Whether your business is a small mom-and-pops operation or a giant mega-corporation, a simple blog can add an engaging experience that reels in users, fans, and most importantly, customers. But constructing a blog is something that is easier said than done, especially for those lacking in Internet-savvy. I've lined up six popular blogging options — conduct a little research here and you'll find one that's a perfect fit for you.

Before we start, keep this in mind. There are two basic blogging platforms: blog services and self-hosted blog software. Blog services do it all — host your blog and provide content managment software; blog software packages require you to host and install on your own but are almost always more flexible. For SEO purposes, experts like Chris Bennett recommend using blog software and hosting your blog on your own site. (Check out his article "13 Ways to Make Your Blog Go Viral" for more details.)

Here are some of the most popular platforms used around the web today:

• WordPress — WordPress is like the Tiger Woods of the blogosphere — it's currently being used by over 25 percent of Technorati’s top 100 blogs. (Technorati is a search engine that indexes blog popularity and compiles a Top 100 list.) It’s free, easy to install and maintain, and includes a huge list of features. Templates and themes, comments, trackbacks and pingbacks, spam protection, user registration, password protected posts, multiple authors, and tons of additional plug-ins are available for you to add functionality and further customize your blog. If you're feeling lost at sea, hundreds of Elance providers have extensive WordPress skills and can customize your blog to the exact spec and style you are looking for. You can currently get WordPress in two flavors — a complete blog service, located at WordPress.com, and the open-source blog software package, located at WordPress.org.


• Typepad — Unlike WordPress, Typepad is strictly a blog service. For $4.95 a month, you can set up a blog with text, images, podcast links, category clouds, and visitor tracking tools, and if you upgrade to a premium membership, you'll get even more additional features and functionality. One disadvantage is that the site will be hosted separately from your main site; anyone that stumbles upon your blog via search traffic will not make it to your main website. Great examples of Typepad can be found on blogs like Seth’s Blog, Guy Kawasaki’s How to Change the World, and by media outlets like Entertainment Weekly.


• Movable Type — As with Typepad, Movable Type is a product of Six Apart, a San Francisco software company. It offers built-in support for multiple blogs -- what this means is that you can quickly create as many blogs as you your heart desires using the same installation. Movable Type is open-source and is used on super-popular blogs like The Huffington Post and across the Gawker Media network, which runs traffic-heavy sites like Gizmodo, Gawker, and Jezebel.


• Blogger — Blogger is another blog service, but unlike Typepad, it’s absolutely free. (You’ll know you’re on a Blogger site if the URL includes blogspot.com.) The service has a similar feature set when compared to Typepad, but if you want to keep tabs on your visitors, page views, and other important metrics, you’ll need to add a widget or some other application. It’s a great choice for the casual blogger, but it doesn’t offer the robust features a professional blogger may require. And again, from the SEO point of view, any traffic you receive will not go to your main site (if you have one). PostSecret and The Official Google Blog (which should come as no surprise, since Google owns Blogger) are Blogger-based blogs.


• Drupal — When I hear the word Drupal, the phrase "Jack of All Trades" comes to mind. It isn’t blogging software per se—it’s a free open-source website content management system (CMS) that can pretty much do it all. Due to its features and functionality, many developers create blogs using Drupal, but you can also build your entire website, create forums, set up shopping carts, post “normal” web pages, and more. One caveat: Drupal can be pretty difficult for inexperienced users to install, and if you want a custom theme or features, you’ll probably have to enlist some help from others. If you happen to fall in this category, there are hundreds of Elance providers that are well versed in Drupal and can get your website flying. NewsBusters is a fine example of a popular Drupal-based blog.


• Joomla — Similarly to Drupal, Joomla is a free, open source CMS that can do more than just create a blog. If an online business is something that your entrepreneurial side is seeking, Joomla's integrated e-commerce system makes it the viable choice. You can also easily add calendars, user forums, photo galleries and more, and there’s a wide range of free themes and templates available for you to choose from.


• Expression Engine — Expression Engine is a very robust blogging platform. For personal use, it won't cost you a dime, but if you’d like to create multiple blog sites across multiple domains, the price jumps to $99.95. That’s Expression Engine’s strongest trait; it’s perfect for running multiple sites, whether on different domains, a single domain or several sub-domains. Another plus is that it’s so easy to use, many developers set up the blog and the client takes it from there. The Japanese-language blog Gigazine, ranked #19 on Technorati’s list of popular blogs, is a great one that uses Expression Engine.

Yes, lots of information to consume here. If you can, try narrowing down your selection to two or three and trying each one out. If you're still struggling, look at it this way: If you’re interested in personal use, check out Blogger or Typepad, especially if you don’t have already have hosting. Use WordPress if you already have a domain you’d like to use. If your project will require multiple blogs or if you're interested in creating an entire blog network, Movable Type or Expression Engine are your two best bets. And if your blog needs additional functions, like forums and special pages, Drupal is the way to go. Finally, if you're selling something and need e-commerce abilities, give Joomla a shot.

Now comes the tricky part: getting traffic. Once you've gotten your blog off the ground, use these 10 tips to produce the winning blog you or your business is looking for.

In over your head? Don't fret. Elance providers are professionals at this stuff — hire one and they'll get all the dirty work done for you quickly and hassle-free.