Blogger vs Wordpress - Benefits of Blogging on Blogspot Platform

This article compares Blogger vs Wordpress. It covers the main features of the Blogspot blogging platform at blogger.com and gives a short summary of the advantages and disadvantages of Blogger over Wordpress as a blogging platform.

Blogger vs Wordpress- Which is the Better Blogging Platform?

Creating your Blogspot blog at Blogger.com is a good choice for beginner bloggers because it is a free blogging platform with an easy interface and good features. More advanced bloggers may find the lack of some advanced features annoying but Blogger is definitely worth considering as a blogging platform to try out blogging at no cost.

At Blogger.com you don't need a custom domain so there is no cost involved in purchasing a domain name if you don't want to.  However, should you wish to dispense with the subdomain name Blogger assigns by default, Blogger.com offers the facility to add a custom domain name to your Blogger blog for free.

Blogspot (blogger.com) is a powerful blogging platform
but still suited to beginner bloggers

Main Blogger / Blogspot Features

• Blogger is a completely free blogging platform


• Blogger is fast to set up. It only takes about 10 minutes to create a blog, configure the settings and add some gadgets.


• Regardless of your level of  technical expertise Blogger is an easy and intuitive interface to use. Widgets that add functionality to a blog are inserted easily using drag and drop and buttons and links make navigation easy.


• Bandwidth is unlimited with Blogger so there are no bandwidth issues with video and pictures


• It is easy to integrate Google Adsense ad units into your blog once you meet the criteria for an Adsense account.  

• Advertising banners and scripts can easily be incorporated into a Blogspot blog.


• Google Analytics can be added to track blog performance


• It is possible to use your own custom domain rather than the default. For instance yoursite.com instead of yoursite.blogspot.com


• Blogger supports blogging from mobile locations


• Blogger comes with ready made templates. Default Blogger templates can be tweaked with the addition of HMTL and CSS to achieve a unique look.  It is also possible to add a custom template for a more professional look. There are thousands of Blogger templates (both free and paid) to use with different types of blogs depending on purpose eg portfolio, magazine, video etc.
  
  The advantage of uploading a custom premium Blogger theme is that most of the hard work is done for you. You may also consider buying a Blogger theme that offers support for any problems that arise.  Most premium Blogger themes are around $20 at websites like Theme Forest.

Benefits of Blogger over Wordpress

Comparison of the Blogger Platform over Wordpress

There are two different versions of the Wordpress blogging platform.

Wordpress.com  offers a straight forward no nonsense hosted blogging platform which is a rival to Google's Blogger platform. 

Wordpress.org offers a more flexible self-hosted option that requires paid hosting and a custom domain name out of the box.

Interface

The Wordpress.com interface is clunkier than that of Blogger.com.  There is a learning curve to using either of these blogging platforms.  If you don't want a full blog or the headache consider Tumblr a mini blog or even Twitter a micro blog.

Advertising

Wordpress adds its own advertising to your blog and derives revenue from those ads.  Blogger on the other hand puts no advertising on your blog.  With Blogger any revenue a blog derives from advertising is entirely the users.

Storage Space

While Blogger.com allows fairly good storage for photos with Picasa, Wordpress.com caps site storage at 3 GBs.  Running out of storage space is likely to be a problem with Wordpress.com as your blog grows and needs more and more space.

Cost

Blogger is entirely free as is Wordpress.com.  However Wordpress.com only offers limited features.  To access a full range of premium features with Wordpress.com there is a cost depending on what level of account you choose.

Bandwidth

Another issue with Wordpress.com is that once your blog grows and the number of visitors increases you may be required to swap over from the free option to a paid option.

Wordpress.com offers both free and paid options

Blogger vs Wordpress.org

Don't confuse Wordpress.com with Wordpress.org which is an entirely different option.  The strength of Wordpress.org lies in the flexibility and options for plugins to the basic Wordpress program. In order to access Wordpress.org you will need paid hosting for your blog and a custom domain name.

Learning Curve

With added functionality and features comes a steep learning curve to start blogging with the Wordpress.org blogging platform.  If you are not technically minded this can be a headache and detract from the fun of creating a blog.

Functionality

Wordpress.org definitely has the advantage when it comes to features.  There are many templates and plugins available and in the process of development. There are some great professional looking Wordpress themes that will really make your blog stand out.  If you intend to integrate a shopping cart down the track it will be easier to start with Wordpress which has modules and plugins for ecommerce.

Cost

Wordpress needs to be hosted somewhere like Blue Hosting or Hostgator.  To start blogging with Wordpress you will also need a custom domain name available from domain name sites like GoDaddy.  As your traffic increases expect to need to upgrade to a more comprehensive hosting plan with greater bandwidth which will increase annual running costs.

One of the advantages of Blogger is that as a Google product it is a very stable blogging platform.  In selecting Wordpress your website is subject to the vagaries of the host.  Lots of server down time and slow speeds will negatively impact on your blog traffic.  As someone who has personally had problems with too much server down time I would recommend that if you go with Wordpress.org you choose your web hosting carefully. The cheaper the hosting the more likely this will be a problem.

