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Medium VS BrightLocal

Compare Medium VS BrightLocal and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

Medium logo Medium

Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

BrightLocal logo BrightLocal

Local SEO tools andlLocal citation building for local search agencies, consultants & local businesses.
  • Medium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-08
  • BrightLocal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05

Medium features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Medium offers an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple for anyone to start writing and publishing content without any technical knowledge.
  • Built-in Audience
    The platform has a large and active user base, so new content has the potential to reach a wide audience quickly.
  • Publishing Tools
    Medium provides versatile publishing tools that support text, images, and various media formats, which helps in creating rich and engaging content.
  • SEO Benefits
    Articles posted on Medium tend to rank well in search engine results, thanks to the platform's high domain authority.
  • Community and Interaction
    Medium encourages reader engagement through comments, claps, and highlights, fostering a sense of community among writers and readers.

Possible disadvantages of Medium

  • Monetization
    While Medium has a Partner Program, it may not be as lucrative as other methods of monetization available on independent blogging platforms.
  • Control and Customization
    Medium offers limited customization options compared to dedicated blog platforms like WordPress, restricting how you can brand and personalize your blog.
  • Content Ownership
    By publishing on Medium, you agree to their terms and conditions, which may include giving up some control over how your content is used and distributed.
  • Paywall Issues
    Some articles are placed behind a paywall, which might limit the reach of your content if you want it to be freely accessible to everyone.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying solely on Medium means that any changes to the platform's policies or algorithms can directly impact your reach and engagement.

BrightLocal features and specs

  • Comprehensive Local SEO Tools
    BrightLocal provides a wide range of tools specifically designed for local SEO, including rank tracking, citation building, and review management, allowing businesses to cover all their local SEO needs within one platform.
  • Easy-to-Use Interface
    The platform has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, making it suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Accurate Data Reporting
    BrightLocal offers accurate and detailed data reports that help businesses track their local search performance and optimize their strategies accordingly.
  • White-label Reporting
    The platform allows agencies to create white-label reports, which can be branded with their own logos and colors to present to clients.
  • Affordable Pricing
    BrightLocal offers competitive pricing plans, making it an affordable option for small to medium-sized businesses and marketing agencies.
  • Customer Support
    BrightLocal is known for its excellent customer support, offering assistance through various channels including live chat, email, and an extensive knowledge base.

Possible disadvantages of BrightLocal

  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, some users may experience a learning curve when first starting out, especially if they are new to SEO concepts.
  • Limited International Support
    While BrightLocal is excellent for businesses in English-speaking countries, its resources and tools might not be as effective for businesses in non-English speaking markets.
  • Manual Citation Cleanups
    Citation cleanups are not fully automated and may require manual intervention, which can be time-consuming for businesses with a large number of citations.
  • No Free Plan
    BrightLocal does not offer a free plan, which might be a barrier for very small businesses or startups with extremely limited budgets.
  • Occasional Data Delays
    Some users have reported occasional delays in data updates, which can affect timely decision-making and campaign adjustments.

Analysis of Medium

Overall verdict

  • Medium can be considered a good platform for those who enjoy a wide array of content and appreciate quality writing on diverse subjects. However, the value of Medium depends on individual preferences and whether the topics and writing styles align with what the reader is looking for.

Why this product is good

  • Medium offers a diverse range of articles from both professional and amateur writers, providing readers with numerous perspectives on various topics. Its clean user interface and ease of use make it an appealing platform for both writers and readers. The platform also supports monetization for writers, allowing them to earn from their content.

Recommended for

    Medium is recommended for avid readers seeking a variety of topics ranging from personal development to technology. It's also ideal for writers looking to publish their work to a broad audience and potentially earn revenue through the platform's Partner Program.

Analysis of BrightLocal

Overall verdict

  • Overall, BrightLocal is a highly effective platform for those looking to boost their local SEO efforts. It is valued for its robust features, ease of use, and ability to deliver tangible improvements in visibility and search rankings for local businesses.

Why this product is good

  • BrightLocal is considered a good service primarily because it offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance local SEO performance. These tools include citation building, local search rank tracking, and review management, which are essential for businesses looking to improve their local online presence. The platform is also praised for its user-friendly interface, detailed reporting capabilities, and excellent customer support.

Recommended for

    BrightLocal is recommended for small to medium-sized businesses, digital marketing agencies, and freelancers who are focused on improving their local SEO strategies. It is particularly beneficial for those who manage multiple locations and require accurate, location-specific insights.

