After considering the 4 main factors when choosing a blog platform, it’s time to choose between a hosted platform and a stand alone platform.

Hosted Blog Platforms

Many bloggers are using this type of platform because it is easy to run and free in most cases. Blogger.com, WordPress.com and MSN Spaces are among the most popular. Aside from offering blog hosting, TypePad also offers standalone option through remote hosting.

Blogs hosted by third-party carry the domain name of the platform provider. A URL for such blog is usually a combination of the provider’s domain name and the name of the blog. A sample URL for a blog hosted by Wordpress.com looks something like “fitoverfourty.wordpress.com” where “fitoverfourty” denotes the blog’s name, followed by the domain name of the host, “wordpress.com”. When the domain name of host is in included in the URL of a blog, it implies that the blogging platform offers a  free-hosting service.

The Good and Bad Sides of Hosted Blog Platforms

Pros:

• Cheap (if not free) - Blogger.com, Wordpress.com and MSN Spaces are free.
• Easy to set up – This type of blogs usually uses default templates or layout patterns. The set up could be as simple as selecting from a list of template designs. If you are ignorant on the technical side of blogging, you will find hosted-blogs user-friendly.
• Simple to run – After setting up the layout of a third-party hosted blog, you can immediately start posting. The learning curve for basic blogging procedure is nothing to worry about as many hosted platforms only require users to fill a text box and hit a button to post a blog entry.
• Updates made automatically – Changes in a blog platform will automatically apply to all of the hosted blogs.
• High search engine ranking - If a third-party blog-hosting platform has a good search ranking, its hosted blogs is likely to rank high in search results as well.  Though your blog won’t be indexed in search engines as soon as you start, there is a good chance that it will be picked up by search engines quickly. In the long run, however, third-party hosted blogs may not rank much higher than independently hosted blogs.

Cons:

• No room for customization - Professional looking blogs are difficult to achieve in hosted-platforms. If you need to customize the layout or structure of your blog, hosted-platforms offer limited solutions. Customization options vary from platform to platform. For instance, WordPress.com won’t allow you to add advertisements to templates.
• Default designs – Hosted blog platforms have default design templates. Bloggers who do not know HTML and CSS have no choice but to choose from these templates.
• Less control – I frequently hear bloggers complaining of their inability to control third-party hosted blogs. The URLs of their blogs have default subdirectory names and the availability of their blogs totally depend on the platform. For instance, there are several times when TypePad went offline.
• Generic URL – The URL of hosted blogs always includes the domain name of the platform, so don’t expect to get the benefits of a unique URL. Though blog hosting platforms have run many successful contents, some bloggers shrug it off due to the lack of professional-appeal of generic URLs.
• Going independent can lower search rank - It is easy to transfer the content of a third-party hosted blog to a stand alone platform. However, such transition can lower the search engine ranking of a blog owing to the change in URL. Some bloggers who had run a high-traffic blog on a third-party platform were dismayed by the poor search engine ranking of their blogs following the transition. Moreover, loyal readers have to be redirected to the new URL.

When to Use a Hosted Platform

Blog on a hosted platform if you don’t care about unique domain name, customized layout and other advanced features available in a stand-alone blog. Though many hosted-platform critics think that serious bloggers shouldn’t use this platform, keep in mind that there are many successful blogs that ran on this system.

Stand Alone Blog Platforms

An independently-hosted blog has a unique domain name. Among the popular stand alone platforms are MovableType, Pmachine, Greymatter, Wordpress.org, B2Evolution, TextPattern and Expression Engine.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Stand Alone Blog Platforms

Pros:

• Customized design – Standalone blogs have very flexible layout. However, you need to have some background in HTML to make the most out of blog layout and design. For HTML dummies, there are default templates to choose from.
• Adaptability – Dynamic features are fully operational in WordPress.org and other standalone platforms. Plugins can be embedded in the source code of WP-hosted blogs. Similarly, other standalone platforms usually have plugin applications developed by dedicated communities of programmers.
• Free service – Many standalone platforms are available for free, though some charge license fees if you have multiple blogs or using them for profit. Domain names and hosting are not provided by standalone platforms, so you need to shoulder their costs.
• Unique URL – With standalone platform, you can choose your own domain name. This gives you the advantage of having an easy-to-remember URL that conveys your desired brand image.

Cons:

• Complex set up – Before you can get your standalone blog running, you first need to search for hosting provider, set up a database, download the platform and upload the files to a web server. Unless you are web savvy, publishing a standalone blog can be challenging. If you have no web publishing background, you may try to read some tutorials in the Internet before turning to a professional developer. You can also make things less complicated by signing up with a web host provider that can install the blog platform for you. Host-assisted setup is becoming increasingly popular, with some platforms even recommending this service.
• Cost – Though many standalone platforms are free, domain name and hosting come with a price. Domain names usually cost a yearly fee (just like hosting) and a registration fee. There are a lot of affordable hosting plans to choose from, but expect to pay more by the time you need to host a high-traffic blog.
• Updates – As standalone blogs come up with new versions overtime, you may find yourself updating to the most recent release. Again, this requires technical skills.
• Hosting problems – Just like a hosted platform, standalone blog platforms may go offline due to technical glitches. Therefore it is important to maintain a backup file and to choose a reliable hosting service provider.

When to Use Standalone Blog Platforms

Standalone blog platform is for those who want to have customizable layout and flexibility with blogging. Use this platform if you want to convey a professional image and run dynamic applications and design. However, a web programming background is required to make a professional-looking standalone blog.

Remote Hosting Options

TypePad and Blogger.com combine hosted and standalone blogs via remote hosting. In this set up, bloggers choose their own domain name and hosting service provider while using Blogger.com or TypePad’s publishing system. Remote hosting suits new bloggers who are not too confident yet with their contents. Since domain names are independent of the platform used, shifting to another type of platform is less problematic.

To sum it up, use standalone blogs if you need professional-looking layouts. Blogs that aim to generate profits from affiliate marketing or online advertising or those that promote business or professional interests are more suitable to standalone platform.

For personal blogs, a hosted platform will suffice. Blogs recounting one’s personal stories or those of their loved ones do not warrant the same amount of time, money or patience as spent in standalone blog. Third-party hosted blogs come with generic names and can be set up as fast as 5 minutes.

• Real Online Money Says:
  April 12th, 2009 at 6:32 am

  I believe in having my flexiblity! So I will always have my own stand alone blog. Except of course if I need some fast blog traffic then I will set up free blogger blogs.

  Very informative post. Great job! Keep up the good work!

• Carol Verret Says:
  April 18th, 2009 at 4:14 am

  I use WordPress for another blog but it was set up by an assitant. I undersatnd that WordPress does not allow advertising. Is this true?

• borzack Says:
  April 18th, 2009 at 4:05 pm

  If you uses the free blog from Wordpress.com, then u can’t. But if you have your own host, and use Wordpress as your blog platform, then u can.