Problems

Whatever blogging platform you choose expect to have some technical problems.  Wordpress is more bug ridden and problematic than Blogger however this is purely my point of view. Wordpress is a very popular blogging platform with many loyal followers and it rightly deserves its praise having cornered a third of the blogging market.

Wordpress.org is constantly being updated to improve the interface and eliminate security risks and bugs. Blogspot, on the otherhand, is only being updated periodically these days. However, there are lots of third party hacks and scripts for both blogging platforms so it is usually possible to find a work around for most problems.

How to Decide Whether to Blog with Blogger or Wordpress

How to Decide Between Blogger vs Wordpress.org

I am not an advocate of Wordpress.com because of the advertising and the limited features.  Deciding between Blogger and Wordpress.org takes more thought however.  With both platforms there is the facility to build a viable blog that will attract visitors from around the world.

For the less technically minded Blogger is the better choice as much of the hard work is taken out of the process of adding information and gadgets to a blog.  Blogger is entirely free making it a good option to have a bit of a dabble in the blogging arena at no cost.

As a self-hosted option Wordpress.org costs from the outset so it is more of a commitment whereas Blogger is a platform you can grow into. If you want to future proof your blog in case you want to add ecommerce and other advanced features then Wordpress.org wins over Blogger.com.

At the end of the day Blogger is a powerful blogging platform that can be modified to suit individual taste and needs. I prefer it because I find it faster to use than Wordpress and I encounter fewer problems. The lack of SEO is one of Blogger's main drawbacks but with a bit of tweaking this can be overcome too.

If you are starting out as a beginner blogger I recommend that before you lay out your hard earned money you at least have a play with Google Blogger before you even consider Wordpress.org. When Blogger vs Wordpress are compared side-by-side Blogger as a free blogging platform has a lot going for it.

Related Articles

7 Tips for Choosing a Great Blog Topic
How to Set Up a Blogspot Blog on Blogger.com
How to Get a Free Blog at Blogger.com
Why Blogger.com is a Better Blogging Platform than Wordpress for Beginner Bloggers in 2022

How to Put a Twitter Follow Me Button Icon on a Blogger Blog

Would you like your Blogger blog visitors to be able to follow you on Twitter? Or perhaps just provide the option to Tweet something about a post you have written. It's easy when you put a dedicated Twitter follow button on your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog). Let me show you how.

Latest Update: Updated on 26 February 2022

Just follow the instructions below to add a Twitter follow me button to Blogger to encourage your readers to follow your Twitter tweets. This is an easy way to attract new traffic to your blog and it only takes a few minutes.

This Blogger tutorial is easy and doesn't involve changing your Blogger template.

How to Put a Twitter Icon on Blogger (Blogspot)

There are lots of Twitter icons to choose from. Below are several to get you started. Remember you can change this Twitter icon or button for another if you find a better one simply by changing the URL address of the image.

1. Log in to Blogger
2. At the Dashboard go to Layout 
3. Click Add a Gadget in the sidebar or where ever you want to place your Twitter icon
4. Choose the HTML/Javascript gadget
5. Copy and paste the following HTML code for the icon into the content box
   
   
   <a href="https://twitter.com/Your-Twitter-Username"><img width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKc2rGote0bsR7VtHMulwHQpU8j_uN7DAPLAd14imYUigB7liNS71vKsbIzcaHPPs4cZkcyclOAkvZ39_456ZdNW0gE9BRm3DspfzCrrrSb7YZPN0bexZcpSG1Xi-JTWHuNuu-85Dc_l1T/s320/twitter-34c.png" height="124" title="Follow Me on Twitter"/></a><br/>
   
   
   
   <a href="https://twitter.com/Your-Twitter-Username"><img width="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJp9fr_mYowcPC2G4bqOscUVrK4RP1vZFZjNJbSoH1wSh6cBhp1uQZ9o5DqHmGLgK1rHqDEyMSNYJtGs8-senOFPp34DDavnpl3ujD6s-IT6CJQDOM941DjIbThyphenhyphenKoTd2zOd0sg3VoLeW/s320/twitter8gif.gif" height="81" title="Follow Me on Twitter"/></a><br/>
   
   
   
   <a href="https://twitter.com/Your-Twitter-Username"><img width="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZPXqyqkhq8XmTBBhfrBULTJxvvsLWCOue17LfvcrTlM14XY1gxDOK8-sF_E-ZgL9vcxw65BIONtfVNH7qjs95iXIlgpFVGQRQSSn1rppZaKhSwmU9HpORs4ZPF53kUIwHdAsc9_rOjnF/s320/nt11.png" height="68" title="Follow Me on Twitter"/></a><br/>
6. Change Your-Twitter-Username for your own Twitter username
7. Click Save
8. View your blog to see the Twitter icon in your Blogger sidebar

Twitter Follow Me Buttons

There are heaps of free Twitter Follow Me buttons to download from the internet. My advice is if you find an icon or button you like be sure to check the licensing arrangements before using it on your Blogger blog. Many icons are only free for personal use rather than commercial use and therefore not suitable if your intention is to monetize your blog. In your search look for the phrases like public domain, no attribution required and Creative Commons (CC0) to ensure you have permission to use the icon or button commerically.

