Blogging 101

04 / 17 / 18

3 min read

You hear it all the time: to improve your organic ranking with Google, you need frequent, fresh content for your website. Blogging is a common best practice for keeping new content on your site while connecting with your residents. But how do you start a great blog?

First, you need to select your blogging platform. There are several options available, varying in price points and features to fit your needs.

WordPress

WordPress has been the leader in the blog industry for years. It’s the most popular choice because it allows for the most flexibility.

There are about 10,000 supported themes for WordPress and each one offers a degree of customization. That means that your blog can compliment your brand and stand apart from the crowd.

With nearly 30,000 available plugins and hundreds of widgets, you can enhance your site in a multitude of ways. User-facing add-ons permit event calendars, image galleries, social media streams, merchandise sales, and all sorts of interactive goodies. There are also more technical plugins that impact the functionality of your site.

While there are a lot of options, WordPress doesn’t need to be overwhelming. WordPress is as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Pick a theme. Write a post. Publish. Done.

You can choose from WordPress.com or the self-hosted, open source WordPress.org. The latter allows greater customization and control while the former is a simple starting point for beginners.

Wix

Wix is the new kid on the block that has tons of personality and a growing fan base. This simple platform makes it easy for newbies to get started.

Choose from a dozen, predetermined templates with a simple drag-and-drop user interface. These fresh themes give your site a clean, modern look that’s popular with top name brands. Though the results are professional, someone with basic computer skills can set up a satisfactory blog in a day.

In exchange for simplicity, users forfeit control. Due to limited theme options and a lack of customization, all Wix websites tend to look the same. You cannot monetize a Wix site to sell merchandise or accept rent payments. The Wix logo and branding will also linger on your site, competing with your own brand.

Blogger

Blogger (known as Blogspot way back in the day) helped to establish blogging as a legitimate means of communication. It fell into disfavor for a few years before being revitalized by Google.

The best thing about Blogger is its price tag: free. The second best thing is that it is backed by Google, which bodes well for reliability and security.

The biggest downside to Blogger is that your brand does not own your content. Google owns everything published using Blogger. While that’s rarely a problem, it’s a huge drawback for professional organizations.

Blogger is as easy to use as Wix, yet it comes with more theme options. There aren’t nearly as many theme options as WordPress, though. Blogger themes aren’t updated as often as most WordPress and Wix themes, meaning that bugs linger and your theme may one day not be compatible with the latest version of Blogger.

What platform are you using for your property’s blog? Share your list of pros and cons below.

AUTHOR

Erica Rascón specializes in online content creation and social media. She joined Yardi in 2011 after receiving her bachelor's degree from Kennesaw State University and serving in the Peace Corps. Erica's interests include sustainability, philanthropy, and the arts.

Blogging 101

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