Last week we took a test to decide which blogging platform you should use on your blog: WordPress (self hosted) or Blogger.
The first few questions help you think about the purpose behind your blog.
- Are you going to use your blog to earn money?
- Do you want to promote your current business?
WordPress is the best platform for doing both. Lets look at the 5 reasons WordPress is better for building income and community.
You Own Your Blog
Imagine that your blog is one of your biggest streams of income, what would you do if overnight that stream of income was shut down and possibly gone forever?
If you are hosting your blog on a free host like Blogger or WordPress.com this could happen to you. You do not own the space on their servers. They are giving it to you and they have all the power.
Blogger is known for shutting blogs down overnight after flagging as a spam blog. This is very rare, but do you want to take a chance?
You are at the mercy of your free host if anything goes wrong. If they have server problems, you can only sit back and wait. You have no real pull with them because the fact is you are not paying for those servers.
A good example of this is the Blogger issues on May 11th, 2011. Many found themselves unable to update their blogs. Google lost posts temporarily and lost comments permanently. The worst part of the situation is no real customer service was available. Blogger did not let people know what happened or if it would be fixed.
Whereas with a self hosted WordPress blog you own everything. You pay for the space on the servers and pay a company to give you customer service. If there is a concern you can contact customer service and you have pull because you are paying them. If necessary you can have your blog moved to a new host.
Starting with WordPress = Less Stress
Many successful blogs started on Blogger. But you will also find that most successful blogs move to WordPress.
If you speak to these bloggers they will tell you about the stress of moving their blogs, but also how much more they love WordPress.
When you start outgrowing Blogger or WordPress.com you soon find that you are going to have to move. This can be overwhelming and scary when you realize you have to get all your content and your readers moved to a new blog.
If your ultimate goal is to build a large blog then save yourself some time and stress. Start your blog on self-hosted WordPress. If you start on WordPress you will never have to worry about outgrowing your blog it will grow and develop with you.
I dont want to scare you if you are currently on Blogger or WordPress.com because now is the best time to move. The bigger your blog gets the harder it will be to move. Find someone to help you move your blog as soon as possible.
You Can Customize
One of the greatest benefits of a self-hosted WordPress blog is you can customize it any way you want.
Customize the look using your own color scheme, fonts, and style to build a website that is all about you and your business. Start creating your brand.
You can also choose from hundreds of plugins to customize your readers experience and yours.
If you cant find the plug-in that does exactly what you want you will find a community of developers available to help you create it.
You can Build Community
When building a blog your true goal is to build a community. To build community you need interaction between you and your readers.
A blog on Blogger can take up to a full minute for a reader to comment. Most give up in a few seconds. Then you are not even able to comment back in line and make sure that they get your comments. Where is the interaction?
WordPress only takes a few seconds for a reader to comment. The blogger has the option to email or comment back to the specific comment. You have more control and your reader gets more interaction with you. They feel like they are part of your community.
WordPress is More Than a Blog
Any good developer will teach you that WordPress is more than a blog.
You can use WordPress for a:
- shopping cart
- membership site
- content management system
- portfolio
You can use special plug ins or receive help from a developer to make your website with WordPress and build in these special features. Create a dynamic web page you can change when needed.
How to Blog Series
- The Myths of WordPress
- The Blogging Quiz: WordPress Versus Blogger
- Starting a Blog: 8 Things to Consider When Starting Out
Join Us Next Week
I hope you learned more about WordPress and how it can benefit you creating or building your blog or business. Next week we will talk more about the myths of WordPress and what it takes to build a WordPress blog.
Questions about wordpress? Please feel free and ask in the comments.
My name is Pepper, Im a mom, blogger, and graphic designer. I have been blogging and designing websites since 1997. In 2010 I started my own graphic design business, Uniquehorn Designs, to pursue my dreams of staying home with my boys. At my blog, Pepper Scraps, I help moms learn more about blogging, how to improve their websites and enjoy the everyday moments of life. To learn more about me, please visit my blog Pepper Scraps or follow me on Twitter.
Thank you so much for all of this info…
Can you transfer your followers from Blogger or you need to start from 0 again?
I’m not sure if you can use google friends on WordPress.com because I know they limit what you can post with the widgets. I would highly recommend doing WordPress.org vs WordPress.com unless you are going to be just blogging for fun or as a hobby.
Yes, I would consider getting into social media. And Yes we are definitely talking about wordpress.org or self-hosted wordpress.
Thank you for this, last week I started a wordpress.com blog (lovemyelement.wordpress.com) and still trying to learn the ins and outs. Is this different than a self hosted word press blog? Can you have google friends on wordpress? or just friends through facebook? Thank you for your help and expertise!
Thanks for the tips, I’m wanting to start a homebased business and was told to get on the social media band wagon as well as a good blog! One question, are you referring to wordpress.org? it’s not clear and alot of this is newer to me! Thankyou