Nearly everyone has something to say. But when what you have to say has some degree of value to it and others might benefit from the shared knowledge then this is when it becomes worthy of a web log. The abbreviated version of that is blog of course, and it’s very much a household term now in the digital world. There are so many of them on the web for people to peruse, and what’s nice about them is that even the most average of people can share their expertise, opinion, or simple observations on the web. You can do the same if you’re inclined, so what we’ll have here is a blogging platform comparison.
The two ones that are most frequently used to create and publish blogs quickly and easily are WordPress and Medium, and overall they’re both excellent resources for doing so. Some people are going to tout one or the other as the best blogging platform, and for either one that insistence could be legit depending on what they’re doing with it and the type of blog they’re writing and publishing on the web. WordPress blogging benefits have been covered extensively in our blog here at 4GoodHosting, but we know we can be giving Medium the same props for many reasons.
If you take some time to look through a Medium publishing guide you’ll see that both platforms are functionally similar, but there are some specific differences between them. That’s to be expected, but when they make it so that one or the other may definitively be a better fit for your blog then it makes much more sense to have a deeper and more evaluative look into which one that is. So let’s get right into what should go into choosing a blogging platform here.
Choosing a Stage
What you’re essentially doing here is picking a stage for your online diary, and it’s not a decision that should be made so lightly. Your blogging platform is where you will be creating and showcasing your content. The right one will make it easy for people to find your stuff, determine how good your blog looks to viewers, and may even determine how well the blog can be monetized if that’s part of what you aim to do. We’ll mention quickly here that in that event the best managed WordPress hosting Canada is likely best if you have a WordPress website.
So whether you’re just starting out with a blog or yours has been publishing content online for a while, choosing a blogging platform is a weighty decision, and more often than not you’re going to be choosing between WordPress and Medium. So we can start this blogging platform comparison by saying you can think of Medium as the easygoing spot where setup is simple and a lot of people will be in place and ready to discover your stories.
Oppositely, WordPress has much more of a DIY (do it yourself) orientation, but the advantage of that is you have complete control over how your blog looks and the way it functions. The two definitely have their own styles, and so we’ll continue to provide a comparative overview of each and which one suits your blogging style and goals best.
Medium has become a popular choice among bloggers on account of its user-friendly interface, and this makes it a solid choice for both beginners and experienced writers. The platform is big on simplicity, providing a clean and straightforward environment for content creation. One of the big selling points for Medium is a streamlined writing experience, where users can focus more on expressing their thoughts without being overwhelmed by intricate design elements or technical complexities.
A huge advantage for Medium is its built-in audience. It is different from when you are starting from scratch on your own blog, because with Medium you have a platform where your content reaches readers more easily. This built-in audience can be a significant advantage, especially for those looking to grow their readership without extensive marketing efforts.
On the flip side of all this there are limited customization options, and this will factor into whether or not you will choose Medium for bloggers. The reason this is the case is because Medium aims to maintain a consistent and clean aesthetic across its platform, and you may also want to consider the fact that if you go with Medium you may not have full ownership and control over your content. Some users also report difficulties in monetizing their work compared to other platforms with better monetization options.
The Standard
WordPress has earned its place as the standard for blogging, and it will likely always be the most popular blogging platform. It’s widely used and versatile, and provides user with unparalleled control and ownership over their content. It is a robust content management system and nearly always best for bloggers who value customization. Users can shape their websites to their liking, thanks to an extensive variety of themes and customization options, allowing for a unique and personalized online presence.
A bid advantage with WordPress in our blogging platform comparison is with its support for plugins. Ones that enable users to add various functionalities to their sites without intricate coding. This flexibility has contributed to WordPress powering a considerable portion of the internet, with its platform being behind everything from personal blogs to complex websites.
Indeed there are many WordPress blogging benefits, but it comes with certain challenges too. Beginners often report a steep learning curve, especially those new to website development and management. You also may need to consider security , as self-hosted WordPress sites need to implement security measures to protect against potential vulnerabilities.
