What can Blogger be used for?
Blogger is one of the first free publishing websites. You can use it to create a personal blog or website, amongst other things. It was originally launched in 1999 by a company called Pyra Labs. In 2003, Google bought Blogger and went on to become one of the most popular blogging sites on the web.
However, if you wish to begin your designing journey with Blogger let's explore: Whether it is still useful? How do you use it? And is it free to use?
In this Blogger review, we’re going to take a detailed look at the platform and fill you in on everything you need to know.
| Website type | Benefits | Limitations |
| Online shops | Cheap to get started, visitor remarketing, and no commission fees | Some features are still being developed |
| Businesses | Good built-in AI tools, easy to use | Not many third-party options, some tools are limited |
| Portfolio site | Excellent templates focused on simplicity and beautiful media | Limited features make the portfolio sites rather simple |
| Blogs | Simple set up and beautiful templates | Limited functionalities, no post scheduling |
Blogger pros and cons
As with all online platforms and programs, there are usually some good points and some bad points. If you’re in a rush and just need a quick summary, here are some of the things we love about Blogger, and a few areas that could do with some work.
ProsEasy to use and get started
Completely free
All you need is a Google account
Themes and templates to personalize your blog
ConsCan only really be used for a basic blog (unless you can code)
If you want your own domain name, you’ll need to buy one
Google may not support the platform long-term
Limited to 100 blogs per account
Blogger vs Blogspot - what's the difference?
Blogger is a free blogging platform run by Google, and Blogspot serves as the services’s host and domain name provider. A domain name is just what comes at the end of your URL address. So if you make a blog on Blogger you’ll get a Blogspot URL, such as www.cybernews.blogspot.com
What is Google Blogspot?
BlogSpot is the domain provider for Blogger. The two services are both owned by Google, they’re both free, and they both work together to create a seamless experience.
When you first create a blog in Blogger, you’ll automatically be given a BlogSpot domain name. Google gives you a free domain provider, but you’re free to change that BlogSpot domain name to something else if you’d prefer.
How do you use Blogger?
Blogger is pretty easy to use, Creating a blog takes just a few steps and Blogger’s intuitive interface and dashboard mean that getting the right look for your blog doesn’t take any design skills.
Here’s an overview of how to use Blogger.
Set up your account
You need a Google account to use Blogger. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to create one.Pick a name for your blog.
- Create an address (URL) for your blog. This step may take some tinkering if your chosen URL is not available. If you get stuck, add a number to your text to increase the chance of availability.
- Confirm your display name. This is the title of your blog that will be displayed to readers.
- Click Finish and you’re ready to start blogging!
Manage your blog
Once you’ve set up your blog, you’ll get a whole host of options to help you manage it.
As you can see, once you’ve started blogging, you can use this dashboard to manage posts, check stats, moderate comments and play around with themes and layouts. You can also see if you’ve earned any money from your blog (more on that later).
If you click View Blog, you can see how your blog will look in its unedited state.
Create a blog post
Next up, it’s time to write your first blog. To do this, click New Post on the top left-hand column and Blogger will switch to Create mode.
You get a nice blank slate where you can write whatever you want. You have the usual word processor options along the top, such as bold, italics, bullet points, font type and font colour. You’ll also see options to add in emojis, links, images and video content.
When your blog is looking good and you’re ready to release it on the web, just hit Publish and it will be live on your Blogger site.
Blogger templates and themes
Blogger’s templates and themes give you a selection of ways to arrange and customize your blog. By clicking Layout on the left-hand column, you’ll open up the template you can edit by adding in things like a Wikipedia gadget box, and an About Me section and place it wherever you like. You can do this all really easily with Blogger’s drag-and-drop system.
You can add all sorts of different themes to your blog too. From a simple text-led blog to a dynamic blog filled with images, there’s a great selection of options to help you.
Blogger hosting and security - is Blogger safe?
Blogger is hosted on Google’s servers, so you don’t have to worry about sorting out hosting. You also get an SSL certificate, which means your site and data are secure from online threats.
These features make Blogger a really attractive option for people who are starting out with their first blog.
Other Blogger features
Blogger gives you some more features to enhance your blog, increase traffic to your site, and even make money.
Let’s take a closer look.
Can you make money on Blogger?
You can monetize your Blogger site with Google AdSense.
If you click on Earnings on the left-hand column, you’ll be prompted to create an AdSense account. Google will then start putting ads on your blog in optimized locations, although you’re free to move them around as you see fit.
If you’re happy having ads on your blog, this is a great way to earn some passive income. Of course, to make money from the ads on your site, you’ll need to get as many people reading your blogs as possible.
Can you check stats for your blogs?
Checking the stats on your blog can help you see which posts are popular and which might not do as well. You can then fine-tune your output to give your audience more of what they want.
It’s easy to check basic stats of your pages by hitting the Stats option in the left-hand column. You can also add Google Analytics tracking for even more in-depth analysis. Just head to Settings, then select the Analytics option under Basic. But you will need a Google Analytics account.
Using Blogger as a website
Unless you have a lot of coding experience, Blogger is fairly limited as far as building a website goes. It’s mainly suited for making a blog. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make the most of what you’ve got. You can use Blogger as a portfolio to show off your work, especially if that’s copywriting, creative writing, photography or design.
You’ll find a host of templates and themes to choose from, and you can use them to show off your work in any way you like.
And if you want to sell products, you can do that with a bit of help from PayPal.
All you need to do is write product descriptions, add images so that people can see your items and then add a PayPal button so they can purchase them.
It’s easy to integrate PayPal to your blog, you will need a PayPal account. Find the Create New Button in the My Selling Tools in your PayPal account, then just copy over the code and paste it into your Blogger page.
Blogger pricing - how much does Blogger cost?
One of the best things about Blogger is that it’s completely free to use. There’s no sign up fee, and no subscription costs. You can publish up to 100 blogs per account.
You even get an SSL certificate, hosting and a BlogSpot domain name with your site for free. Blogger offers you everything you need to launch, maintain and even monetize a blog and it’s all for free. Thanks, Google.
Additional costs
Blogger is free to use and all its features, plug-ins, gadgets, themes and functions are free.
As we mentioned earlier, you get a free BlogSpot domain name. However, if you want to add your own domain name, you will have to purchase that separately and link it to your account.
All of Blogger’s themes and gadget add ons are free. But you might find a small selection of third party options that charge a fee. However, they’re all completely optional, so Blogger doesn’t have to cost you anything.
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