In August 2017 I made the huge step of going self hosted on my blog, moving from itseverythingerin.blogspot.co.uk to everythingerinx.co.uk. It was a very small step for blogs but a giant leap for Everything Erin. After having been self hosted for a few months now I seem to have grasped better what it all means so I thought I'd compile some advice if you are thinking of going self hosted yourself.
Why go self hosted?
One of the biggest reasons to go self hosted is the more professional look it gives your blog. You’re independent from blogger or Wordpress and definitely gives the idea you're a more ~serious~ blogger. It really helps SEO and Domain Authority - in short, for those like me who will never really grasp what that's about, your blog is a lot more likely to show up on search engines when it's self hosted.
Blogger VS Wordpress
Going self hosted is often a prime opportunity for bloggers who currently operate on Blogger to move over to Wordpress. As far as I know, Wordpress is a lot easier to use once self hosted as you then have access to using your own themes, whereas when you're using wordpress' own hosting you can't. When deciding whether to use Wordpress over blogger, you need to decide whether the extra plugins and extra customisation features are what you're interested in. For me, wordpress looks way too complicated and I prefer how easy to use blogger is, but others would definitely disagree.
But... how exactly?
First of all, you need to find the domain hosting website right for you! There are so many out there it’s difficult to choose, personally, I used GoDaddy because it’s one of the most famous and also really affordable. The internet is full of tutorials, if you're on blogger and using GoDaddy like I did, this one will definitely come in handy! I'm pretty sure most sites you purchase the domain from will also explain in depth how to set it up.
The whole process for me took under an hour, it was surprisingly really speedy! Once my blog was up and running on the new domain, my next step was to transfer all my Bloglovin' followers over to my new domain. That was another thing easier than expected! I simply claimed another blog with the new URL, and then edited my old blog info and moved the followers over! I was a little disappointed I couldn't transfer the bloglovin' loves on each post over too but it wasn't really the end of the world.
The whole process for me took under an hour, it was surprisingly really speedy! Once my blog was up and running on the new domain, my next step was to transfer all my Bloglovin' followers over to my new domain. That was another thing easier than expected! I simply claimed another blog with the new URL, and then edited my old blog info and moved the followers over! I was a little disappointed I couldn't transfer the bloglovin' loves on each post over too but it wasn't really the end of the world.
Is it right for me?
If you’re serious about blogging and ready to take it to the next step, of course! I blogged for about three years before I purchased mine to make sure it was worth the purchase, but I can tell you now it definitely has been because it made me feel more serious as a blogger and more determined to blog. It has also helped tremendously with both views and working with brands, so if you're hoping to grow your blog it's definitely a good step to take.
Any questions? If you're thinking of going self hosted but still a little unsure about how it all works, ask away! Let me know what the process was like for you if you're already self hosted too!
Any questions? If you're thinking of going self hosted but still a little unsure about how it all works, ask away! Let me know what the process was like for you if you're already self hosted too!
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