I have nothing against Blogspot or WordPress.com. In fact, if it wasn’t for Blogger, I might have never gotten my start. But it only took a few months of struggling to build search engine traffic before I started asking myself, how could I honestly say that I’m taking my blogging seriously if I wasn’t willing to invest in my own domain name and host my own blog?
I can admit that I didn’t understand the importance in the beginning, but now that I’ve been doing this for quite some time now, I realize that if I want others to view my blogging as a business, then there’s no way Blogger was going to continue to work for me.
Of course, free hosting is fine for bloggers who blog for personal expression and have no concerns about looking professional, but for a blogger who really wants to be viewed as an authority, having .blogspot.com or wordpress.com at the end of a sub-domain, just isn’t going to cut it.
I didn’t make the decision to switch over lightly – I wanted to find the best web hosting deals I could find. I’m always very skeptical whenever I’m making an important purchase, so I had to take some time to do some research.
I knew I wanted to switch to a self-hosted WordPress blog, but I didn’t want to get locked into a plan that wasn’t right for me or one that didn’t deliver as promised. I took the time to compare hosting options. It took me a few weeks of searching and comparing before I felt comfortable making a decision.
I wish I had found a company like Web Hosting Hub back then, that would’ve made it easier but that wasn’t the case.
What’s worse, is that my limited knowledge made it difficult to make an informed decision. When I finally decided on a host and received my log-in information, I was so lost, I didn’t know what to do first. That’s why my heart goes out to newbies, because I know how overwhelming getting started can be.
That’s why I admire hosts like Webhostinghub.com, that make it really easy to go from setting up the account to installing WordPress. No fumbling around with the FAQ section for hours at a time is necessary.
When it was time to transfer my blog to WordPress, I literally closed my eyes and prayed that it would work. I seriously didn’t have a real clue about what I was doing. I was following a tutorial I found via Google. It took me days to sort out some of the issues that popped up.
That’s why I think it’s great that WebHostingHub has a transfer process plus phone and web support to walk you through it.
Then once you’ve got everything set up, you don’t have to worry about bandwidth problems, because you get unlimited bandwidth, disk space, email addresses and you can host an unlimited number of sites.
It gives you the ultimate control while still providing great support. You won’t find that level of service everywhere.
If you haven’t made the switch to a self-hosted blog, what’s holding you back? For those of you who’ve been hosting your own blog, what do you wish you had known back then when you first started – that you know now? Would you still have chosen the same webhost?
About Kiesha Easley
Twitter: elliepowell1912
says:
I finally took the plunge and switched from a blogger blog to my own WordPress blog a few months ago. It has been a little confusing and a bit of a struggle at times, but the rewards of having your own blog are well worth it.
ellie
(dofollow)
Ellie recently posted..Treating Panic Attacks
Hi Kiesha – Good question! I’ve used several webhosts. For past few years, I keep most of my sites on just one, and use another for certain projects. I also have some free blogs, but mainly use them to drive traffic to the self-hosted one.
Happy Holidays to you and your’s.
(dofollow)
Vernessa Taylor recently posted..Dance A Jig- Build Your Own Unscientific Blogging Scorecard
You do have a point in your article but what happens if you blog is not making enough money yet to invest in hosting? Is having a domain name that much better at building traffic?
Alex Smith recently posted..Forex Spreads Software Benefits
Hi Keisha,
I got my start on blogger as well, but switched over to hosting my own wordpress site for a variety of reasons.
I think that even a hobbyist should consider hosting their own site because it’s so cheap to do so. Plus you never know when your hobby might catch some interest and turn into a business and I think it’s easier to start off self hosted rather than to try and transfer later on.
Richard recently posted..Speed up Your Website
I actually did it as well. I created a blog on Posterous. It was easy, quick and free. I haven’t hosted it and didn’t redirect to my own domain either.Now, I feel like trapped as the blog gained already PR3 so I do not want to move it to a “proper domain” as I do not want to loose authority! but at the end it is… free!
It is a great post, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Mags Tags recently posted..How to Remove Date From Meta Descriptions in WordPress
Twitter: Blognetworking
says:
I am still using Blogger because I am still a newbie at blogging. I hope to make some money out of blogging contests and switch my blog to WordPress.
