We all have something to say. Blogs not only make that possible, they make it easy. – Jeff Goins
The term self-hosted blog might make you wonder if you are technically challenged. Don’t worry, you aren’t. WordPress and other websites come with a variety of packages. The basic plan is free and is alright if you are just planting the seed to your blog. It comes with its limitations of course, such as the WordPress logo, no access to plug ins and more.
When you decide to start a blog, you are seeking an audience, readership, meeting like-minded bloggers and writers, even monetize it eventually. And then self hosting comes to the rescue. Do you want to be taken seriously by search engines, by your readers? Do you want your blog to look professional? If you answered yes, then it’s time to make some changes!
Self hosting helps you achieve professionalism, community and control. Getting your own domain name is quite easy these days. Blue Host and InMotion are good hosts to start with because of the reasonable rates. Just googling “WordPress” will give you 542 million results. WordPress, when self hosted, gives a professional look and it is also quite easy to build a community on it, since most bloggers work on WordPress.
Many of us hold back from self hosting because of the cost. Think of it this way – there are many pros in self hosting and only one con, which can be dealt with too if we choose the most cost effective option. After all, an investment is required to build a business. You can generate revenue through your content and other. That is what it is for!
A self hosted WordPress site gives you a lot of power, you might begin to feel like a super hero!
- A self hosted blog is as easy to set up as a free one. You just need a computer and know how to download and install software. No biggie.
- You can choose from a myriad of themes, as you might already know, premium third party themes or even custom make your own unique theme.
- You can modify the entire code of your site, change header and footer settings, fonts, colours, the entire layout for that matter.
- Plug ins! Aren’t these so important? Affiliate links, email list, and a lot more are quite essential for a blog to function well.
- Free blogging sites don’t allow monetization. But on a self hosted blog, you can monetize through ads, sponsored posts, or anyway you want. No restrictions.
- Some free blogging sites include a clause in their terms of service and if that is violated, they can delete your site immediately. No such clause in self hosting.
- With your own domain screaming awesomeness all across the internet , your SEO functionality is certainly going to improve – WordPress when self hosted has a built in SEO plug in – and soon you will have richer traffic moving your way. This ultimately affects your Alexa Rank! Watch it drop once you have a self hosted blog.
So are you ready to take the next step and uplift your blog ? Give it a brand new makeover. Choose your host, find out a plan workable for you, create great and consistent content and watch your blog soar high!
