.

(Namecheap, NameSilo, Gandi, and Hover are on that list.) If you buy a .dev url, you’ll be joining GitHub, Women Who Code, and Codecademy.

Google Domains makes no fanfare of its free privacy protection — make sure you turn it on.

#7. Hover

• Fun automated name engine
• Limited upsells
• Privacy protection included
• Some stability issues
• Visit Hover

Hover spit my domain name request through a thesaurus. We’ve all been there, desperately trying to find an available domain after hitting hundreds of dead-ends. Any tool that can offer new ideas when buying a domain name is super helpful.

I also like that there are limited upsells in Hover’s purchase flow, and privacy protection is included. Email forward isn’t free though, it’s $5/month.

My biggest worry with Hover ultimately is its backend. Browse through Hover’s outage history and you’ll find hours-long outages are frequent.

Domain Registrars I Don’t Recommend

• 1&1
• GoDaddy

I do not recommend 1&1 or GoDaddy. In terms of price, customer service, and overall value, you can do better elsewhere.

Avoid any domain registrar with a bad reputation or history of poor customer support. This includes any company on Spamhaus’ list of the worst domain registrars.

I’d also stay away from GoDaddy and 1&1. There are lots of unfavorable reviews of these registrars online. GoDaddy has even been suspected of throttling down outbound transfers, which is obviously not great.

My Methodology For Ranking The Top Domain Registrars

When I research and rank the best domain registrars I look for those that meet these criteria:

• Quick to search
• Easy purchase process
• Simple configuration process
• Intuitive dashboard for managing domains over time
• Quality customer service, both live support and in a robust knowledge center
• Limited upsells
• Strong reputation

Why the reputation of your domain registrar matters

In mid-March 2019, the 9th largest domain registrar by volume went dark — out of nowhere. Customers could not renew expiring domains, couldn’t log into their accounts, and couldn’t buy new domains. Their domain registrar was out of business and their domains were in limbo.

When this happens, panic sets in. “Am I about to lose all my domains?”

In cases like this, ICANN steps in to de-accredit the registrar and bulk transfer the domains to an accredited registrar. The new location of the domains is announced on ICANN’s bulk transfer page.

Even though there’s an established process, the last thing any of us want is to be at the mercy of a bulk domain transfer to another register. Too many things can go wrong. And there’s too much at risk. Losing the wrong domain would kill my business.

Pro Tips For Buying a Domain Name

Before you settle on a domain registrar and buy a domain name, review these tips to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Don’t bundle domains and web hosting from just any provider

It’s common for domain registrars to offer web hosting services. It’s also common for web hosting providers to offer domain registration. These bundles might seem tempting, but in most cases, you should keep each service separate.

This gives you a lot more flexibility with changing web hosts and/or domain registrars in the future. It also improves the quality of service on both.

I’d only recommend registering a domain and getting hosting with the same company if you’re not planning to buy more domains in the future. And if you’re going to bundle your domain and web host, you should use Bluehost. They are the only provider that is able to nail both of these services. This is a great option for something specific and simple, such as a blog or small personal site.

Always opt in to domain privacy

Most domain registrars include it for free. Those who don’t charge about $12/year. Buy it. It’s what keeps your personal information (including your name, phone number, email address, and mailing address) from being listed in the Whois public database — and therefore out of the hands of spammers. You can also use the your business info since it’s already publicly available. Definitely don’t use your personal info though.

Remember to turn on automatic renewal

In a lot of businesses, auto-renewal is sneaky way to charge you for something you never use and forgot you bought in the first place. But when it comes to domain names, I absolutely recommend it. If there’s anything you know your business will always need is its website. Forgetting to re-up means your site will go down, which happened to automated marketing powerhouse Marketo in 2017. Even worse, if you have a covetable domain name, it might get scooped up before you can rebuy it. That’s what happened to Google.com back in 2016. If someone else buys your domain, it could be gone forever. Don’t ever let you domain registrations lapse.