You may be tempted to just download a button in a search of Google images but be aware that you will need a PNG file with a transparent background for your button not just a jpeg or jpg. Also your button will need to be hosted somewhere. You can upload it to Blogger or Google Drive for instance and then just use the same code above in your Blogger gadget and simply change the URL of the image.

If you are not looking for anything too fancy you could just use the buttons provided by Twitter. You can get the code from Twitter for a simple follow button with the option to display a count of your Twitter followers.

Twitter Share Buttons

Another option if you want sharing buttons rather than follow buttons beyond what Twitter offers is to use free services like AddThis and ShareThis. These sites provide code that you can quickly add to Blogger to create a bank of buttons including Twitter similar to what you see on this site.

Tweet For sharing content and embedding tweets you can also go to Twitter to put the button displayed here on your post somewhere so readers can go directly to Twitter and immediately tweet something about your post if they are signed in.

Summary

Today you have learned how to add a dedicated Twitter follow button to your Blogger blog. If you follow the instructions above you will have your Twitter button or badge up and running in no time. You also learned how to add a tweet button from Twitter. If you want other button designs for the follow button you can still use the method above but you will need to have the image hosted on the internet somewhere or else upload it to Blogger yourself and then just change the url of the image.

Related Links

How to Change the Color of the Blogger Navbar on a Blogspot Blog
How to Remove or Hide the Blogger Navbar on a Blogspot Blog
How to Add a Copyright Notice to a Blogger Blog
How to Turn Off the Labels Counter on a Blogger Blogspot Blog
Easy Ways to Put Banners on Blogger
Making Money From Banners with Blogger
How to Get More Adsense Clicks with Blogger
Blogger Guide to Google Adsense Placement

How to Position Adsense Units on Blogger to Earn Extra Money

Want to know more about how to make money with Google Adsense and your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog)? A lot of bloggers make money blogging solely from Google Adsense clicks. Placement of your Adsense ad units on your blog is critical if you are to earn money. In this article I will give you some tips about some of the basics of placing Google Adsense ad units on Blogger from my own experience so that you will earn extra money from your Adsense banners.

Tips for Adding Google Adsense to a Blogspot Blogger Blog

• Use the Google Adsense Heat Map Placement Guide

  First take a look at the Google Adsense Heat Map that shows you the hot and cold positions of Google Adsense ad placement. Notice that a lot of the primary positions where you would put Google Adsense are around the main content. If you use this Google Adsense Heat Map as a guide to your Adsense placement you will start to earn extra money from your ad units.
  
  



• Decide on How Many Adsense Ads?

  Just because Google Adsense rules allow more than three ad units per page doesn't necessarily mean it is a good idea to put more than three on a page. If your blog is fairly new and your traffic low at this stage more than two maybe overkill.
  
  One strategy is to position your ad units by placing one above the first post or around the title and another at the foot of the post. This placement strategy has worked successfully for me in the past.



(Update 2020: Google Adsense now allow a lot more ad units since I wrote this.  If you don't want to think too much about ad placement consider using Google Adsense Auto Ads. If you are intent on customizing your Google Adsense ads the Google Adsense heatmap still pretty much applies as a guide to ad placement.)





• Best and Worst Performing Google Adsense Ad Units

  • I have found that my best performing Google Adsense ad units is 336x280. This sized unit has been very successful in the position above the post and under the post title. Both of these areas are Adsense hotspots as depicted in orange. If this size is not an option you could try a 728x90 leaderboard which is a high performance unit too.
  • I don't particularly like a 468x60 Adsense ad unit in the header. I haven't found this a particularly high performing unit either. Instead I now reserve this slot for my favorite affiliate banner rather than an Adsense ad unit
  • All my Adsense vertical skyscraper ad units such as 160x600 in the sidebar of my blogs have been a waste of time and I have now gotten rid of them. Notice how this is borne out by the white low performing area of the Blogger sidebar
  • I have had mixed success with the linked units such as 728x15 in the Blogger header. They do work on some blogs where there is no navigation menu so I have decided to keep them on in the meantime.

Summary

In this post I have given you the benefit of my experience with respect to strategically placing Google Adsense ad units on a Blogger blog to earn extra money. I strongly suggest following the Google Adsense Heat Map which is an authoritative guide to ad unit placement. If you want to earn extra money try out a 336x280 unit and dispense with any sidebar skyscrapers and 468x60 header banners unless you are sure they are actually good earners. Any questions or if you would like to let me know how you get on please don't hesitate to comment.

Related Links

Making Money From Affiliate Ad Banners Links with Blogger
How to Get More Adsense Clicks with Blogger
Easy Ways to Put Banner Ads on Blogger
7 Tips for Choosing a Great Blog Topic
How to Put a Copyright Notice on a Blogger Blog
How to Add a Print Friendly Button to Blogger
Change the Date of a Blogger Post to a Future or Past Date
Add a Follow Me Twitter Icon Button to Blogger




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Easy Way to Put Banner Ads on a Blogger Blog

Beginner bloggers who want to make money from their blog often ask me how to put affiliate banners on a Blogger blog (Blogspot blog). In this Blogspot tutorial I outline the steps to help you put banners on Blogger the easy way in three different positions: the sidebar, the footer and above blog posts. Follow these instructions and you will have your affiliate banners up and running in no time and start earning money from your blog.

