Are you thinking about starting a blog?
When starting out, this question comes to the mind of every blogger. Is it better to pick the self-hosted WordPress.org or the free WordPress.com?
In this series, we will look at the pros and cons of both options. We will also show you how to use both on your Doteasy.com account, and also how to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open source content management system most often used as a blog publishing application.
WordPress is available in two forms: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Both are free.
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
With WordPress.com, the hosting and managing of the blog application is taken care of by the WordPress team.
With WordPress.org, you will need to install the blog application on your own server or web hosting provider.
Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress, uses this analogy to compare the two services, “It’s the difference of owning a home and just renting an apartment.”
Benefits of WordPress.com
- It’s free to setup
- Everything is taken care of by the WordPress team: setup, upgrades, backups, security, etc.
- You get extra traffic from WordPress’ Blog of the Day and tags
WordPress.com Cons
- Although there are currently over 100 themes available to choose from, you cannot run your own custom theme (unless you upgrade to the VIP program on WordPress.com)
- You cannot use it to post Adsense ads or affiliate links (unless you upgrade to the VIP program on WordPress.com)
- You cannot customize the PHP code
- You cannot upload plugins (unless you upgrade to the VIP program on WordPress.com)
How to run your WordPress.com blog on the Doteasy Basic Hosting account?
While you won’t be able to install the WordPress software on your Basic Hosting account, you can use the free Domain Forwarding function to forward your website to your WordPress.com blog so that when visitors type in your domain name in their browsers, they will be redirected to your WordPress.com blog.
To do so:
- Login to your Member Zone.
- Under the “Domain” section, select “Setup Domain Forward”
- Enter your WordPress.com blog URL into the “Destination URL” field.
- If you do not want your visitors to see your WordPress.com blog URL in their browser address bar, select the “Show yourdomain.com on browser’s address bar” option.
- When ready, click on the “Save Changes” button.
WordPress.com is ideal for…
WordPress.com is ideal for hobby bloggers – completely free but less options and freedom.
Benefits of WordPress.org
- You can upload any theme and plugin you want
- You can run ads as you wish on your website (ie. selling ad space on your blog)
- You have complete control to change the code of your blog
- The cost of self-hosting is less than upgrading your free WP.com to the premium plan
WordPress.org Cons
- You will need a web host that offers FTP, PHP and MySQL support
- You are responsible for stopping spam (although it can easily be done using the free Askimet plugin)
- You must upgrade the software manually and you have to manage backups yourself
How to install WordPress.org software on your Doteasy hosting account? I don’t have programming or scripting experience!
Don’t worry, we offer a one-step WordPress installation that eliminates all the database creation and file configuration procedures.
*NOTE: In order to run the WordPress.org software on your Doteasy account, you will need to be on the Unlimited Hosting plan – you need PHP and MySQL support to run the blog application.
To begin:
- Login to your account cPanel (you can do this via the “Site Admin Panel” link in your Member Zone)
- Under “Doteasy Softaculous Apps Installer”, select “WordPress”
- Select “Install”
- Specify the directory you wish to install WordPress and provide the admin login details for this new blog.
- When ready, click on the “Install WordPress” button.
We also provide you with a step-by-step setup guide with screenshots of the process. Check this page for details.
WordPress.org is ideal for…
WordPress.org offers more freedom and flexibility for bloggers as there are no restrictions on blog monetization, code and theme customization, plug-in installation, etc.
I am ready to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, can you help me?
Yes, certainly!
First of all, you will need to make sure you are subscribed to the Doteasy Unlimited Hosting plan – you will need PHP and MySQL support on your account to run the WordPress software on your account.
Then, once your Doteasy Ultra/Unlimited Hosting account has been activated, login to your Member Zone and click on the “Site Admin Panel” link – this will log you into your account admin panel for the one-click WordPress installation via Softaculous.
Once your WordPress software has been installed:
- Login to your WordPress.com account and select TOOLS – EXPORT from the menu on the left side. The export tool will compile your posts, pages, comments, categories and tags. This information is placed into a WXR file, or WordPress Extended RSS file.
- Once you’re finished, click on the Download Export File button to save it onto your computer.
- Then, login to your WordPress.org account admin panel (ie. http://www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin if you have installed in the root directory of your Doteasy hosting account)
- Next, click on TOOLS – IMPORT from the menu on the left. From the list of blogging systems, click on WordPress.
- Next, click on the Browse button and locate the WXR file you downloaded earlier. This will upload the file into your WordPress.org blog and will unpack all of the data contained in the file.
*Note: If your WXR file is large, you might want to contact us first to increase your account’s upload file size limit.
And if you ever have any questions, you can always contact us for assistance.
Posted in: About WordPress