Most people assume that people who write do so because of two reasons – either they are passionate about their writing and enjoy the creative and artistic side of it or they do this for money. I’m not sure about other writing endeavors but, as far as blogging is concerned, it is best to have a little bit of both. Even if you are a blogger that does reviews of products for a specific niche, you still need to have a passion for these products and write with enthusiasm, otherwise your posts will be stale and downright boring.

First time bloggers are kind of like newborns. They have been on the reader’s side of things but have never experienced some very basic things that happen to bloggers like hate mail, trolls, spam and so on. Often times, they tend to get in their own way by making some unwise decisions. The most common mistake of beginner bloggers starts not with their first post, but with their first website.

So, what are your options? There are more than a few, but it is up to you to make a decision. I’m  going to name three top choices and talk about them a little in order to give you some general advice when it comes to finding the right look for your website.

Blogger.com

This website offers you a lot of things. It is free and very easy to set up, the only requirement is that you have a Gmail account. It gives you its own subdomain and some customizability options but not too many. It is OK for beginners but, in the long run, it can create problems for you when it comes to transferring to your own domain and on top of that, it gives you earning possibilities. Since it is supported by Google, optimization is easy but it lacks the option of going free without losing you name and readers in the process, which can be viewed as a problem.

WordPress

WordPress is currently the most popular blogging platform, but it can be a bit tricky for beginners. You can go for one of two options:

Wordpress.org – The free option, for which you need you own a domain name and server hosting. It offers you complete control over the customization including the code (if you have the skills). The variety of themes and plug-ins that you can get using WordPress is unsurpassed and the number grows each day with no signs of letting up. It can be a bit complicated to set up for beginners, but it is nothing that you can’t learn - but it is an investment.

Wordpress.com – The “freemium” version of WordPress with limited options and a free subdomain. The same goes here as for Blogger.com – not bad for beginners but ultimately too many complications when you get serious.

IM Creator

IM creator is a user friendly, drag and drop based website building platform, which in my humble opinion is perfect for beginner bloggers. Within a 60 second tutorial, you can learn how to create your own website which looks more than decent for blogging purposes. You can choose to go for a subdomain or get your own domain (I would suggest the latter). They offer a long list of different templates which you can customize to suit your needs.

Getting the right look

This largely depends on your personal preference but you should choose something that fits your subject matter visually. The mistake most bloggers make is creating a visual design that overshadows the content they are trying to promote. It is true that looks are important, but you need to realize that your content is the reason people visit your blog and that the website is merely a frame for your posts. This is especially important if you are attempting to build up a name for yourself as a professional and write about product quality, business advice and that sort of serious subjects. In these cases, you should make sure that your blog has an elegant design that doesn’t distract the readers from the content.