The Battle of Blogger vs. WordPress
August 3rd, 2010 | 
Author: By Liz, Editor, a belle, a bean & a chicago dog, (@bellebeandog)
I’m a convert.
Back in May, I made the switch from free and easy Blogger to “scary” and learning-curve-required WordPress.
I got a lot of questions back then about why I did it, and what was WordPress like. I had never written a post back then about it, and we here at Our Mommyhood have started our quest to serve the blogger in all of us, so I’m going to present you with some pros, cons and considerations about blogging platforms, and let you be the judge.
I’m going to start by saying there is no clear winner in this battle. There are definitely people and their blogs who are better suited for Blogger, while others are better suited for WordPress. I just know that I made the switch and have never looked back.
Something else to point out: There are 2 types of WordPress – the free WordPress.com and the self-hosted (i.e. you pay for yearly hosting) WordPress.org. The free WordPress has some real limitations, and I think I would actually prefer Blogger over the free WordPress, if those were my 2 choices.
Why do so many people start with Blogger?
-it’s free and easy to use.
-it’s simple to customize with templates, backgrounds and widgets.
Why do people get aggravated with Blogger and decide to switch?
-even if you purchase your own domain while on Blogger, Google still has ultimate control over your blog.
-zero tech support.
-Blogger’s many, many, many quirks.
So what’s so great about WordPress?
-your site and everything on it is owned and controlled by YOU!
-a whole lot less quirks.
-way more customizable.
-much more integrated in terms of features, widgets and plugins.
-greatly improved SEO over Blogger.
How hard was it to learn your way around WordPress?
-it really wasn’t bad at all! People worked up learning WordPress so much that after 2 days, I thought, “What’s so hard about this?!?!”
What ultimately sold me on WordPress was having control over my blog. Every time Blogger locked up, broke or flaked, it made me nervous. I got to the point where I was exporting and backing up my blog once a week in the event that if my blog disappeared, all my hard work wasn’t lost.
What blogging platform do you use? Have you ever considered a switch?
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Great post! I am currently on blogger, but I am, also, considering “crossing over.” When you made the switch, did you have any issues with transferring your followers over?
-Jessica
There is a plugin now that you can use to keep your feed. I did not use that myself – I didn’t know it existed until too late. But it is finally possible to not lose your Google Friend Connect feed.
Just changed from Blogger to self-hosted WP >>> I love it!
I had similar problems with Blogger and finally had enough.
Only negative thing I’ve noticed is that Blogger blogs commenting sections don’t always have Name/URL option so the link next to the avatar is for google/blogger account (which I still have but not updating).
Also a mystery for me is where to find WP bloggers? Is there a forum/list somewhere?
Do you have any idea?
(I checked WP support forum, no luck)
I’ve been using WordPress from the start because Blogger do not have a nice commenting section for readers (that is my opinion) and because WordPress seems to be the “in” thing
You aren’t the only one who feels that way. Although the commenting didn’t bother me, I know a lot of people who were on Blogger who were always searching for a better commenting system.
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You many have motivated me to try again.
Thank you so much for writing this. I have been wondering, and I know a lot of other people have, too!
These are just the highlights! A more detailed explanation could be given, so if anyone has more specific questions, feel free to email me at bellebeandog@gmail.com !
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Thanks so much for this post! Confirms my decision to make the switch from Blogger to WP … I plan on doing it once the kiddos get back to school in a couple of weeks. I think you can do SO MUCH more with WP and everyone I’ve talked to who has made the switch has NO regrets.
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I switched back in January and while I don’t own my blog yet, I am happier on WordPress than Blogger.
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Thanks Liz!! I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, but haven’t taken any further than that. I might have commit some time to more research. Hmmmm….
Well Liz I’m getting much closer to making the switch! As we have talked before, this has been on my mind for some time. I think in the next 2-3 months I’m going hop on over to WordPress!
Liz,
I have been contemplating the move for awhile now. I think you have completely sold me on taking the plunge.
Thanks for the great information!
Oh WordPress. Life was so cold and lonely before you came along.
I do so love you.
I am in the process of switching over. Just waiting for my “guy” to tell me when it’s ready. I hope I’m as happy with WP as others seem to be!
I made the move to WordPress just a few weeks ago, and as I get going, I’m loving it! The plugins capabilities alone are worth it…I’m having too much fun playing around with them!
I’ve heard established Blogger.com bloggers lose all kinds of followers and crap when they move to WP. that scares me.
Brandy – there is now a plug-in to keep the feed! So that isn’t an issue anymore!
I’ve never used either because my blog is just the main feature of my whole website, which I created for free at Weebly. It’s missing a few features that I’ve seen on other blogs, but they’re always programming new stuff and have fantastic tech support.
I’ve definitely considered the switch but right now I just don’t feel I’ve got the time for it.
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Thanks for this post, I’ve been definitely thinking about making the switch. I had no idea when I started that Word Press even existed. I just jumped right in but now I can see all the limitations of Blogger and when I see Word Press sites,like yours,they seem so professional and easy to navigate. Question for you: how long had you been blogging before you made the switch and did your design and/or title change as well? What about your subscribers/followers?
My husband bought me a self hosted wordpress site for Christmas and books and I still am dragging my feet. My goal is to get it moved by my one year blogoversary (or shortly thereafter). I just find myself without time to devote to moving everything over. Do you have any tips for a seamless move?
Great post! I’ve been wondering this myself. I’m on Blogger because I’m not tech-savvy enough (nor do I have enough time) to use WP to it’s full potential, but I’m kicking the idea around a bit…
I’ve actually never had problems with Blogger (crossing fingers now!). My biggest concern is losing all my hard work…I mean, that would suck. But, for now, I’m happy with Blogger.
I’ll give wordpress 2 thumbs up for being a user friendly platform and highly customizable one. Plus its SEO friendly too. I don’t like blogger from the start of my blogging career. Its very difficult to change the themes unlike wordpress. You can spice it up via searching for themes that suits your needs and just upload it then bang!
You have your very own wordpress created by YOU!
-John
Great post! I am currently on Blogger and (knock on wood) have not yet experienced any issues. However, the experiences of many others makes me nervous! Thanks for all of the food for thought. Considering that my blog is still new, I think if I did make a switch, now would be a good time!
-Jessica
I love my wordpress, it gives me so much more freedom, and there are so many people willing to offer support if you need it. Plus the blog is yours and you may do what you wish with your writings.
Hi there,
We made the switch from Blogger to WordPress.org and also never looked back. It is a little more complicated but worth the challenge, I think. Also, it just looks more professional. I just read your post in BlogHer about blogging do’s and don’t's, by the way–coincidently, the only reason we ended up on WP is because a well-established blogger suggested it. He gave me the unsolicited advice and suggested I pay it forward…hope to be doing so here by echoing your suggestions!
gck
Thanks for the info! Right now I’m considering Blogger vs. WordPress.com (I’m not particularly interested in hosting my own blog etc.) … can you say a bit more about why, if you could only choose between Blogger and WordPress.com, you’d go with Blogger?