WordPress bloggers often need to stay vigilant in maintaining a secure environment for their content. This doesn’t really factor into any analysis of the best blogging platform though, as many bloggers find the trade-off worthwhile for the level of control and customization that WordPress offers.
Blogging Experience Elevation
So as we can see so far here much of this comes down to Medium’s simplicity or WordPress’s versatility. If you’re leaning towards the freedom of WordPress, then again we highly recommend the best managed WordPress hosting Canada here. We’ll continue our blogging platform comparison by looking at key features between Medium vs WordPress for blogging to make your decision more of an informed one.
Content creation is everything with any blog, and with that understood Medium is excellent for providing a distraction-free, minimalist writing environment. The simplicity of it lets writers concentrate on their content without being overwhelmed by intricate features. The user-friendly interface contributes to a seamless writing experience, and this makes it especially appealing for those who prioritize straightforward content creation.
WordPress SEO advantages are different, and despite the different set of features there usually is something of a steeper learning curve for people. It is fair to say that the classic editor and block editor is in line with a versatile writing experience, and it does allow users to easily customize their content layout. The learning curve might be higher initially, but the flexibility in content creation makes it suitable for those who want more control over formatting and styling.
For formatting options most people will agree that Medium gets the nod, as it simplifies the formatting process and focuses on a clean and consistent presentation. It does lack the extensive formatting options found with WordPress, but the way it streamlines the process for users who prefer a straightforward approach to styling their content makes it more appealing for a lot of bloggers.
With its block-based editor WordPress offers a vast array of formatting options and users can easily incorporate multimedia elements, create intricate layouts, and have greater control over how their content is presented visually. This flexibility makes it the preferred choice for those who require diverse formatting options, and it really pushed WordPress blogging benefits.
Design & Customization
Medium will be better for having a consistent and aesthetically pleasing design across all publications, and that’s the most central part of the appeal of Medium for bloggers. You may need to keep in mind thought that this platform that part of the way it maintain its clean and uniform appearance is by limiting customization options. Users can choose from predefined styling options, but the range is more limited in comparison to WordPress.
WordPress customization excels with its design flexibility and a library of free WordPress themes. Users are able to choose from thousands of options or create a custom design, and this provides the freedom to tailor a website’s look to their brand or personal preferences. The extensive theme repository makes WordPress the go-to choice for those who make a unique and branded appearance a top priority with their blog or site.
Oppositely, Medium does allow for basic branding elements like profile pictures and bios but it doesn’t measure up the same way when it comes to extensive branding options. The emphasis with that blogging platform is more on the content and less on creating a personalized brand identity.
We can say with certainty that WordPress is so much better for branding through a blog, and it really is so much better for contributing to a unique online identity. Users have complete control over their brand representation, from custom logos to personalized domain names. From this angle WordPress customization makes it the better choice for those who want a strong and distinctive brand presence.
Networking & Community
If we move over to networking though we have to give the nod to Medium. Their built-in audience design is much more conductive to content discoverability and thus building network and community for your blog much more quickly. Writers can tap into an existing readership, potentially gaining more exposure for their work without extensive self-promotion efforts.
There’s no alternative but to start building your audience from scratch when you go with WordPress. It requires much more effort in terms of effective marketing strategies and promotion, and what you publish is likely going to need to be more consistently tailored to the specific niche or target audience. Done right that will lead to more engaged readers and more of an established community, but your reach is inherently going to be more limited.
Social media integration needs to be a consideration too with any blogging platform comparison. Medium simplifies the sharing process by automatically formatting content for social media platforms. Its built-in social features also better facilitate interaction within the Medium community.
WordPress does well here too, allowing for seamless social media integration through plugins and built-in features. Users are able to customize how their content appears on various platforms, providing more control over the social media sharing experience. This flexibility usually makes it the best fit for those who are looking for a tailored approach to social media engagement.