Prioritize your URL over your registrar

For the most part, if a name is available, you will probably be able to purchase it through any of the best domain registrars. But some accredited registrars only offer limited top-level domains (TLD). (A TLD is the stuff that comes after the dot.) This is especially common in smaller registrars or providers that offer domain registration as a secondary service, like a web host. (For example, InMotion Hosting, one of our favorite web hosts, can only register .com, .net, .org, .biz, .us, and .info domains.)

That’s because a registrar is different than a registry. Registries are who actually hold the TLD and their associated names — for example, VeriSign controls all .com and .net domains while PIR controls all .org and .ngo domains. Registrars manage the reservations of the names provided by the registries, and have to act in accordance with each one they are involved with. Not all registrars work with all registries, which is why some only have access to specific TLDs.

What matters here is that you get the URL you want — if it’s not available at the first place you check, look around. You may also be able to buy it with the help of a broker.

Don’t make a big deal of tiny price differences

Registrars are middlemen between you and domain registries that hold all the domains. It’s similar to how department stores are the middlemen between shoppers and clothing manufacturers. The registries set their prices — the equivalent of wholesale prices — and registrars add their fees on top. That’s how they make money. A registrar selling a domain for more money than its competitor is just making more money off the sale of the same product. (Some registrars are making headlines for registering domains “at cost,” including Cloudflare, the content delivery network provider.) If you are price-comparison shopping, take into account the renewal fee, the price of privacy protection, and the cost of your time should you need to wait on hold longer for worse customer service.

Recap of the Best Domain Registrars for 2020

Buying a domain name can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before. Finding a reliable domain registrar will make your life much easier. These are the best options for you to consider:

• Domain.com — My top overall recommendation (Get 25% off with coupon code QUICKSPROUT)
• Bluehost — Best option for getting a free domain name when you buy web hosting.
• Namecheap — Fast checkout and free privacy protection
• NameSilo — Best cheap domain registrar
• Gandi — Great deals for multiple domains
• Google Domains —Simple interface and no upsells
• Hover — Free privacy protection

Regardless of your situation, budget, or website type, you’ll be able to buy a domain name from one of the registrars on this list.

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The Best Blogging Platforms and Blog Sites for 2020

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best blogging platform for most people is definitely Wix.

When it comes to creating your own blog, you have two options.

The first option is to build a website and blog there. Building your own website and blogging on it is the old-school way to build a blog. To do this, you’ll need to use software like Wix or do everything yourself through WordPress.

This requires more work upfront but you’ll own and control your site completely.

The other option is to use a blogging platform like Medium, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram. Even if some of these platforms aren’t technically blog platforms, you can get more success from them by treating them as blogs. It’s a lot easier to get in front of millions of people and takes less than 15 minutes to set up. The downside is that you’ll be beholden to their rules and algorithms.

In this guide, I’ll break down both ways to set up your blog and help you pick which blog site, software, or blogging platform is best for you. Let’s get to it.

How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform for You

To point you in the right direction, I need to ask you two questions: one about money, the other about your blog niche.

1. Do you plan to make money blogging?

If so, go with Wix.

Wix has all the features you’ll need to make money with your blog and is a lot easier to use than other platforms.

Visit Wix

• 14-day free trial
• Drag and drop site builder
• Integrated payment processing
• 500+ ecommerce templates
• Try Wix for Free

If you’re not trying to make money blogging, use one of the best blog sites I list below instead.

These blog sites are great if you aren’t trying to create an income: They have built-in audiences and you won’t have to pay anything. My recommendation of which one to choose is based on the outcome that you’re trying to achieve. Which leads me to my next question.

2. What is your blog like and who do you hope will read it? In other words, what is your blog niche?

• If you’re in business, blog on LinkedIn.
• If you’re creative, start your “blog” on Instagram.
• The best classic blogging site is Medium, which can also serve as a syndication platform.
• The biggest audience, of course, still lives on Facebook.

If you hadn’t thought about creating your blog on anything other than a website builder, it might be kind of hard to wrap your mind around these blog sites. I’m not saying they’re best for every blog, they’re a great way to go if your audience already spends time on those platforms.

In other words, a social platform might be a better fit for you than a true “blog.” That’s why I recommend that designers, photographers, and artists skip blogging entirely. Go start an Instagram account, you’ll build an audience much easier that way.