Sign Up for Some Affiliate Marketing Programs

In order to make money online and place affiliate banners on Blogger you first need to sign up as an affiliate with at least one referral program. What affiliate market program you choose will be dictated by your blog topic and your niche within the topic.

If the world of affiliate marketing is all completely new to you I suggest you start with becoming an affiliate to services you might already belong to like Amazon and Ebay.

Another good place to dip your toe in the water of affiliate marketing is Clickbank which boasts a huge range of advertisers. If you make a search you are bound to find a product on there that would integrate well into your blog.

Steps to Put Affiliate Banners on Blogger the Easy Way

Once you have signed up with an affiliate program which fits with your blog topic and niche and will pay you referral fees you can start earning money by placing an affiliate banner on your Blogger blog.

Placment of an Affiliate Banner

Before you start the process of putting a banner on Blogger you will need to decide where you want to place your banner on your blog for best effect.

Here are 3 very easy options:

1. Place Banner in Blogger Sidebar

Adding an affiliate banner to the Blogger sidebar is an easy placement option and likely to afford the best benefit. Follow these steps to put a banner in the side bar on your Blogspot blog:

1. Login to Blogger


2. From the Dashboard choose Layout from the left-side menu


3. In Layout scroll until you find the sidebar





4. Click on Add a Gadget in the Blogger sidebar


5. Choose the HTML/Javascript gadget from the list


6. Choose a name for your banner if you wish and type it into the title box (optional)


7. Paste the affiliate banner code provided by the affiliate service into the content box of the pop up window


8. Click on the Save button


9. Move your banner around in sidebar using drag and drop until it is positioned where you want it


10. Check that your banner is displaying and in the correct position by clicking on the Preview (eye icon) in the lower right corner


11. Click the Save icon (next to the eye lower right corner) to confirm the new layout of the sidebar.

If you want to center the banner enclose it in a center HTML tag like this:
<center>YOUR AFFILIATE CODE</center>

2. Place Banner in Blogger Footer

Adding an affiliate banner to the Blogger footer can be effective especially if you have other gadgets like random posts and recent posts there. For third-party and some default Blogger themes there may be three columns in the footer so you will need to check the bottom of your template and decide in which column to put your banner.

Follow these steps for easy placement of a banner in the footer of your blog:

1. Login to Blogger


2. From the Dashboard choose Layout from the left-side menu


3. Click on Add a Gadget in the column of a footer where you want to put your banner if your Blogger theme has more than one footer


4. Choose the HTML/Javascript gadget from the drop down list of options


5. When the pop up window appears paste the affiliate banner code as supplied by the affiliate marketing service into the content box


6. Choose a name to give your banner a title. A title is optional


7. Click on the Save button


8. Place the banner in the optimal position in the footer by using Blogger's drag and drop feature


9. When satisfied check that your banner is displaying correctly by clicking on the Preview (eye icon) in the lower right corner


10. Click the Save icon (next to the eye lower right corner) to confirm the changes to the Blogger footer.

If you want to center the banner enclose it in a center HTML tag like this:
<center>YOUR AFFILIATE CODE</center>

3. Place an Affiliate Banner Above the Blogger Posts

Another excellent place for a banner is to position it so that it appears in the very central position above the blog posts. To add a banner to the main section or page body area of Blogger involves putting the code in an HTML/Javascript gadget and placing it above the blog posts gadget.

Follow these steps to add your banner code above the posts on the home page and every other post page:

1. Login to your blog on Blogspot


2. From the menu on the left-hand side of the Dashboard select Layout


3. Scroll down until you find the Section labelled either Main Section or Page Body Section. Look for the blog Posts gadget to confirm you are in the right section


4. Click on Add a Gadget (if you find there is no Add a Gadget link you will need to open up the section. Take a look at my step-by-step post about how to add a gadget above blog posts including detailed instructions about how to unlock the Main Section / Page Body Section of Blogger to add more widgets.


5. Assuming you can the Add a Gadget link in the main blog post section / page body section click on it.





6. Choose the HTML/Javascript gadget from the menu of gadgets that appears


7. A pop up window will open. Paste your banner code into the content box and add a title if you wish (optional)


8. Select Save to save the changes


9. Make sure the new gadget is the first widget in the section and is above blog posts. If not use the drag and drop feature to position the gadget in first position.


10. Click on the Preview button (eye icon) found in the bottom right corner. Check that the banner is displaying how you would like it displayed.


11. Click the Save button to apply your changes

If you want to center the banner enclose it in a center HTML tag like this:
<center>YOUR AFFILIATE CODE</center>

Today I have shown you the easy way to add affiliate marketing banners to your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog) in three different positions: in the sidebar, in the footer and above the blog posts. Affiliate marketing banners can generate extra money but do need to be placed strategically. Remember affiliate programs are free to join so it costs you nothing to experiment with positioning your banner to find the best spot.





Related Articles
Make Money from Affiliate Program Banners and Links with Blogger
How to Add a Gadget or Widget to Blogger Above Blog Posts




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How to Get More Adsense Clicks on a Blogger Blogspot Blog

Today I am going to talk about how to get more Google Adsense clicks on your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog). These are simple and straightforward Blogger tips and Google Adsense tips that will increase your Adsense CTR and thereby help you make extra money from your blog. I will show you how you can make money from Google Adsense just by streamlining your Adsense ads and increasing your Adsense clicks.

