What is Self-Hosted WordPress?

If you’ve been around the blogging world for awhile, you’ve probably heard of self-hosted WordPress. However, I’ve noticed there is a lot of confusion about exactly what that means. Many of my fellow bloggers have switched to WordPress from Blogger or other platforms, only to be frustrated when they don’t find all the options and control that others talk about.

Key Terms

WordPress.com - Home of free WordPress sites. Free sites allow you some basic options like choosing from a few themes and plugins, setting up a header, and changing colors. You’ll get a URL like this:

http://soovermydebt.wordpress.com

(That’s the actual blog I set up when I didn’t know the difference between free WordPress and self-hosted. I never really did anything to it because I figured out self-hosted shortly afterward, but I left it there in case I ever needed it.)

Domain - A domain is a URL that doesn’t contain blogspot.com or wordpress.com; for example, curiositykilledtheblog.com is the domain for this site. You can set up your own domain even if you are using a free Blogger or WordPress blog - the “real” URL will still be the original, but you can make yourname.com the one that people see when they visit your site.

Domains are registered on an annual basis. You can buy a domain name through Blogger or WordPress.com, but they seem to charge a lot more than other places. However, if you’re not sure what you’re doing, it might be a good idea to buy it there first because it will be set up for you automatically. Domain registration costs anywhere from $5-$25 a year.

Please note that having a domain is NOT the same as having a self-hosted blog. Many people think that paying for a domain will give them more choices, but unfortunately all it does is change what people type into their browsers to visit your blog.

Hosting - If you have a free site, it is hosted by the platform you’re using. That means that all your posts, pictures, etc. are stored on the platform’s servers. However, it also means that your platform could choose to remove your content because they technically own it.

If you get your own hosting plan, that means you are paying a monthly or yearly fee to have your own storage space on a server owned by the hosting company (I use HostGator). However, because you pay for it, you own your content and you can put whatever you want on your blog without fear of retribution. As long as it’s legal where you live, of course.

This is Boring. What IS Self-Hosted WordPress?

To have a self-hosted WordPress blog, you need to purchase a domain name, purchase a hosting plan, and load WordPress onto your domain. Your WordPress dashboard will offer many more options than the free wordpress.com blogs, and you’ll be able to customize to your heart’s content!

You’ll have access to any available theme, any plugin, and basically anything you can imagine putting on a blog. You can talk about anything you want without fear of your blog being pulled for violating terms of service. You can choose the direction your site will take without having anyone to tell you what to do. This will cost about $100 a year, but it’s well worth the cost if you’re serious about blogging and want to make your blog look amazing.

All this can be pretty overwhelming if you aren’t tech savvy, but I can help! I offer services such as moving your blog to a self-hosted site and setting up WordPress. Just contact me if you’d like more information, or even if you just have questions. I’ve never heard anyone say they regretted the switch to self-hosting - just that they regretted waiting so long to do it.