Reviews of the Top 6 Best Blogging Platforms and Blog Sites for 2020

Here are our in-depth reviews on the most popular blog platforms.

Wix – Best Website Builder for Blogging

I like Wix for blogging because it’s one-and-done. If you want to go the easy route for owning your own blog, this is it. It’s an easy runner up to WordPress for the best blog platform.

The templates are great looking and you can customize them with a drag-and-drop editor. The blog manager is simple and intuitive, and you’ll get analytics and SEO built right in. It’s simple to add the basic features you might want on your blog: social tools, likes, comments, hashtags, categories, and a subscriber forms.

All of the SEO features you need are easy to access too: alt tags for your images, internal links, SEO titles and descriptions (that are different from you post title), and nofollow tags for external links. Wix blogs have an automatic email subscribe feature and a social media bar beneath each article for sharing on Facebook, Twitter, and more.

To build a blog on Wix, you’ll sign into your account and pick a template. There’s a Blog template category, which is a great place to start. Once you have your template selected, I suggest updating the font, colors, and logo to personalize your template and help it stand out from the rest.

Writing a post is as simple as clicking Create a Post, writing and adding images. You can save drafts, or even give other contributors writing privileges for you site. This is all just as easy from a mobile device as from a desktop — no app required.

Make sure that you update your SEO settings for every post: this is what’s presented in the search results page and is critical for ranking in organic search.

The resulting post will have an automatic read-time count, like a Medium post right next to the author’s name, which I also like a lot. I also like the ability to live-chat with your readers in the Wix app. If you build a real community in your blog or are open to answering reader questions in real time — say about an online course you’re offering or a webinar that’s coming up — then it’s a cool feature.

Pros and Cons of Creating a Wix Blog

You can also build your blog using Wix. It’s an all-in-one drag-and-drop website builder. It’s an easy option if you’re looking to have your blog on your own site, rather than on a blog platform or service like Medium or another form of social media.

The downside is you’ll be paying a subscription fee and you’ll be locked into Wix’s themes and tools. So, you’ll trade some convenience for some flexibility. For most users, we think this trade-off is worth it.

WordPress – Best Blogging Software for Flexibility

WordPress by far the most flexible option. No matter what you want from your blog, it can be done with WordPress.

To build your own site, you’ll need to buy a domain name, get web hosting, and set up your WordPress account. There’s more information on our post The Best Web Hosting and on The Best Web Hosting for WordPress, which is about selecting a managed host that’s designed for WordPress.

You will need to spend time configuring your site, that includes picking a theme, configuring it, setting up your WordPress settings, adding SEO WordPress plugins, getting all your content uploaded. For first-time bloggers, it can be overwhelming.

That’s the trade-off with WordPress. It’ll do anything you want but it takes more time to learn than an easier platform like Wix.

Pros and Cons of Blogging with WordPress

The main reason to use WordPress is the complete flexibility. No matter what you want to build or how big you get, WordPress can handle it. This is the biggest benefit os using WordPress.

There are millions of plugins that give you all sorts of extra features. And if you really want, you can start changing the code yourself. WordPress is open-source which means you can do whatever you want with it. If you know PHP or are willing to hire a developer, you can change WordPress however you like.

But with such flexibility comes a lot of learning. You have to learn WordPress, the plugins, your theme, and how to write posts well. It’s a lot to take in when building your first site. If you just want to launch your site so you can start blogging right away, WordPress won’t be the easiest option.

Medium – Best Traditional Blogging Site

It’s hard to pin down how many users Medium has — they focus on sharing how much time is spent on the platform reading instead. I dig it. The platform, was founded by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Evan Williams as a response to the hyper-short limits of Twitter, hence the name Medium.

At one point, there was some distinction between even longer blog platforms, but that’s dissipated by now.

In 2017, Medium had 60 million unique visitors. From personal experience, I know that when I read on Medium, I read with curiosity and intent. I’m ready to put in some time reading, and the read times on each article get me to commit to sticking it out for the whole thing.

