My first blog (damsnaija) was launched on Blogger (Blogspot) which was a Huge failure.
I switched over to medium blogging and got shut down by their platform.
My experience between these two platforms has put me in the best position to write this article.
So, In today’s post (medium vs. blogger), I am going to share my personal preferences on which platforms are best for blogging.
First off, let’s start with the Blogspot blog (blogger).
What Is A Blogger (BlogSpot) Blog?
Blogger is an all-in-one officiated platform suitable for bloggers to start their blogs with zero-dollar budgets.
It was founded by Google in 1999 and is Google’s very own platform for blogging.
All you need to start blogging is just sign up with your email and you have a blog set up and running.
Are you worried about spending a dime on domain and hosting? no problem, Blogspot is a free blog hosting service that includes a free subdomain for you.
The Good part is that you can even monetize your website with an ads network like Google Adsense on a Blogspot.com domain.
An example is the Sofanmax blogger blog monetizing their content with ads.
On the other hand.
What Is Medium Blogging?
Medium is a free writing platform that allows you to blog for free even without spending a dime on domain name and hosting.
It has a clean and minimalist design, which makes reading and writing articles a pleasant experience.
It’s free to get started making it suitable for bloggers who are ready to get their hands dirty without worrying about domain and hosting subscriptions.
Unlike Blogger (Blogspot) you can not monetize your blog pages with an ads network on Medium.
But that doesn’t mean you cannot make money writing from it, the medium partner program is where Medium pays their creators based on reads.
Blogger vs medium: What is the difference?
What sets Blogger and Medium apart?
As previously noted, both Blogger and Medium serve as entry points for bloggers looking to establish themselves online.
Both platforms are free to use and require no upfront investment. but the success of your blog often depends on the platform you choose.
Speaking from experience with both platforms, I can confirm that each has its advantages and disadvantages and I will cover them in a bit.
In Terms Of Traffic:
Every blogger aims to drive traffic to their blog, and one of the most effective ways to achieve consistent traffic is through search engine optimization (SEO).
Because SEO is passive, consistent, and free.
If SEO is not your primary source of traffic as a blogger, you’re likely leaving a significant amount of potential revenue on the table.
For instance, my blog ranks for this keyword.
And brings in consistent traffic every month.
That is how consistent SEO traffic can be.
The Good part is both platforms are SEO-friendly.
This blogger blog ranks on Google for its keywords.
Same as well for medium posts.
But SEO is not just all about writing articles on your blog, there are principles and techniques to it.
Fortunately, as a blogger, you have the flexibility to experiment with different SEO strategies and scale your best practices for optimal results.
The medium blog does the same but better due to its easy-to-navigate interface.
However, SEO traffic takes time even with the best practices.
So with a blogger blog, your hopes lie in terms of your SEO best practices for traffic.
But Medium on the other hand has a built-in audience that can help amplify your blog posts and attract more readers because they have 85 and 100 million monthly active users on their platforms.
So if you are not yet seeing results from SEO with medium, they already have an inbuilt audience for you.
I generated over 3.3k views from medium.
Medium vs. Blogger In Terms Of Quick Traffic: Medium wins
In Terms Of Authority:
Ranking your blog on Google for keywords with high search demands equals more traffic.
But these high-demand keywords are usually high and competitive to rank for.
To be able to rank for these keywords, your blog needs to have high authority metrics before Google considers your blog as the best article for that keyword.
Backlink is the most important factor of all these metrics.
In reality, backlinks are every blogger’s nightmare because it takes time and effort, in most cases money to build them.
With Blogspot, you are definitely in for this nightmare.
Medium on the other hand already has authority in the eyes of Google and Google considers them trustworthy, so ranking as the top competitive keywords is a huge advantage for medium writers.
Medium Vs Blogger In Terms Of Authority: Medium wins
In Terms Of Customization:
Blogging isn’t just about writing, your success depends on multiple factors.
But one thing that puts your blog in the eyes of many readers is the looks and feels of your site.
Design matters a lot when it comes to the beauty of your blog as they make your blog stand out from other blogs.
And blogger (Blogspot) does a good job on this.
Here is my failed blogger blog design.
You have access to over 200+ different blog templates and unlimited customization that suits your design needs.
But medium on the other hand does a poor job of this.