If you are just starting out with your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog) you may be under the impression that all you need do is stick a bunch of Google Adsense ads on your blog and you will instantly make money from Google Adsense clicks. Unfortunately there is much more to making money from Adsense. First of all you need traffic and secondly for best results you will need to optimize your Google Adsense ad units on your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog). By optimizing your blog's ads you will increase the Adsense click through rate or Adsense CTR as it is called. And more Adsense clicks means you will earn extra money from Blogger.

Tips to Increase Your Google Adsense CTR on a Blogger Blogspot Blog

Rather than using the Blogger Google Adsense default widgets or Google Auto Ads to place Google Adsense on your blog I would recommend that you create you own Google Adsense ad unit at Google Adsense. That way you can track the success of each individual Google Adsense ad unit you place on your blog by using channels. This will help you pinpoint the Adsense ads that earn money and those that don't.

1. Use the wider Google Adsense ads such as 336x280, 300x250 or 250x250 as these are known to be the best performing ads and will consistency earn money

2. For the highest possible CTR select Google Adsense ad units that display both image and text in the one ad unit.

3. Adjust the Google Adsense ad units fonts to blend with your blog so that the ad unit is integrated rather than looking like an ad. Google Adsense allows the choice of 3 different fonts - Arial, Times Roman and Verdana, or you can go with the standard Adsense font family setting. If you are not sure what font family your blog is using you can check this in the top section of your Blogger template.

4. Match the colors of your Google Adsense ad unit to blend with the pages of your blog. The effect of matching your blogs color scheme will be that the ad units are integrated into your blog and this may encourage readers to click on the links contained in the ads.

If you are concerned about ad blindness you can choose contrasting colors to make your ad stand out. Readers are used to ads and may not even see them at all so presenting ad units in complimentary colors may help your click through rate. Some experimentation on your part will be needed to get the right look and the money earning results for your blog.

5. Rotate your Google Adsense ads regularly as this will reduce the effect of ad blindness or banner blindness as it is sometimes called and help you make cash

6. Know what your blog's keywords are and use them in your content. For instance make money, earn money, making money, making money online are examples of important keywords and phrases for this article. Check out keywords relevant to your Blogger blog by using one of many free keyword generators like Ahrefs or Ubersuggest. Also check out Google Trends for keywords that are currently trending.

7. Ensure your Blogger posts are keyword rich so that Adsense has a good basis of Google keywords to draw from. Use this free tool to check your keyword density ratio.

8. The more visible your ad unit the better. By placing your Google Adsense ad unit above the fold, that is the part of your blog that the visitor sees without having to scroll down, the more likely your ad unit will be to make an impact.

9. Placing a Google ads at the bottom of your Blogger posts is a good money making idea I have found. After reading your post your visitor will be wondering where to next so displaying a Google Adsense ad in this location will encourage Adsense clicks by them.

10. A Google Adsense linked ad unit such as a 728x15 can be an effective way to make money from Google Adsense when placed near a navigation menu especially when your ad unit is very closely related to your content.


Summary
In this Adsense tutorial I have explored 10 ways to increase the Adsense CTR (click through rate) of Google Adsense ads that you place on your Blogger blog. If you follow these Adsense tips you are likely to increase the number of Adsense clicks and in turn earn higher Adsense revenue from your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog). If you have time please let me know about your increases in Adsense revenue and Adsense clicks with these simple Adsense tips.


Related Links
Making Money From Banners with Blogger
Easy Way to Add Affiliate Banners to a Blogger Blog
Blogger Guide to Google Adsense Placement

How to Set up Blogger and Configure All Settings for a New Blogspot Blog in 2022

Before you launch into publishing the first post of your new Blogspot blog at Blogger.com it pays to properly set up and configure your free blog. There are a number of key settings that need correct set up to improve functionality and to avoid problems down the track. This Blogger tutorial shows you how to set up a new blog step-by-step and covers all the main settings you will need to consider to customize the set up of your blog.

For bloggers hoping to attract visitors and perhaps make money from advertising and affiliate links it is a good idea to ensure that you have configured your blog correctly particularly the way blog posts are displayed and comments are handled.

If you have not yet got a blog at Blogger.com please see my Blogger tutorial about how to start a Blogspot Blog: Get a Free Blogspot Blog at Blogger.com. If you are still considering your blog topic and niche you will find plenty of tips on how to choose a good topic for your blog.

How to Configure Basic Settings in Blogger

Prior to writing your first post configure Blogger by clicking on Settings in the menu on the left-hand side of the Dashboard.

Set or Change the Blog Language of Your Blogger Blog

In English speaking countries the language of your blog will automatically be set to US English. For bloggers from other English speaking countries outside the US you may prefer to change the language settings to UK English.

If you would like to change the language you can do so under the Settings > Blog Language option. From there it is just a question of checking the radio button according to the language you want to choose and then clicking save.

