In case you missed out previous post, the resurgence of minimalist blogging platforms is a reaction to the decentralization of content as the primary focus of a website or blog.

By using the platforms mentioned in that post, you will easily see their simplistic but sophisticated layout that favors content instead of the bells and whistles featured in other robust platforms.

Of course, when we say “robust platform,” we are referring to WordPress.

An argument can be made that the alternative blogging platforms are a backlash to the bulky CMS that WordPress has become. Originally started out as a publishing platform for writers, WordPress has exploded into popularity due to the flexibility and customization that it offers webmasters, not to mention the host of free plugins and themes you can download, to help boost their site performance.

While these advantages will sway any beginning blogger to build their site using WordPress, there are also a lot of reasons why it’s better to choose another platform to build your site on.

Just to be clear, I love WordPress as the platform to build site and blogs on due to the very same reasons mentioned above. Also, this post is not contrarian just for the sake of being one. There are indeed legitimate arguments as to why WordPress as a blogging platform may not be your cup of tea.

It is not a “blogging” platform

Blogging, in the strictest and purest sense, is the process writing and publishing content from your site. The main point of blogging is not to drive more subscribers to your email list, increase your social media followers, or shill for a product or service in the hopes of earning money from it.

Not that there’s anything bad about these things, but there’s a perfectly understandable reason for wanting to separate your professional life from your blogging endeavors. Besides, if you want to write for money, you can just find one from a writers job board for your financial fix.

In other words, blogging is all about communication and sharing of ideas to your audience.

That’s why WordPress is awesome because it does the reasons stated above using different plugins and applying certain marketing tactics to make it work.

Those are also the reasons why WordPress will no longer be a “blogging” platform.

If you want to blog for blogging’s sake, then you may want to try on another platform that puts the writing back in its rightful place online.

You may lose your online identity

As of writing, there are 74,652,825 sites (and counting) that run on WordPress. If you use this CMS, you will be one of the millions who will reap the benefits that come along with it.

However, this also means that you will be using the same tools that knowledgeable WordPress users will deploy on their site to achieve the feel and appearance they want.

While the chances are slim, there’s a possibility of a site that looks and feels exactly like yours.

As a blogger, you may want a platform that will let your personality and brand shine brighter. The sheer fact that over 74 million webmasters are using WordPress no longer makes you unique in the first place.

This is where the aforementioned minimalist blogging platforms come in – they allow you to make a more effective online presence through the content you produce, which is the emphasis of these sites. It is true that the design and layout offered in these platforms lend themselves to homogeneity. However, since the content remains the focus, there’s a tendency for the design to become moot at this point.

If you wish for a legitimate WordPress alternative, you can try out Joomla and Drupal, both of which are less popular CMSs capable of providing familiar features offered in WordPress, and then some. For more information on how to build your blog using either platform, check out this resource site.

Final thoughts: Blogging should never be complicated as long as you’re fully aware that the real reason to become a blogger is that you want to write and express your ideas to others. While WordPress as a blogging platform allows you to do this, it’s clear that it’s no longer the publishing tool that it once was. This is not meant to be as a bad thing, but if you want a simple and straightforward blogging platform, then you’re probably better off using other platforms out there.

More on WordPress alternatives:

How an Industry-Specific Writer Can Improve Your Company’s Blogging

5 Best Online Interviews About Blogging You Haven’t Read Yet