Posting with Medium is super simple. There’s a clean, very white WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor. Basically, as you type, you see what the post will look like when it’s published. There are a lot of tips and tricks to format your post that are a little hidden in the simplicity of the interface.

Don’t stop at this point though. Instead of just a profile, I recommend creating a Medium Publication. This gives you the option to add other writers and editors to your blog. More importantly, it gives you a lot more options for controlling what is essentially your blog homepage.

Take a look below at the difference between Patagonia’s basic Medium profile (top image below) and REI’s Medium publication (bottom image below).

Above, a consecutive stream of your posts. This is all you’ll get with a Medium profile.
Below, the more magazine-style layout you’ll get with a Medium publication. 

One is a simple chronological feed and the other is a designed page with useful menu options. When you create a publication like REI has you also unlock the ability to send a newsletter to all of your followers.

Pro Tips for Blogging on Medium

• If you are syndicating your actual blog, use the Import feature. This is essential for SEO.
• To start a bulleted list, simply type an asterisk or a dash.
• There are two types of quotes. Use a block quote by clicking the quote icon once. Click it again for a pull quote.
• Drop caps add a little editorial weight. To make the first letter of your paragraph larger, and give it that designed look, highlight the letter. The option will appear.
• Use TK to leave yourself notes. This is an old journalism trick — there are no words with TK in them in the English language. If you’re writing something that needs a placeholder, use TK and Medium will alert you if you try to publish with one still in place.

Pros and Cons of a Medium Blog

Medium is the best all-around traditional blogging platform. It’s where the majority of readers who’re looking to read classic blog-style posts are right now.

The downside is built into the choice of picking to create your own blog or build one an a platform — you won’t own the traffic and you won’t be able to do things like sell ad placements, for example.

Deciding to blog on WordPress vs Medium isn’t an either-or choice. You can also publish your site and re-publish some posts on Medium to take advantage of its benefits, just like you would any syndication deal. You can thoughtfully approach this, but there are some technical how-tos we’ll get into below. You’ll need to import your posts to Medium properly and set the canonical tag, so you’re not penalized by Google (at worst) or simply out-ranked by the Medium version of the post (at best). Overall, though, I prefer to see each channel as a separate channel and create and publish unique content for that channel.

LinkedIn – Best Blog Site for Business

There are 590 million LinkedIn users, 154 million of them in the US. And a lot of them are active: 44% are monthly active users. LinkedIn used to be basically a resume hosting platform. In a lot of ways it was like a job-hunting dating app: you’d go on if you were looking to hire or looking to get hired but not much else. In the last few years that has changed dramatically.

If you’re building a business blog, the audience on LinkedIn is premium: 45% of LinkedIn article readers are in upper-level positions (managers, VPs, Directors, C-level).

In an article for Forbes, “Is LinkedIn Poised To Be The Next Big Social Network … For Brands?”, Ryan Holmes nailed what’s great about the platform, “Hardcore LinkedIn users know that there’s a certain warm professionalism that underlies many exchanges on the platform. In short, LinkedIn offers a kind of stability, civility and real value that’s sorely needed on some social platforms.” I completely concur. The platform has a ready made culture and set of expectations that a business blogger would dream of creating on their own site. Why build it when it already exists?

LinkedIn is a social network. Your influence grows in proportion to the size of your network. The more posts you publish, the more connection requests and followers you’ll attract. Writing consistently not only expands your network, it also reinforces the message about the depth and breadth of your knowledge of the subjects that you write about. — Glenn Leibowitz, “10 Tips for Writing LinkedIn Blog Posts That Expand Your Influence” for Inc.

Publishing doesn’t make you a LinkedIn Influencer, unfortunately. That’s a hand-selected group of people that rotates throughout the year “to include only the most engaged, prolific, and thoughtful contributors and to ensure that their expertise matches our members’ interests,” according to LinkedIn.

An article isn’t a post and vice versa. A post is a smaller update you’d share with your feed and connections. Think quick anecdote or pro tip. They’re limited to 1,300 characters, which is about 5 lines. Articles are longer and more in-depth. They’re something that the broader LinkedIn audience would be interested in reading. A person who reads your article can also follow you from there, so they’ll be alerted when you publish your next article. Any articles you publish will appear in the Articles section of your LinkedIn profile.