All articles from the medium blog you ever come across will always be in this minimalist design.
For anything More than that, you have to host your blog on Blogger or blog on wordpress.
Medium vs. Blogger In Of Customization: Blogspot (blogger) wins
In Terms Of Monetization:
In terms of monetization features, both have their pros and cons.
Bloggers offer more flexibility in terms of monetization. You can monetize with an ads network on your blogger (Blogspot) blog.
and affiliate marketing, other sponsorship programs that a traditional wordpress blog could offer.
After all the platform your blog is hosted on doesn’t matter but traffic and if you have full control over them.
The medium also allows for making money from affiliate marketing.
For example, you rank for an affiliate keyword and make money whenever people make purchases through your affiliate links on your post.
But you are only limited to these monetization streams, and you can not monetize your site with ads.
A better alternative to ads on Medium is the Medium partner program.
Medium vs. Blogger In Of Monetization: Equal Wins
Pros of Blogger
- Allow flexible means in terms of monetization
- It’s free to use (no worries about domain and hosting)
- Google Adsense approves blogspot.com domains and it’s a great way to start making quick bucks
- You can connect your site to a search console and analytics to track your traffic and key metrics on search results
Cons of Blogger
- Your blog can be shut down at any moment if Google identifies any malicious activities from your blog
- Technical in terms of customization
- You have to build your authority in the eyes of Google
Pros of Medium
- It’s free to use
- Monetization comes from affiliate marketing and medium partner program
- Highly authoritative in terms of SEO value
Cons of Medium
- You need a custom domain to be able to connect your medium account with Google Analytics and search console to be able to track data and traffic analysis
- Google recognizes medium over the writer
- Limited blog designs and customizations
- Your blog can easily be shut down by Medium if you go against their terms and conditions
Which Should I Go For (Blogger Or Medium)?
Both Blogger and Medium are blogging platforms that offer different advantages and disadvantages over one another.
So to be able to choose between one over the other, you need to define your specific needs and goals in blogging.
With that, you may want to consider the following factors when deciding which platform to use:
Audience:
Medium already has a built-in audience compared to Blogspot, with about 80 to 100 million users.
In other words, your content has a better chance of being discovered by readers on Medium without having to depend on SEO.
If you already have an established audience or plan to promote your blog through other channels, such as social media, this may not be as important.
But blogging, on the other hand, has no inbuilt audience, you solely have to rely on SEO and it takes time.
Customization:
As I mentioned earlier, Blogger allows for more customization options to create a unique look and feel for your blog with over 200+ free templates.
Medium, on the other hand, has a more streamlined design and limited customization options.
If you are blogging in a very competitive niche, then Design should be your priority because you obviously would want to make your blog stand out from the others. and designs are part of them.
Monetization:
Blogger allows for more monetization options, such as displaying ads or selling products directly through your blog.
Medium also offers monetization options, but they are more limited and require participation in the Partner Program.
Ownership:
With Blogger, you own your content and have full control over your blog.
Medium, however, retains the rights to your content, although they do allow you to cross-post on other platforms.
Ultimately, the choice between Blogger and Medium depends on your specific goals and preferences.
If you want more customization options and full ownership of your content, that is where Blogger comes into play.
If you want to reach a larger audience and have access to a built-in community of readers, the Medium platform should be your choice of option.
Can I use Medium as a blog?
Yes, you can use the medium as a blog and make money from it through affiliate marketing and a medium partner program. medium is a great place to start your blogging journey because of its SEO value and can easily rank for keywords on Google without having to worry about building backlinks
Is it worth blogging on Medium?
Yes, it is worth blogging on medium because they are highly authoritative in the eyes of Google making them easy to rank for top competitive keywords without building links. this works best if SEO is your primary source of traffic and also medium has 80 to 100 million users already on their platform, so even if you are not seeing traffic from SEO, medium already has an inbuilt audience for you.
What is better than Blogger?
Blogging on a wordpress blog is far better than blogging on a Blogspot or blogger blog and medium. because the main why wordpress is superior to others is that you have full control over the blog.
Unlike medium and blogger that requires zero cost, wordpress blog costs you a fraction for domain and hosting.
Learn More: How I Was Able To Start A WordPress Blog With Less Than $35
