So recently I was on an expedition to discover how many and what kinds of blogging platforms are out there, which have the best features on their free plans.
So far, I came across Jekyll and GitHub Pages which seemed to be a decent combination for setting up your own blogging site. I used them to craft out several blogs of my own, particularly because they allowed full-on customization with no restrictions at all. The only limitation (which I personally think) would be the licensing issues if you rely on themes made by someone else. Other than that little thorn, don't ignore the promised flowers!
I got to know about jamstack themes, which introduced me to Forestry, Ghost, Contentful and more. Out of them, Ghost appears to be a paid service, which I definitely wouldn't recommend for freebies. Otherwise, if you really wish to pay for a blogsite, go for Wix, Wordpress, or Ghost.
However, I personally would recommend Hashnode (which is also the platform on which this website is running currently). Not only does it have a clean interface; it also supports importing posts from Medium and GitHub Pages posts. The blog editor itself supports markdown , which is yet another benefit for it.
Hashnode
The following key points make Hashnode an ideal starting point for your blog - be it a personal one, a development one, or even a business blog!
1 - Supports custom domains
So let's get this straight. You wish to stand out from the crowd by applying your own domain to the site, to make it look more professional at the very least. Hashnode can do just that! Forget about Google Sites and Blogger. The former does not even have proper "blogging" facilities! They both may allow custom domains to be applied for free (most website builders and blogging platforms usually force you to upgrade to a paid plan before you can utilize your own domain. A frustrating example is Wix.) but they are not worth the shot of time that you will spend on modifying and struggling to make them function.
2 - Free SSL and hosting forever
Another big issue faced by web developers, writers and bloggers is storage space. Platforms like Wix and Wordpress charge you extra if your media files tend to be large and hefty. Sometimes there can also be a certain limit for the maximum number of posts you can publish at a time (e.g. Medium allows only upto 3 posts to be published in a day for writers running on the Free Plan)
But not for Hashnode! Plus, they provide a free SSL certificate for your site (which is a problem that only developers and self-hosting people can understand!).
3 - SEO management
Search engine optimization. This is an important sector of your website or blog; it literally helps and convinces the search engine (e.g. Google, Bing, Duckduckgo, etc.) to rank up your website on the search results page.
And Hashnode provides individual panels for entering custom SEO data, descriptions, meta tags, and whatnot FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL POST!
This ensures that each post is tailored uniquely and lets you apply some SEO skills with ease.
4 - Sawpman recommends it
Lastly, and the least effective factor in deciding which platform to choose, Sawpman Enterprise and I, Dewan Mukto, myself endorse Hashnode as an ideal candidate for setting up your blogging site.
Let your creativity run wild! If you face any problems, come and visit my office . We will have a discussion or debate about why I would prefer Hashnode over everything else.
Jekyll + GH Pages
I had already mentioned beforehand about the Jekyll and GitHub Pages combo. What is it? And who is it best suited for?
Simple.
If you are a developer, especially someone who focuses on the web aspect often, then this "blogging system" can be a perfect fit for you. This option is also for people who wish to have the power of manual customization in their own hands.
There are plenty of themes available, too. So you do not have to start from scratch. On the official Jekyll website, you shall find the relevant links.
GitHub Pages also provides a free SSL if you can configure it correctly.
The whole system can run on the cloud (as a repository on GitHub) or even locally in your device or webserver.