Add a Blog Description

Enter a short tagline, phrase or short sentence as your Blog Description in the page header of your blog. As you are limited to 500 characters your blog description needs to be concise. Make sure it describes the purpose of your site and gives some indication of what kind of content a visitor might expect. The blog description will appear on your blog just under the blog name in the header section. It can be changed at a later date if needed.

For tips on adding a blog description to a Blogspot Blog check out my earlier Blogger tutorial.

Make Your Blog Visible to Search Engines

If you are wishing to keep your blog completely private of for just friends and family rather than the whole world ensure that the visible to search engines setting slider under Privacy in the Settings menu is set to the off position.

If you want search engines like Google to index your blog for the purposes of attracting visitors the visibility to search engines setting will need to be on otherwise your blog will not get much in the way of traffic. To check the visible to search engines setting ensure the slider is green (the on position) in Settings under the Privacy heading.

You will need some patience initially as it does take search engines like Google time to crawl your site and index your blog posts. To improve your chances of your blog being indexed thorough I suggest you consider adding a sitemap at some point. To learn more take a look at my Blogger tutorial on how to add a simple atom sitemap to the Google Search Console.

Check HTTPS Redirect is Turned On to Secure your Blog.

By default this setting should be turned on but it is worth checking the slider is in the green on position. Older blogs and those using third party templates may find the HTTPS setting is turned off. The advantage of having this setting turned on is that all blog posts and pages are delivered encrypted regardless of whether the blog address is http or https.

Set Permissions for Reader Access of Your Blogger Blog

Under Reader Access in the Permissions Setting set the privacy setting to your preferred setting.

• Custom Readers if you want to keep your blog private with only selected readers.
• Private to Authors: If you want to invite other blog authors and have them read posts then set the permission to private with other blog authors.
• Public: If you want your blog to have the widest readership then set the permission to public which means anyone and everyone can read it.

How to Configure Blog Posts in Blogger

Maximum Number of Blog Posts Setting

Under the Posts heading set the number of posts to show on the main page. By default the number of blog posts is set to 7 but you can have more or less than this number. To change the maximum number of posts click on the number of posts and then using the up and down arrows select the number of posts to display.

I would advise against showing too many posts on the home page as it may lengthen loading times which is a big factor in visitor retention. One way to get around this issue so you can display more posts is by using jump breaks so visitors are only shown a shortened version of the post on the main page and the full post when they click on read more. You may need to experiment with this feature before you find the best balance for your blog.

Archiving

In the past it was possible to set the frequency of the archiving of your blog to other than monthly. This feature is turned off currently.

Configuring Commenting on Your Blogger Blog

Who Can Comment

In the Comments section under Settings you can control who is allowed to comment on your blog.You can set three different options to handle comments:

• Anyone (including anonymous)
• Users with Google Accounts
• Only members of this blog

Unless you have a private blog then in most cases who can comment is likely to be set to anyone. You may find spam commenting becomes an issue so I suggest that you set up moderate comments at the same time so that you can filter genuine comments from the spam ones.

Comment Moderation

In the Comments Moderation section it is possible to control comments before they go live. In the past spam has been quite a problem with Blogger blogs and remains so today depending on the niche topic and the popularity of your blog. I would suggest you apply some comment moderation and your best bet is to set it to always to comletely filter out spam.

There are three different levels of Comment Moderation that can be applied to a Blogger blog:

• Always
• Sometimes
• Never

Email Notification of Comments It may worth setting up email notification of new comments if you set comment moderation to always otherwise you may forget to check the comments section periodically. You can add your email address under the Settings >> Comments >> Email moderation requests to: section.

Reader Comment Captcha
It is possible to control spam from spam bots to some degree with captcha. I suggest you make sure that the green slider is set to on prevent unwelcome messages especially from spambots.

How to Set Up Time Zone Format and Date Header in Blogger

Set Up Time Zone

The Time Zone is set to (GMT-07:00) Pacific Time – Los Angeles by default so you will need to set up the Time Zone depending on your geographical location. To select the Time Zone click on the Time Zone heading and then select the correct Time Zone by clicking on the radio button next to the appropriate Time Zone and then selecting save.

Set Up Date Format

Blogger offers multiple options for displaying the date. To make changes click on the Date Header Format heading and then choosing your desired format by selecting the radio button from the dropdown menu. You will need to save changes for the different date format to take effect. To see the change in effect, preview a blog post or click on View Blog.

Set Up Timestamp Format

There are 11 different Timestamp options provided by Blogger which allow you to customize how the time will appear on a post. You can change the Timestamp to suit your preferences by navigating to Settings >> Timestamp Format. Select the option from the the options that appear in the popup window and click save to apply the changes.

Set Up Comment Timestamp Format

You can also customize the appearance of the timestamp on comments. Set up is the same as for setting up the timestamp.

Configure Other Settings in Blogger

Declare Adult Content

Make sure that adult content is set to no unless your blog does have adult content of course.

Google Analytics ID

If you have a Google Analytics ID already enter it in the space provided to track blog performance.  If you have just started your blog make a point of coming later once you have your Google Analytics ID and entering it here.

Congfigure Site Feed

Post Feed
There are 5 options for the Post Feed: full, until jump break, short, custom and none.

For a new blog not using a feed service your feed in most cases should be set to short or to jump break. If you are not sure you can leave it at full for now and come back to it later.