Medium videos

+ Add

Medium Review - with Tom Vasel

More videos:

  • Review - Starting a blog on Medium.com? Watch this FIRST.
  • Review - The Medium Review
  • Review - The Medium - Before You Buy
  • Review - I recommend: The Medium (Review)

BrightLocal videos

+ Add

BrightLocal Review & Pricing (2019): Pros & Cons Before Starting

More videos:

  • Tutorial - BrightLocal Citations - "Citation Builder" Tutorial & Review
  • Demo - BrightLocal Review: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives (with Demo)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Medium and BrightLocal)

Medium

BrightLocal

Blogging
100 100%
Blogging
0% 0
SEO
0 0%
SEO
100% 100
Blogging Platform
100 100%
Blogging Platform
0% 0
SEO Tools
0 0%
SEO Tools
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Medium and BrightLocal. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Medium and BrightLocal

Medium Reviews

19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
Medium focuses on thoughtful content and community engagement. It offers a user-friendly interface, a large readership base, and various features for writers and readers.
Source: www.pixpa.com
25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Medium is an online platform that was created in 2012 by Evan Williams. It is a place for people to share their thoughts and ideas on various topics. Medium has about 100 million monthly visitors, which makes it one of the most popular platforms for publishing articles.
Source: forgefusion.io
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
From thะต simplicity of Ghost to thะต vะตrsatility of Substack, thะตrะตโ€™s a homะต for ะตvะตryonะต seeking great Medium alternatives. Thะตsะต altะตrnativะตs offะตr a world of possibilitiะตs for rะตadะตrs and authors alikะต. Whะตthะตr youโ€™rะต in sะตarch of a uniquะต platform to sharะต your thoughts or want to read frะตsh contะตnt, thะตsะต platforms havะต somะตthing spะตcial to offะตr. All in all, we...
Source: www.geeksforgeeks.org
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...
Source: www.authorityhacker.com
How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform in 2021 (Compared)
Medium works much like a social networking site where you can create an account and start publishing your articles. After you sign up, youโ€™ll have a profile address like this: https://medium.com/@yourname. But you cannot use your own domain.
Source: www.wpbeginner.com

BrightLocal Reviews

The 16 Best Moz Alternatives for Every Budgetย 
I took a quick look at what people are saying about BrightLocal online. Hridoy Rehman, the founder of Growth Boilerplate and a well-known SEO expert, shared his top five local rank tracker tools and ranked BrightLocal second.
Source: trafficthinktank.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Medium seems to be a lot more popular than BrightLocal. While we know about 3077 links to Medium, we've tracked only 2 mentions of BrightLocal. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Medium mentions (3077)

  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (July 2026)
    Io_uring, concurrency, TCP, mmap, systems programming Rรฉsumรฉ/CV: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dQrgGxvun68WMty-m7A-wsR7KF3gxKdU/view?usp=sharing Email: ashishrathour1102@gmail.com GitHub: https://github.com/AasheeshLikePanner Backend and infrastructure engineer focused on systems programming in Go. I build low-level infrastructure from scratch and benchmark it honestly. Recent projects: vase โ€” a pub/sub broker... - Source: Hacker News / 4 days ago
  • GLM5.2 on AMD MI355X at 2626 tok/s/node at over 2x lower cost than Blackwell
    Not a new phenomena - performance per dollar has been fairly steadily exponentialling since 1900 or so 1900 - 2010 https://www.thekurzweillibrary.com/exponential-growth-of-computing 1939 - 2023 https://medium.com/@timventura/kurzweils-law-for-the-ai-age-b00e82c84d5c. - Source: Hacker News / 1 day ago
  • The Egg Bandits Made a Thousand Times the Fine They Just Paid for Price Fixing
    QB House and its many imitators would like a word. It's a genuine mystery to me why these "fast haircut" chains are ubiquitous in Asia but unknown in the West. https://medium.com/@justin.tan/qb-house-back-to-basics-business-model-innovation-in-the-mens-haircutting-industry-c23893095e13. - Source: Hacker News / 3 days ago
  • Fable 5 Is Back
    It has. We can see 3.5 started with text adventure games https://medium.com/@duncanariey/using-chatgpt-to-make-the-ittiest-bittiest-text-based-adventure-game-f642e8da4dad and with 4.0 it moved up to pong https://x.com/skirano/status/1635736107949195278 As the generations increase, so too has the complexity of the games it can one-shot. - Source: Hacker News / 3 days ago
  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (July 2026)
    Location: San Diego, CA Remote: Yes Willing to relocate: Maybe. Technologies: I'm a full-stack growth marketer with enough coding chops to prototype MVPs. Worked in the blockchain sector for the past 7 years and would like to transition into an AI-enabled consumer product. Some of my writing (before AI/LLMs) straight from the dome: https://medium.com/@dilanka Resume/Work: https://tinyurl.com/bdzez9cv Email:... - Source: Hacker News / 4 days ago
View more

BrightLocal mentions (2)

  • What is Local SEO?
    In addition to website metrics, track your local search rankings. Several tools, such as Moz Local and BrightLocal, can help you monitor your local search rankings and compare them to your competitors. Source: about 3 years ago
  • How to create/transition to a more SEO focused role in my company?
    As far as tools go, ahrefs.com is what I use the most, followed by Google Ads Keyword Planner (free). I have some local clients so I also use brightlocal.com but that probably isn't relevant in your case. There are other tools out there but ahrefs.com has backlink data, an audit tool, and keyword research + tracking, which is really all you need. Moz.com is good too and I believe pretty comparable to ahrefs.com.... Source: about 5 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Medium and BrightLocal, you can also consider the following products

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

SEMRush - All-in-one Marketing Toolkit for digital marketing professionals.

DEV.to - Where software engineers connect, build their resumes, and grow.

Birdeye - AI Agents for Multi-Location Brands

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Yext - Yext provides your business with the tools you need to engage with customers and gives you more control over how your branding is presented throughout the various platforms that make up the online marketplace.

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