Blogger vs Wordpress, which is better?

[kirbybowl]

Hi, I've been a user of both Blogger and Wordpress.com. I'm wondering what people's opinions are on these two free services.

Here are some of my observations
1) Wordpress has higher search engine priorities than Blogger on Google and Yahoo. At one point, I experimented by posting on both services. The Wordpress post showed up before the Blogger post (based on a keyword search)

2) Wordpress doesn't allow you to insert your own custom widgets (or scripts), but Google does. Wordpress also doesn't allow you to use scripts, which means you can't add adsense, Amazon widgets, your own Javascript statistics tracker, etc. For this reason, I actually switched to Blogger because I need control of my own Google Analytics and adsense

3) Wordpress is limited in your template modification, while Blogger allows you to modify your HTML directly. You have to pay money in Wordpress.com to update your CSS.

4) Wordpress uses both Categories and Tags/Labels, while Blogger only has Tags/Labels. I believe Categories are better for organizing your post metadata. In Blogger, I am forced to make generic labels so my Label display widget won't span 2 pages. Thus, my labels are not as specific. However, in Wordpress, you can have a category display widget, which is generic. The specific data are put into tags.

5) People search for tags on Wordpress far more frequently than they do on Blogger. In my experimental site, the Wordpress site had over 2000 tag searches on Wordpress.com while the Blogger one had less than 10 Blogger searches.

Anyone else have any observations? Perhaps if there are any new bloggers out there who can't choose between Blogger or Wordpress, they can learn something

[GREEN]

I would suggest buying a domain name, getting some cheap hosting and not having the limits of a "free" blog. With a little charm you should be able to beg for some free server space from someone that has unused space. If you can't find free hosting then a few ads should be able to cover your monthly hosting expenses.

[sizzler_chetan]

I have some thoughts on why wordpress is better than blogger written in my blog

Also had posted in this forum - Wordpress is better than blogger

Hope this helps

[thenetfool]

^ Agreed. I would just go ahead and spend $15 on a domain name and some cheap hosting,
then you can have your cake and eat it too by installing the WordPress software

[QuirkyJessi]

Even with my own domain, I stuck with the Blogger platform because I prefer it.

[lossehelin]

Originally Posted by GREEN

I would suggest buying a domain name, getting some cheap hosting and not having the limits of a "free" blog. With a little charm you should be able to beg for some free server space from someone that has unused space. If you can't find free hosting then a few ads should be able to cover your monthly hosting expenses.

i couldn't agree more

[Initech]

Wordpress is the way to go for me. I have a mix of free hosted and self hosted wordpress blogs, and they both versions get the job done quite well. Nothing is better than having your own domain of course. Like everyone here has said, way more options, choices, and customization.

[KiwiPulse]

Yeah the solution? Wordpress Selft-hosted, freedom guarantee!

[Habitat]

Im Feeling Both But I Need To Self Host My Wp Now!

[TTBT]

Originally Posted by GREEN

I would suggest buying a domain name, getting some cheap hosting and not having the limits of a "free" blog. With a little charm you should be able to beg for some free server space from someone that has unused space. If you can't find free hosting then a few ads should be able to cover your monthly hosting expenses.

Um... you advise against the limits of a "free" blog, but you advocate the use of "free" hosting?

If you're serious about your blog, pay for a domain and pay for web hosting. You get what you pay for. Believe me.