Here's a broad list of features you could find on a blogging platform, organized into categories to help guide your thinking:

Core Blogging Features

• Content Creation:

  • Intuitive text editor with formatting options (bold, italic, font control, etc.)

  • Image and video embedding

  • Audio clip support

  • Ability to create links (internal and external)

  • Draft saving

  • Content revision history

• Organization:

  • Categories and tags system

  • Custom URLs for posts

  • Scheduling posts for future publication

• Customization

  • Themes and templates

  • Ability to add widgets or plugins for extended functionality

  • Some level of CSS or code editing for advanced design changes

Community & Engagement

• Commenting System:

  • Ability for readers to leave comments

  • Moderation tools (block spam, approve comments)

  • Threaded comments

  • Ability to upvote/downvote comments

• Social Sharing: Easy buttons for readers to share content on social media platforms.

• Subscriptions: Email subscriptions, RSS feeds for readers to stay updated with new blog posts

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• Metadata: Control over title tags, meta descriptions, and keywords to improve search engine result ranking.

• XML Sitemaps: Automatic generation of sitemaps to submit to search engines.

• URL Structure: Clean URL Structure

• Image Optimization: Ability to add alt text and adjust image size/compression for page load speed.

• Integrations: Plugins or native support for popular SEO tools (e.g., Yoast SEO,Google Search Console)

Monetization

• Advertisement Support: Designated spaces to integrate ads from networks like Google AdSense.

• Affiliate Marketing: Easy ways to include affiliate links within content.

• Memberships: Ability to create paid membership tiers with access to exclusive content.

• E-commerce Integration: Options to sell products or services directly from the blog.

Analytics & Reporting

• Traffic Statistics: See page views, unique visitors, referral sources.

• Engagement Metrics: Track time on page, bounce rate, social shares.

• Demographics: Where visitors are located.

• Search Term Analysis: See what keywords people use to find your blog.

Security & Reliability

• Spam Protection: Tools like Akismet to filter comment spam.

• Security Updates: Regular patches and software updates to protect against vulnerabilities.

• Backups: Automatic and scheduled backups of content.

• Uptime Monitoring: Ensure high availability of your blog

Additional Features

• Multilingual Support: Ability to translate and publish content in multiple languages.

• Mobile Responsiveness: Optimized design for viewing on different devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.)

• Author Profiles: Create individual profiles with bios for contributors on multi-author blogs.

• Newsletter Integration: Easy ways to connect with email marketing services (MailChimp, etc.)

• Custom Forms: Build survey or contact forms beyond the comment system.

Important Considerations

Not every blogging platform will have all of these features. You'll want to prioritize the ones that align with your goals:

• Ease of Use vs. Flexibility: Some platforms are incredibly beginner-friendly,while others offer more customization but require technical knowledge.

• Cost: Many platforms have free basic tiers, with paid plans unlocking more features. Consider your budget alongside functionality. Check: Free Blogging Platforms.

• Community and Support: Popular platforms often have larger communities with tutorials and resources to help with troubleshooting.