Update: I moved – this is no longer a blogger blog: and heres why I moved from Blogger
Some of you may be wondering why I am using the free blogger hosting to run this blog. After all I pay for hosting which effectively allows me to run unlimited domains so why would I not just run another blog there: after all all I need to pay for the domain nae – which can be had for $1 if I don’t mind a info tld.
I started on blogger but moved away from it when I discovered the power of
WordPress. Now for some purposes I think blogger has a place in my empire. Horses for courses and here are some of the pros/cons that I can see.
Advantages of Blogger (Blogspot) Blogs
- they get indexed quickly in Google: not surprisingly because Google owns blogger! This blog got indexed inside about 48 hours.
- out of the box bloggers are well optimized for SEO purposes. You can do the same for WordPress blogs of course: but that’s the point you have to do it – and many people don’t;
- it’s idiot proof: its very,very easy to set up a blog. if you can write a HubPage you can set up a blogger blog, even my Internet challenged brother could do it!
- you can easily add Adsense and other Affiliate advertising: in contrast free hosted WordPress.org blogs don’t allow you to monetize;
- for those looking for a keyword focussed domain name it might be easier to get cheaplaptops.blogspot.com compared to cheaplaptops.com (don’t bother they are both gone and no they are not my sites!)
- blogger blogs are hosted somewhere different from the rest of your empire – if something happens to your web hosting at least your blogger blog will still work;
- you get traffic from blogger itself: people seem to surf blogger looking for something to read – though I doubt that its very well targeted traffic.
- its free and I doubt that that will change
Disadvantages of Blogger (Blogspot) Blogs
- its not an open interface so you don’t have the huge range of plugins and themes available for self-hosted WordPress. if you want a super-slick, beautifully designed blog then stick ith self-hosted WordPress. If you just want something functional that works blogger will do fine;
- all domains include .blogspot.com as in http://100sites-lissie.blogspot.com: if you get good rankings and backlinks for that url and them decide to move later to your own site e.g. http://100sites-lissie.co.nz then you will lose all that age, backlinks and SEO advantages and have to start again. If you expect to move to your own domain later then do so, sooner;
- you are basically renting, or squatting as the rent is free, on someone else’s site: they have no obligation to keep on providing the service and one day your whole blog may just go away, I tend to think if that happens we may have more serious things to worry about than a blogger blog!
For those interested in the use of blogger blogs with Adense to make money from Niches check out Grizz’s: Make Money Online Blog: Check out the “Make Money Online Lesson’s” series towards the bottom right of the main page: don’t be put off by the length of his posts: its deliberate and he explains why.
6 replies on “Why a Blogger blog?”
Hi, Lissie.
I am following up from your Qassia posting, which by the way is short and sweet and gets a big five-oh from yours truly, the Intrepid Netrepreneur at Chaos Chasm. And I’m glad I clicked on through to your blogger blog. The points that you make about the good times and the bad with this Google contruct both echo and . . . and, what — well, echo is good enough.
Anyway, I like what I see here. I for one do cruise blogger to read and comment where appropriate (or at least what seems app in my mind at the time of posting). I am also starting to put together a WordPress blog, but that remains second fiddle to Chaos Chasm II these days still.
And I guess this is as close as it gets to real time in my responding to your Qassia article and leaving a “Hello!” on your blog. For that privelege and honor, I remain grateful. Lissie, take care and stay well. And good luck on your cyber journey to kazillionairehood. See you at the pinnacle, or maybe across the valley from one another on our respective pinnacles. I’ll wave from the distance.
Hey cool: I didn’t really expect to get traffic from Qassia: so you are welcome Iago! The blogger traffic is a pleasant surprise which I hadn’t expected! So you are a double win welcome!
For the rest of you wondering what Qassia : check out the next post!
Hi Lissie
I have a couple of Blogger blogs. I have bought the domain name of one for $10 a year. I think it’s the best of both worlds.
That’s a good point Uninvited! I think that’s a relatively new feature that you can host a blogger blog elsewhere and obviously loose the “blogspot.com” in the domain name
Good points.
i like the part on the blogger shutting down. if google shut down blogger then their definatly somthing wrong.
eg.
Google’s gone bankrupt
but thats very unlikely.
google wont shut down blogger unless they really need to, look at how many blogs are hosted on it.
Google makes ALOT of money on adsense through some blogger blogs.
nice blog BTW!
One point you should note, is that it is possible to do all that on a self-hosted blog however its a little harder. Personaly i prefer self-hosted as it gives you many more options.
Cheers,
Christopher
Thanks for visiting Christopher. The debate is not so much self-host v. blogger though because it is possible to self-host a blogger blog! So just like wordpress there is the “squatting” option and the self-hosted version!