Often a full feed is used where blogs posts are being desseminated by a RSS service eg Feedburner. These days social media platforms do much of that job so there is a debate about whether RSS feeds are still worth it especially as there is a higher risk of content theft and readers are not visiting your blog to read your content. Conversely blog feeds are needed for some functionality to work eg the recent posts gadget works off the feed.

Post Feed Footer
In the Post Feed Footer enter a copyright notice about your material which will appear in the bottom of your feed after every post. This will act as a deterrent to content lifting and blog scraping.

Configure Your Blogger User Profile

If you want your readers to know a bit about you consider configuring your user profile with information about yourself. Do you want your readers to be able to email you for example? You can enter as much or as little information as you like.

To make changes to your user profile scroll right to the bottom of Settings and click on the user profile link. Check the options if you want to share your profile and email address. You can also select what name gets displayed on your blog posts on your user profile page. You can add a photo, your geographical location and any other information you might wish to.

Congratulations! With these settings in place it's time to go ahead and make your first post.

While any of the settings discussed in this Blogger tutorial are able to be altered at any time it is a good idea to put them in place prior to writing a first post so that you don't forget to set something important once the business of writing blog posts takes over. This Blogger tutorial provides instructions on how to configure and set some of the basic settings and features for Blogspot blogs at Blogger.com.

Related Articles

How to Get a Free Blog on Google Blogger
How to Choose a Great Blog Topic for a Blogger Blog - 7 Tips for Beginner Bloggers

How to Start a Blog for Free on Google Blogger at Blogger.com

It's easy to start a free blog at Blogger.com and the cost is zero. That's right at Google Blogger it's absolutely free to create and use a blog for as long as you decide you want it. This Blogger tutorial for beginner bloggers will help you create a Blogspot blog using the Blogger Platform which is a powerful blogging platform owned by Google since 2003.

Why Choose Google Blogger over Other Blogging Platforms

If you have been wanting to start a blog but not sure where to start I would suggest Google Blogger as a good option. Lots of bloggers will recommend Wordpress to you which is the gold standard in blogging platforms but is an option that you pay for (the free version has limited functionality). If you haven't tried blogging before and you're not sure if you will even like it then I encourage you to start with Blogger as a no cost way to trial blogging.

If you find that you really like blogging then you can convert your Blogger blog into Wordpress if you choose to further down the track but there is absolutely no reason why you cannot build a successful blog with Google Blogger. Don't spend you valuable hours wading through random articles comparing blogging platforms and website builders when you can get started on your Blogger blog while reading this blog post.

Check out: Blogger vs Wordpress comparison.

Walkthrough of the Steps to Create a Blogger Blog

Blogspot Blogger Guide walks you through the process of creating a blog:

• Getting a Google account
• Using a new versus an existing Google account
• Tips for naming a blog
• Steps for signing up to Blogger.com for a new blog
• How to sign in to your new blog on Google Blogger
• How to select a Blogger theme from the default themes

Sign up to Blogger.com and start enjoying the world of blogging confident in the knowledge that this Blogger Tutorial will help you with the initial learning curve and provide ongoing support in the form of Blogger tutorials on how to make the most of the amazing, free blogging platform at Blogger.com. Start a blog today and begin laying the foundations for a profitable and successful blog.
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Follow this Guide to Get a Blogger.com Blog

Main Features of Blogspot Blogging Platform at Blogger.com

• Completely Free - Zero Cost
• Simple user-friendly interface
• Easy to post photos, text and videos
• Choice of using a blogspot subdomain or your own domain name
• No restrictions on bandwidth
• Unlimited video storage using YouTube
• Photo storage virtually unlimited
• Support for Mobile blogging
• Facility to add third-party templates and widgets

Getting a Blogspot Blog at Blogger.com is a 3 step process:

1. Create a free Google Account if you don't already have one at Blogger.com or use an existing Google Account
2. Name Your Blog
3. Choose a Template

Tips Before Creating a Google Account for Your Free Blogger Blog at Blogger.com

Anyone can sign up for a free account at Blogger.com. You can use an existing Google account eg (gmail account) or you can create a new account.

Setting up a New Account versus Using an Existing Account

Personal Blog
If you are using Google Blogger for a personal blog that you want your family and friends to read then it makes sense to probably use your existing gmail account. This will allow you direct access to photos you have saved on Google Photos and Google Drive. It will also make it easy to use other Google Services like Google Docs and Google Maps and import files into your blog.

Business Blog
If on the other hand you are setting up a business blog then it is probably better to set up a new account as it will enable you to separate your business from your personal. It will mean you will need to log out of your personal account to switch to your business account but on the plus side it will help you to keep all social media accounts and so on that you might set up in the future to promote your blog content separate from your personal social media and email account.

Once you have created an account at Blogger.com you will be free to create as many blogs as you wish up to 100 blogs on the same account.

Tips for Naming Your Blog on Blogger

If you are setting up a business it is best to choose a name that clearly explains the general topic of your blog. If you are starting a personal blog then you have a lot of flexibility about the blog name. The only limitation is whether it is available on Blogger and social media platforms.