Pro Tips for Blogging on LinkedIn

• Be clear about who you are and what you’ll be talking about it. Stick to that topic and don’t stray. And post regularly. Even posting once or twice a month — consistently over time — will add up. Twice a month is 48 times a year. In five years, you’ll have nearly 250 posts. That’s huge.
• You can share a draft with a colleague or friend for feedback.
• Use the stats related to your posts as a tool: create more of what’s working, less of what’s not.

Want to improve? Check out LinkedIn’s own course on getting better at blogging on the platform, Writing to be Heard on LinkedIn. Because when they own the platform, what’s good for them is successful content that people want to read and engage with!

Pros and Cons of Blogging on LinkedIn

If you’re blogging about business, or something related, like management, then I’d say to build your blog on LinkedIn. There’s a pre-existing community of people there talking about those topics and ready to read your posts too. You’ll be able to build business followers, which is different than a “connection.”

The audience on LinkedIn is premium: 45% of LinkedIn article readers are in upper-level positions: managers, VPs, Directors, and C-level. If you’re building thought leadership, brand value, or community, rather than trying to make money, I recommend going to where your audience is rather than trying to woo them over to where you are. Build content for them where they already are and they’ll love you for it.

You’ll be able to build your network and your business opportunities, but like all blog platforms, the cons here are that you’re beholden to the algorithm and don’t own the site or the traffic.

Instagram – Best Blog Site for Creatives

Instagram is primarily visual — the feed is all the images or videos, and very little of the captions. You can use the caption field for your text, and users like a long caption. You’ll be capped at 2,200 characters or about 300 words.

Instagram is perfect if what you’re sharing is visual: a lifestyle, art, dance. Or if there’s some way to share it visually like in a how to mini-video.

In fact, in a lot of ways, Instagram has killed the entire genre of lifestyle blogging.

It’s become a lot harder for upstart “bloggers” in the crowded yet lucrative fashion, beauty, wellness, and lifestyle spaces to build a following centered around their own blog. At the same time, social media platforms have given influencers more and more tools—including e-commerce, groups, and direct messaging—to keep them (and their followers) from going elsewhere online.

— Rosie Spinks, “Instagram Has Killed the Art of Lifestyle Blogging” on Quartzy

Instagram is so good now that it’s hard to want to go anywhere else. The downside is definitely that you’re beholden to the algorithm and the feed, and the changes the platform makes. On the flip side, you also don’t have to be the product manager, hire a developer, or build an audience from scratch. You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons yourself!

You can also host vlogs on Instagram Live — simply tap the camera icon (top left of the screen, or by swiping right from the Feed) and tap Live at the bottom. When you’re ready to actually go live, it’s as simple as tapping Go Live. You’ll be able to see the number of viewers you have at the top of the screen and comments will pop in at the bottom. When you’re done, tap End. From here, I recommend tapping Save to save it to your camera roll, and tapping Share to add it to your story. It’ll live there for 24 hours to be replayed by anyone who wasn’t around when it was actually live.

Pro Tips for Instagram Blogs

• Pick a good name that’s catchy and easy to type — your name should make it clear what your whole feed is about.
• Stick to a niche.
• Have a visual point of view.
• Don’t stray. If you’re an artist, don’t post pictures of your salad for lunch. If you’re a food blogger, think twice before you post photos of your doodles.
• Post regularly! And engage.

You can only have one link in your profile, but with something like Linktree, you can add more links. I don’t think it’s a great idea to build a blog somewhere hoping to get your readers or followers to move from there to somewhere else on the regular. It’s feasible to get your Instagram followers to also subscribe to your newsletter, but it’s not really logical to hope they’ll leave Instagram after ever post and go read your blog. They’re scrolling through Instagram, not trying to read your website.

Think about your own behavior here — how much momentum does it take to get you to follow a link that leads away from the platform you’re in? For me, it takes a lot of work. There has to be something I really want to buy, or really, really want to read.

