Using a Hosted Blog Just Makes Sense
I know, you’re wondering why you should invest a few bucks into using a WordPress blog hosted on a server instead of blogger or wordpress.com. If it isn’t obvious why you should be hosting your own content then I will spell it out for you below.
This might confuse some of you because WordPress has both a commercial blogging site of their own and their free blogging platform that you can download and install on your own server. When I say wordpress.com I mean their hosted server. When I mention WordPress I mean the software you can download and install yourself or have either your hosting company or me do it for you.
Content Safety
I think this is the most important reason to have a private WordPress blog. All of your content is stored on your server. If google or wordpress.com ever go bye bye or they delete your account then they take the data with them. On your own server it’s yours. Just backup your database and directory daily and you’ll be fine.
Your Own Domain
While it’s nice to have a domain on Blogspot because I’m sure google puts their results at the top first, your own domain name supports your branding and seriousness about blogging. Nothing spells amateur more than getting a free blog from one of the top 2 blogging companies.
Theme Personalization
Yes, some of these sites allow you to have a nice theme and change it, but you don’t have so much control as to uploading your own theme. With your own uploaded theme you can add widgets where you want to and make it look unique.
Affiliate Links
wordpress.com doesn’t allow affiliate links on their server. Period. Google will allow them, but if they think your blog is too spammy they will shut it down. While your blog should never look spammy, your hosting provider is not the one who should tell you that it does.
Plugins
I love plugins! If you’re not using plugins then you’re really missing out. Google and corporate hosted wordpress.com don’t allow plugins. You can put plugins on your own WordPress server. Plugins help you post to twitter and facebook automatically. They help you design your site. They help you hide and show affiliate links. There is a plugin for almost every need and if you can’t find one then one can be made to do it.
Aren’t these enough reasons to start your own blog on your own hosting account? Sure, you can start one on blogger or wordpress.com, but moving them is a headache. Why not just get started for a few bucks a month for hosting and a domain name and then let the world know that your blog is personal and alive?
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