This is a very common question amongst those wanting to start their own blog.
Should I use the free Wordpress blogging platform or should I host my own Wordpress blog?
The free Wordpress blog you would get by signing up for an account at Wordpress.com. Your username would become your blog name, so for example if I got a user name "howdoyoustartablog" my URL would be howdoyoustartablog.wordpress.com
The self-hosted Wordpress blog would be on your own domain on your own site you would install the Wordpress software on. The Wordpress software would then be the blogging system that manage the content of your website. These days, installation is quite easy with most hosting companies. Most use push button software such as Fantastico Deluxe or Simple Scripts to install Wordprses. Check out my website and watch a free video and watch before your eyes as I set up a blog and post to my blog all in about 10 minutes.
So the question is: which one is for you?
FREE WORDPRESS BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES
PLUS setup is entirely free
PLUS easy to install and set up (software install is already done for you by Wordpress)
PLUS no worry system maintenance (setup, upgrades, backups, security are all done by Wordpress)
PLUS servers are reliable (hosted by servers at Wordpress.com )
PLUS with a blog as part of the Wordpress community there may be an additional traffic boost from the Wordpress community
MINUS cannot update/upload your own theme. Must use Wordpress.com themes
MINUS cannot edit any of the php code (useful for adding additional features from third parties)
MINUS cannot upload plugins to extend functionality. The Wordpress plugin community is huge.
MINUS no ad placements allowed. In fact, Wordpress will place their own ads on your blog
MINUS Site will be a Wordpress brand
MINUS no content .ownership. Blog is still a Wordpress site .
SELF HOSTED WORDPRESS BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES
PLUS can change theme to a non-Wordpress third party custom theme. You can upload a custom one or choose form one of thousands of third party themes out there to dress up your website.
PLUS can change the php Wordpress code as desired. This will allow nearly unlimited functionality in your site. There exists a large community of Wordpress developers with many out-of-the-box scripts to add function to your site.
PLUS can upload and install plugins!
PLUS you can add your own ad placements. This is one of the main reasons people blog in the first place: in order to earn money through ads.
PLUS since it is self-hosted, you will have a domain name and brand of your choosing.
PLUS you have ftp access to your hosted account which allows you a lot of control on your site outside of your actual Wordpress blog
MINUS you need to set up yourself (though most hosting providers provide push button installation through "Fantastico Deluxe" or "Simple Scripts". Plus my free video walks you through this process.
MINUS costs involved to setup. You have to pay domain registrar fees which is about $15 a year. Hosting fees can be $5 to $10 a month.
MINUS you need to do your own site maintenance including spam control, security, and backups for example. There are plugins to help you but it is a process you still need to do on your own
MINUS make sure and find reliable servers. You don't want slowness or crashes to bother your site. Most hosting companies these days to stay competitive offer some pretty good server reliability
In summary, if you want just the most basic blogging features of the traditional blogging sense, a free blog is for you. If you plan to monetize it even with adsense, then you will want a self-hosted paid blog. Moreover, if you want to add your own custom look and feel, you will want a self-hosted paid blog. You also have access to many free Wordpress themes as well. And finally the world of plugins is the big kicker. Think about apps for the iPhone. There is a quote that whatever you want, .there is an app for that.. Plugins are much the same from security to SEO to driving traffic to membership sites to just about anything.
That is why in most situations, I recommend a self-hosted paid blog.
Hope this helps, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or just post a comment here! If you would like to start a self-hosted paid blog, make sure to check out my free video!
Should I use the free Wordpress blogging platform or should I host my own Wordpress blog?
The free Wordpress blog you would get by signing up for an account at Wordpress.com. Your username would become your blog name, so for example if I got a user name "howdoyoustartablog" my URL would be howdoyoustartablog.wordpress.com
The self-hosted Wordpress blog would be on your own domain on your own site you would install the Wordpress software on. The Wordpress software would then be the blogging system that manage the content of your website. These days, installation is quite easy with most hosting companies. Most use push button software such as Fantastico Deluxe or Simple Scripts to install Wordprses. Check out my website and watch a free video and watch before your eyes as I set up a blog and post to my blog all in about 10 minutes.
So the question is: which one is for you?
FREE WORDPRESS BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES
PLUS setup is entirely free
PLUS easy to install and set up (software install is already done for you by Wordpress)
PLUS no worry system maintenance (setup, upgrades, backups, security are all done by Wordpress)
PLUS servers are reliable (hosted by servers at Wordpress.com )
PLUS with a blog as part of the Wordpress community there may be an additional traffic boost from the Wordpress community
MINUS cannot update/upload your own theme. Must use Wordpress.com themes
MINUS cannot edit any of the php code (useful for adding additional features from third parties)
MINUS cannot upload plugins to extend functionality. The Wordpress plugin community is huge.
MINUS no ad placements allowed. In fact, Wordpress will place their own ads on your blog
MINUS Site will be a Wordpress brand
MINUS no content .ownership. Blog is still a Wordpress site .
SELF HOSTED WORDPRESS BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES
PLUS can change theme to a non-Wordpress third party custom theme. You can upload a custom one or choose form one of thousands of third party themes out there to dress up your website.
PLUS can change the php Wordpress code as desired. This will allow nearly unlimited functionality in your site. There exists a large community of Wordpress developers with many out-of-the-box scripts to add function to your site.
PLUS can upload and install plugins!
PLUS you can add your own ad placements. This is one of the main reasons people blog in the first place: in order to earn money through ads.
PLUS since it is self-hosted, you will have a domain name and brand of your choosing.
PLUS you have ftp access to your hosted account which allows you a lot of control on your site outside of your actual Wordpress blog
MINUS you need to set up yourself (though most hosting providers provide push button installation through "Fantastico Deluxe" or "Simple Scripts". Plus my free video walks you through this process.
MINUS costs involved to setup. You have to pay domain registrar fees which is about $15 a year. Hosting fees can be $5 to $10 a month.
MINUS you need to do your own site maintenance including spam control, security, and backups for example. There are plugins to help you but it is a process you still need to do on your own
MINUS make sure and find reliable servers. You don't want slowness or crashes to bother your site. Most hosting companies these days to stay competitive offer some pretty good server reliability
In summary, if you want just the most basic blogging features of the traditional blogging sense, a free blog is for you. If you plan to monetize it even with adsense, then you will want a self-hosted paid blog. Moreover, if you want to add your own custom look and feel, you will want a self-hosted paid blog. You also have access to many free Wordpress themes as well. And finally the world of plugins is the big kicker. Think about apps for the iPhone. There is a quote that whatever you want, .there is an app for that.. Plugins are much the same from security to SEO to driving traffic to membership sites to just about anything.
That is why in most situations, I recommend a self-hosted paid blog.
Hope this helps, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions or just post a comment here! If you would like to start a self-hosted paid blog, make sure to check out my free video!
About the Author:
Want more info on how to start a blog with Wordpress? Then visit Emil Yau's site How Do You Start A Blog and watch his FREE step-by-step videos today!
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