It’s more likely that I’ll follow someone on Instagram for a while and then one day I’ll buy something from that person, or follow them somewhere else. Instagram, and all blogging really, is about creating a relationship with the people who’re reading your posts. Once that relationship is strong enough, then people will be interested in going wherever you’re taking them. Until then, you’ll need to deliver on that relationship within the platform itself.

Pros and Cons of an Instagram “Blog”

If you’re a creative — especially in a visual field, then your blog should really be an Instagram account. You can post images of your work and use the caption field for your written post. If you’re not used to this idea, it might seem kind of zany: That’s not a real blog. But it is. People read Instagram captions of the accounts they follow like they’d read a blog — and your visual work will be well highlighted in your feed and the general feed. The cons are self-explanatory: you’ll have to follow the Instagram format, and are subjected to the feed’s algorithm. It’s not impossible to monetize your Instagram feed, but you’ll be limited to those that you can feature in an image or caption. All of the monetization opportunities will need to be natively integrated.

Facebook – Biggest Blog Audience

I mean, what’s 1.49 billion daily active users to you? It’s a huge number, and one that’s worth noting. How many of those active users will make it to your page or your post, now that’s another question.

Organic reach on Facebook was once not such a wild aspiration, but in 2016 there was a huge decrease in organic reach. SocialFlow found that brands saw a 42% decline in organic reach over Q1 and Q2 2016.

The easiest way to build a blog on Facebook is to create a group or a page for your business or brand. From there, your posts will literally be Facebook posts.

To make it easier to post and handle all your interactions in one spot, I recommend using the Facebook Creator Studio. It’s an all-in-one dashboard for publishing and analyzing your content. If you’re new to Facebook and are really using it as a classic blog platform, you’ll want to create Notes. These are the closest things to blogs: a header image, a title, and text down the middle.

From here you can also go live, post videos, gifs, polls, recommendations — any type of Facebook post you’ve seen you can create from this dashboard. You can even save, schedule, and backdate posts.

Pros and Cons of Blogging on Facebook

Of course, Facebook is the juggernaut in the room. It has the largest audience of any of these platforms. Creating a Facebook page might be all you need to build a blog — post on Facebook like you would on your blog and build your audience right there on your page. The comments and interaction on Facebook are even better than a traditional blog. You can really focus on building true fans on Facebook.

The cons of Facebook have really been blasted through the media lately. There are privacy concerns, there’s the issue of an ever-changing and pretty secretive algorithm, and all of that. You probably already have an opinion of Facebook — let that inform your decision here.

If you build your blog on a single platform that you do not own, well, then you’ve built your blog on a single platform you do not own. That means you’re beholden to another person’s business and their algorithm for your business. What’s good for their business and algorithm may not be what’s good for yours. That’s why I say if you’re here to make money, you should own your site. You’ll have more control.

Recap of the 6 Best Blog Sites and Blog Platforms for 2020

Best Website Builder for Blogging — Wix

If you want to have to your own site and keep things easy, go with Wix. It’s a drag-and-drop editor that’ll get you up and running quickly, and you’ll still be building your blog on your own website, not on someone else’s platform.

Best Blog Software for Flexibility — WordPress

I’d recommend going this route to anyone serious about customizing your site and need complete control

Best Traditional Blogging Platform — Medium

If you’re not creating your own site and your blog is a classic blog — long form posts about a topic that’s meaningful to you — I like Medium. It has a built-in audience that’s interested in reading and an interface that’s seamless.

Best Blog Site for Business — LinkedIn

Blogging about business or hoping to be a thought-leader in a certain industry? You could go with Medium, but a more rabid and useful audience might be waiting for you on LinkedIn. I know, it might not seem like a blogging platform, but LinkedIn users are really engaged and content hungry.

Best Blogging Site for Creatives — Instagram

If you’re doing anything with images, art, creativity, or lifestyle, you’ll probably find your audience on Instagram. There are already so many people there and it’s easy for new followers to discover you through hashtags, comments, and the other people you and they are following.

Largest Audience — Facebook

Lastly, the biggest audience is on Facebook. There are millions of people there, and though organic reach on the platform isn’t what it once was, it’s still a massive platform. It’s also a great spot for building a community page element to your blog.

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