If you use blogger.com, previously known as Blogspot, to write content and share it with others, then read this article till the end to know why to avoid it.
I have personally used blogger.com for more than two years, from 2017-2019. Back then, I thought it was the only blogging platform people used to create their blogs.
The first blog I published was a tech blog named “lawzikk.blogspot.com” It sounded weird back then. Nothing about content creation, blogging, and SEO.
But I was wrong. As I researched blogging platforms, I learned that no one was using blogger.com, especially the professional ones, and if some people did at that time, they also moved their blogs to self-hosted platforms.
By comparing the features of another platform with blogger.com, here are some important and valid reasons you should know.
1. Limited features.
On free blogger.com, you, as a user, get limited features. There is no blog customization option if you want to do it. You can use free third-party templates or buy them. Then only you will be able to customize some of the options.
Other than that, the dashboard you get is traditional, and you can edit things if you know HTML and CSS well. This platform is suitable for personal or for beginner use.
2. Ranking Issues.
In free blogging platforms, your content is hosted on a subdomain such as “carblog.blogspot.com,” as thousands of other blog has been made using the same primary domain.
The ranking factor is deficient, and the chances of appearing your content in the search results are low compared to self-hosted blogs.
Even if your content ranks in the top position, another blog can easily outrank it.
3. SEO Problems.
Seo is quite complicated if you have created your blog for free. It’s easy to perform SEO on a self-hosted site because of the formatting and editing option of the content in blogger.
You will only get limited options to edit your content. Also, the biggest issue that the blogger platfrom has is that it does not support the plugin features that most bloggers use on WordPress.
Backlinking is the central issue in this because no one would link to a website that has and blogspot.com domain in it.
This is because, as it is a free resource, no website will link to it as it degrades the credibility of the other site.
4. Can’t use third-party applications.
If you are a technical guy using blogger.com, your blog may not succeed because it does not support third-party applications such as plugins that make blogging convenient while creating content.
As per my analysis, most bloggers that use WordPress use at least 5-8 plugins to make their blog convenient.
Plugins like SEO analyzer, Share buttons, and Cache managers are used to making blogs faster, SEO friendly, and secure.
If you take an example, many people use WordPress for blogging, and there are thousands of plugins that help to build content in the fastest way possible.
So there’s no chance this free utility will stand against the paid ones.
5. You can’t establish E.A.T.
Gaining E.A.T from a Blogspot blog is like living on mars today. This is hard for bloggers, and it may take years to build effectiveness, authotivness, and trustworthiness.
People won’t trust your blog if it is made using a free resource, no matter how much your content provides quality information. People have exploited these free platforms in multiple ways by putting low-quality content.
6. Limited monetization.
As Google owns blogger.com, the monetization opportunities are limited. You can only use Google Adsense to pay them a high commission of about 30-35% of your revenue from blogging.
Even if you do affiliate marketing thru your content, it is really to get to top rankings and appear on search results to get organic traffic.
Today most bloggers are using Adthrive, Mediavine, and Ezoic to monetize their websites, as these platforms give high returns and low commissions, which can’t be used in free blogging platfrom.
7. Only individuals can use it.
Blogspot is not meant for businesses. This platform is ideal for students, housewives, and people who have a habit of writing on the internet.
So if you want to see this platform generate a high income, that will be your dream. However, this is not impossible, but to make a good income from this platform, you need to get traffic millions.
And that can not be achieved by competing with self-hosted blogs.
8. No future updates.
I have used WordPress for all my blogs, and I get plugin updates and WordPress frequently, whereas, on blogger.com, you won’t see any updates or changes.
When I used blogger in 2019, and after seeing it today, the platform had not changed much. You will see the same interface with no new changes.
On other platforms, you get frequent updates with support.
9. Small community.
The community of bloggers in Blogspot is decreasing, and they are shifting their blogs to various other platforms.
Due to the small community, the groups are also limited, and support from the community is less. You have to be dependent on google to fix your problems.
10. Bound to follow guidelines.
Blogger.com has various rules(policies) to follow to keep your blog live on the internet. If you don’t follow them, you might lose your blog and AdSense account if you have monetized your content with them.
On the other hand, self-hosted websites can be fully controlled by you. If anything happens with your monetization, you can use or go to any other platfrom.
11. No one uses .blogspots now.
Do one experiment now just type any query and see how many times you see a blogspot.com blog appear. I bet you will not see a single website on the first page.
12. E-commerce is a dream.
You cannot create an e-commerce platform using the blogger. Today, every blogger has their info and digital and physical products to sell on their blog.
13. You can’t control your content.
As blogger.com is a subsidiary of google and you created a blog, it means that google owns your content. One silly mistake and your content or blog will be removed from the internet.
It is risky if you have been blogging for a long time and haven’t transferred your content to a self-hosted site.
14. Inconsistency is usual.
When we get free products, we become lazy and use them casually. This also goes with blogger.com, as all the things are free. We don’t have to renew for a hosting or domain name, usually done in self-hosted blogs and sites.
Due to this, using a Blogspot platform, the frequency of content becomes inconsistent, and most writers don’t put content online.
15. No competition.
This is funny, but there’s no competition when you use a Blogspot platform. This is why all professional bloggers have their self-hosted blogs, and competing with them using a free blog is not worth it.
16. People are movie to decentralized platforms.
As web 3.0 is gaining popularity, even self-hosted sites will become outdated, and people will use blockchain technology to do blogging. This is new for some people, but some have started making their blogs decentralized.
Final words.
Today if you ask me, there’s no use in creating a free blog on blogger. If you want to do it professionally, that’s a big no from me. However, if you want to learn online writing and how content is published on the internet, this free resource can be used well.