Check Name is Available on Social Media
There are millions of Blogspot blogs on the Blogger platform so you may need to get creative to find a blog name that works in your particular niche. You can use a free blog name generator to help you get ideas. One thing I have found helpful before setting up a new blog is to check the availability of the name I want to use on other platforms as well. Tools like namecheckr.com can be useful to check whether your chosen name is available on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Instagram and other major social media services.

Check Domain Name is Available if Creating a Business Blog
Also important if you are creating a business blog is to check whether the domain name for your proposed blog name is available. If you are intending to use a custom domain name rather than the Blogspot subdomain (Blogger gives by default) then you will need to make sure it is available. To check whether the domain name can be used simply do a search in your browser using a search term like domain name search. There are lots of sites that offer free domain name search in the hope of selling you a domain name in the process.

• Naming your blog requires some thought as this is the URL address visitors will use to access your site.
• Long names are difficult to remember and are therefore best avoided.
• Choose a name that is short, memorable and is associated with your blog topic or blog niche.
• Try to choose a name (title) that has at least one of your keywords in it. For instance I chose Blogspot Blogger Guide because it described the purpose of my site and also covered two critical keywords: Blogspot and Blogger.

Create a Blogger Blog with a Google Account or Create One

If you already have a Google Account Sign In and Navigate to Blogger

You can use your existing Google gmail account to create a blog in Blogger provided you are signed in. Simply navigate to Blogger.com. As mentioned previously you will be able to directly access lots of other Google services from within Blogger that you may already be using like Google Photos, Google Drive, Gmail, YouTube and so on.

If you don't already have a Google Account Create One at Blogger.com

If you don't have a Google Account or you want another one for Blogger you will need to create an account. Simply direct your browser to Blogger.com and click on Create Your Blog from the main page and then click Create Account in the window that opens up. Follow the prompts to add a name for a new gmail account and a password. When set up you will be returned to the main Blogger screen and prompted to enter your blog name.

Steps to Create a Free Blog at Blogger.com

Once you have a Google account follow the steps below to start your free Blogger blog and get blogging.

1. Create a New Blog
   Click on the orange Create Your Blog button on the Blogger.com home page.






2. Name Your Blog
   In the next window enter the chosen name of your blog as you want it to display to your readers. This is the name that will appear in the header of your blog. Include spacing and title case for clarity for example Blogspot Blogger Guide. Click Next.





3. Subdomain vs Custom Domain
   In the next popup window enter your desired blog name into the box provided. Assuming you are using the default Blogspot subdomain (yourblogname.blogspot.com) rather than your own domain name (yourblogname.com). Click Next.
   
   Blogger checks the availability of the URL and will inform you that the subdomain is available. Go ahead and click continue to complete sign up but first make sure that you have entered the correct name and without any spelling mistakes.
   
   
   
   If your chosen blog name is not available you will have to come up with an alternative. With so many blogs on the Blogger platform now some of your desired names may be already allocated but if you persevere you will find something that closely matches the title you are after.
   
   Note: If you have to enter multiple names then it is worth clicking the back button to change the blog name that will appear in the your blog's header before completing signup.



4. Confirm Display Name
   On this screen you will be asked to confirm the display name you want to show to your readers. Enter the name you want displayed and then click Finish.


5. Complete Sign Up and Go to Dashboard
   When Blogger.com has confirmed your blog address or URL eg yourblogname.blogspot.com and you have completed the sign up process you will be taken to the area of Blogger known as the Dashboard. You will see a menu on the left-hand side from which you access everything you need to customize your blog to you own specifications.
   
   
   
   
6. Default Blogger Theme
   The next step involves choosing a Blogger Theme. By default your blog will have the Contempo Light Theme. To view your blog and its theme click on View Blog link which appears at the bottom of the left-side menu.
   
   If you want to change this template to another Blogger theme go back to the dashboard by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on the Powered by Blogger link. Or you can get there by clicking on your profile and then the big Blogger icon.


7. How to Choose a Different Blogger Theme
   To choose a different Blogger Theme go to Theme in the left-hand menu. Scroll down and you will see all the default themes Blogger has available. Bear in mind that only the newer Blogger themes are responsive so it is probably better to select one of these such as Contempo (other color options), Soho, Emporio, Notable.


8. View New Blogger Theme
   When you see a theme you like click on it once. You can now see how it will look by clicking on the Preview. If you like the Theme click on the back arrow and then Apply to change themes.











9. Create Your First Post
   To create your first post click on the new Post button on the left-hand menu in the Dashboard. The blog post editor will pop open and you can draft your first blog post. It is advisable to set a few settings on your blog before beginning your posts. These are discussed in my next article: How to Set Up a Blogspot Blog at Blogger.com.
   
   
   
   
   

In this Blogger tutorial for beginners I discussed how to start a Blogspot blog at Blogger.com including tips on creating a Google Account for Blogger, naming your Blogspot blog, walking you through the sign up and sign process and choosing a Blogger theme.

Related Articles

Why Blogger.com is a Better Blogging Platform than Wordpress for Beginners in 2020
7 Tips for Choosing a Great Blog Topic
Blogger vs Wordpress
How to Set Up a Blogger Blog and Configure Settings for a New Blogspot Blog on Blogger.com
Benefits of Blogging with Blogger.com