TypePad versus WordPress – So, what’s the difference?

For the first-time blogger, deciding which platform to sign up with, comparing features is important. How much is advertising and how much is truthfully telling what you can really do? Today marks the start of a new series, comparing the features of WordPress and TypePad, as they are advertised on the TypePad Features website and the WordPress Features website.

WordPress versus Typepad: Going back to TypePad? Yes or No?

WordPress putting AdSense on my blog

This week seems to be a philosophical week. After first pondering the supposed pros of an ad-free blog, then discovering that my blog is in fact not so ad-free after all, the question naturally arises: What to do next?

So should I go back to TypePad, because at least there I have control over my ads? Or stay with WordPress, because of the added functionality I have here? Just looking at the scoreboard should be enough to convince me. I have already moved my blog to WordPress, but do I really want to stay here now?

Good things about WordPress: Changing the URL of your post or page

Sooner or later every TypePad user will realize how different TypePad URLs are displayed in the browser address bar compared to how WordPress URLs display. TypePad truncates your post title, WordPress keeps it as is. Some people even say that WordPress is more search engine friendly than TypePad; I don’t know, I have yet to notice a significant difference.

Nonetheless, one of the nicest features in WordPress is the ability to change your post or page URL, without losing the link. This means that if Google or someone else has linked to your “old” post or page URL and you then change your post or page URL in a later edition of your post or page, it will automatically redirect to your “new” post or page. TypePad cannot do any of this.

wordpress.com – not for serious bloggers?

It’s so funny. A year ago, after testing both systems, I knew very little about everything WordPress, but I fell in love with everything TypePad in an instant. Today I know I should have stayed with WordPress. A year ago I probably would have sided with johnny on his post about TypePad for serious bloggers. Today, I’m actually defending WordPress more than I thought I would ever do, hence my compulsion to leave a long comment on that post.

Some annoying things about TypePad: Stats

Now this is where WordPress really beats TypePad: Blog stats. Even free stat counters are seldom as comprehensive as what you get with WordPress. TypePad’s stats function is hardly worth mentioning, a simple hit counter, that’s what it is, basically. On the other hand, since TypePad allows you to insert JavaScript on your blogs, it’s easy to find a suitable free or paid counter for your TypePad blog. WordPress’ stats are simply great. I must admit that. Well, compared to TypePad. I can get better stats from a self-installed counter on TypePad, but that’s not what we are comparing here.

Some annoying things about TypePad: Changing your theme

Both TypePad and WordPress have many templates to choose from. As of writing this post, WordPress comes with 67 different templates or design themes. TypePad has about the same, but it looks more, since most themes come ready in different colors; I counted more than 180 different variations based on 65 themes. In WordPress, only some themes come with customizable colors, so it’s difficult to count how many variations there actually are there. That aside, choosing and previewing a theme is much better in WordPress than in TypePad.

Some annoying things about WordPress: Category assignment

As you develop your blog, you may decided to change the overall topic of your blog. Thus, you may want to re-categorize your posts. Or, as the number of posts grow you decide to stremline your topics and cut down on categories (and use tags instead). How easy is that in TypePad versus WordPress?