(dofollow)
Jeevanjacobjohn recently posted..Psychology of Blogging
Hi Kiesha,
It is true for the casual blogger then free is good. As you say,if you want to be taken seriously then self hosted is the way to go. It is not that difficult to set-up. Once you have done it once you can do it in your sleep (well maybe not).
Great blog and post. Bookmarked you for future visits.
Thanks
Pete
Pete Carr recently posted..GOAL- Whats Yours
Hi. Great topic. During the summer, I happened upon an NYT article about Tammy Strobel who writes Rowdy Kittens. That led me to the A List Bloggers Club, and from there it was a short jump to realize that it was time – past time- to take my blog off of Blogger, clean it up, organize it, get my ideas about content straight, and learn something about self-hosting. I have never looked back. I was a complete techno idiot. I am no genius now but I do get the basic steps it took to get my blog where it is and I work on it every day. I am getting ready for another big step – making my blog even more user friendly – and I am getting the graphics designed. Yes, it requires a bit of an investment, but I see how far my blog has come and I realize now that the only one who can limit my blog is me. :)
Have a wonderful day….
Nice post Kiesha! I started out with WordPress.com and was able to gain several readers after writing for a couple of months. Eventually I realized that if I wanted to take my blog to the next level, I had to be willing to invest money and time in it to make it interesting, more user-friendly, and a great source of information.
The web hosting company we chose was difficult to work with at first, but after that publishing has been smooth sailing.
Well, I don’t host my blog because I don’t have time for one, and wont have until July next year.
But I have lots of websites and I would say Hostgator is very easy to use, especially with their fantastico script. Also they have an import feature, where you can import websites exported from an other web host cpanel.
I am not advocating for gator, because there are many more hosts that are better, but I find it the most practical.
What I would have changed, I would have choose a host with unlimited traffic the first time.
Alex recently posted..Masini Ford
Hello Kiesha,
I agree that if you think about blogging seriously you need your own domain and own reliable hosting.
Another reason why I wanted to switch from free hosting was that i did not feel like I own my blog. Now I have the full control:)
But also as you said without Blogspot the Blogospher would be maybe not discovered by many great bloggers. We all had to start somewhere and blogspot is just great and natural first-blog choice.
Adam recently posted..Is Everyday Writing A Good Idea
I’m using the free wordpress. I was able to buy my own domain name for $17 a year. The only things I haven’t been able to do with the free version is use plug-ins. When I decide how to make money blogging, I may change my mind. But for now, it’s working and customizable for my current use.
Marci recently posted..A Liberating Recipe for Joy in Family Traditions
Another excellent article and another excellent question. One I have been asking myself for some time. I guess my reason is currently more financial than anything but I do look forward to making the change next year. Can’t wait to have a site of my own.
I will definite look into web hosting hub for more information. thanks for the heads up and keep up the good work.
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Twitter: dragonblogger
says:
People contact me periodically to help them move WordPress blogs from one hosting platform to another and this is something I do on the side for a few extra bucks. When choosing a hosting provider there are some things to consider like what administrative interface they use (CPanel is my preferred) whether your website will be hosted on a Unix or Windows server…etc
Self hosting opens up so many more options though there is something said about the stability of being hosted on a cloud environment, you lack the flexibility of trying and doing things your way and monetizing blogs can be difficult when you are forced to a template set of configurations and options in a free cloud hosting environment.
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Twitter: TrafficColeman
says:
Kiesha..it just surprise me when i see people who don’t grasp changing to self hosting..many people say the same crazy thing..”Why change because this is Free..
But if you do plan to make your mark online..then self hosting is the way to go.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
TrafficColeman recently posted..How I Out Ranked 40 Million Websites with One Strategy
Kiesha – I am using hostgator to host my blog and I think I would still chose the same webhost if I had to do it over again. I have never heard of Web Hosting Hub but if the transfer process makes transferring your blog to wordpress that easy you definitely can’t go wrong with that.
Twitter: LindaMHewett
says:
Hello Kiesha,
I’m so glad I read this today! I am changing to selfhosted with the help of Arvind, a blogging friend. I knew I couldn’t do the tech stuff myself so I’m his ‘client’. He’s at
http://www.arvinddevalia.com/blog/
I’m excited about the change and know I’ll be pleased with the result. As you say, we want to be professional and taken seriously so we need to believe and invest in ourselves.
Well done for doing it yourself!
Linda Hewett recently posted..4 Secrets My Snowman Showed Me About Having A Positive Spin