Monetization
Medium gives you a unique monetization opportunity with its Partner Program. Writers can earn money if their blogs receive significant engagement, and that amount is linked to the time Premium members are seen reading the content of a blog. It certainly is a good opportunity to make money with a blog, but you should know that the revenue generated is going to vary, depending on factors such as audience engagement and the number of Premium subscribers interacting with the content.
For WordPress it is more limited and is exclusively related to incorporating advertisements. Users can directly sell ad space, use ad networks, or integrate advertising plugins to display ads strategically throughout their sites. This allows for diverse revenue streams through partnerships with advertisers or platforms like Google AdSense. Affiliate marketing is a possibility too and when used correctly it can promote WordPress SEO advantages too.
This is another worthwhile consideration between content publishing platforms, as affiliate marketing is easily implementable on WordPress through various plugins and manual integration. WordPress bloggers can promote products or services through affiliate links, and with each sale or click generated through their referral it may be possible to earn a paid commission. The extensive plugin support in WordPress simplifies the process of managing and tracking affiliate marketing efforts.
The last thing we can look at with monetizing a blog is selling products or services. In this regard WordPress is the better of two when it comes to having a blog as an e-commerce platform. Plugins like WooCommerce let you set up online stores, manage inventory, and process transactions seamlessly. This makes WordPress an ideal choice for individuals or businesses aiming to monetize their blogs by selling physical or digital products.
SEO & Discoverability
Medium incorporates built-in SEO features to enhance the discoverability of content across search engines. Blog articles are optimized for search by giving them automatically-generated meta tags and attractive meta descriptions based on the content. Medium also has a clean and structured HTML markup, which equates to better indexing by search engine algorithms. SEO features on Medium are more streamlined in comparison with a self-hosted WordPress site, but they still contribute to improved discoverability for writers focusing on creating quality content without requiring much in the way of extensive SEO customization.
For WordPress SEO advantages it is all about using Yoast. This is a popular WordPress plugin that gives users the power to optimize their content for search engines. With it you have a user-friendly interface for adding meta titles, descriptions, and keywords to each post, guiding bloggers on best SEO practices.
WordPress with Yoast integrated with the SEO server is ideal for permalinks, promoting better permalink structure that more directly influences the way URLs are generated for each post. When you choose a descriptive and keyword-rich permalink structure that can positively impact SEO, Search engines find it easier to recognize and understand the content and your blog will be seen more favorably.
Imagine optimization is another big plus for WordPress. Optimizing images is very important for SEO and WordPress allows users to add alt text to images, improving accessibility and providing search engines with additional context. SEO has to be a big consideration with any blogging platform comparison if having your blog come up high in SERPs is important for whatever reason.
Choosing between WordPress or Medium is picking the right tool for your online voice. For those who like things simple and want their writing to be easily found by people, Medium might be best. This is also true if you want to have your audience grown for you. Those who want more control over how their online space looks and are looking to maximize SEO for a blog will probably be best served by WordPress. It’s all about what suits your style and what you want to achieve with your blog.
FAQs
Is It Possible to Monetize My Blog on Medium and WordPress?
The are monetization opportunities available to you through both these blogging platforms. Medium has its Partner Program, and with WordPress you have diverse monetization means with ads, affiliate marketing, and selling products or services.
Medium or WordPress – Which is Better for Beginners?
The consensus seems to be that Medium is more beginner-friendly based on its simple interface and built-in audience. However, there are advantages to WordPress for beginners too because it offers more control and customization options. It is a good choice for beginners who are willing to put some time into learning.
What Security Measures Do Medium and WordPress Have in Place?
With Medium you’ll have basic security of the platform taken care of for you, while with WordPress security measure are going to be your own responsibility. WordPress best security practices include keeping the software and plugins updated, using strong passwords, and implementing security plugins.
What Are the Differences Between the Pricing Structures for Medium and WordPress?
There is no cost for using Medium, and it is free to use. There is a subscription service called Medium Premium where you will receive more and it is good choice for those who are very focused on having their blog be more visible and growing readership quickly. WordPress is also free to use, but you may have costs for domain registration, hosting, premium themes, and plugins.
