This is a very common question amongst those wanting to start their own blog.
Should I use the free WordPress blogging platform or should I host my own WordPress blog?
For a free WordPress blog you can obtain yours by signing up for an account at WordPress.com website. Your username will become the name of your blog. For example I could get a username “howdoyoustartablog” which would mean my free WordPress blog site would be viewable at howdoyoustartablog.Wordpress.com.
A self-hosted WordPress blog is your own blog on your own domain with your own hosting or paid hosting account upon which you install the WordPress software. WordPress becomes the software to manage your site and your blog. You can download the software for free from WordPress.org. However, many hosting companies today have a push button installation available via Fantastico Deluxe or Simple Scripts. Check out my free video which walks you through an example Simple Scripts installation with hostmonster.
So now to address the question: which is the right one for you?
FREE WORDPRESS BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES
PLUS setup is entirely free
PLUS easy to setup (already done for the most part)
PLUS no worry system maintenance (setup, upgrades, backups, security are all done by WordPress)
PLUS servers are reliable (hosted by servers at WordPress.com )
PLUS inclusion into the WordPress.com community may facilitate community traffic
MINUS non-Wordpress provided themes are allowed
MINUS cannot change/update any php code (useful for additional features you may want to include)
MINUS cannot upload plugins to extend functionality. The WordPress plugin community is huge.
MINUS no ad monetization allowed. WordPress will most likely in fact place their own ad monetization on your blog
MINUS Blog will still be under the WordPress brand
MINUS no true ownership of content. Site is still a WordPress site
SELF HOSTED WORDPRESS BLOG PLUSSES AND MINUSES
PLUS can upload your own WordPress themes or non-Wordpress.com themes. There are thousands upon thousands of third party themes you can choose from.
PLUS can edit php code if you so desire. There are many php code examples and plugins available.
PLUS can upload plugins! iPhone’s motto is “There’s an app for that”. WordPress’s motto should be “There’s a plugin for that”.
PLUS as you can edit the code and themes, you can add your own ad placements and ad monetization. This is a huge reason people blog in the first place is to earn money through ad placements
PLUS since this is hosted by your paid hosting account, this allows you to choose your own domain name instead of having “WordPress.com” as the domain
PLUS you have ftp access to your hosted account which allows you a lot of control on your site outside of your actual WordPress blog
MINUS you need to install WordPress on your own. This has become much easier, though, as many hosting accounts now offer push button installation of WordPress. My free “Start A Blog” tutorial will walk you through step-by-step a Simple Scripts WordPress installation on hostmonster hosting site.
MINUS monetary cost to set up your site. Domain names PLUS hosting fees can vary from $5 to $15 a month.
MINUS site maintenance such as spam control, security, and backups, are all done by you. So you will need to spend some time getting familiar with WordPress and how to back up and restore an installation
MINUS do your research because you need to find some reliable servers. Though these days most hosting companies to stay competitive provide some good uptime guarantees.
In summary, if you are looking to blog in the “traditional” blogging sense adn only need a basic framework, there is no reason for you to go paid. You will be fine with a free blog. However, if you want to fully control and monetize your blog, you may do better with the hosted version. For the simple act of adding adsense to your blog you will need a hosted WordPress site. From there, adding your own custom look and feel and function is only offered at a rudimentary level by WordPress free blogs. If you are looking to maximize look, feel, and function, you are better off with a hosted WordPress blog.
That is why I will in most cases suggest the self-hosted paid blog. The cost of $15 a month is pretty trivial if you want to do a lot with your blog.
I hope this has been helpful. And please do contact me if you have any questions or post them here on the blog. And if you are thinking about starting a blog, check out my free video which walks you through the simple setup of a hosted blog in about 10 minutes with a hostmonster account.
Want to learn more about starting a blog with WordPress? Come by Emil Yau’s site How Do You Start A Blog and watch his video as he creates and posts to a new WordPress blog in less than 10 minutes right in front of your eyes.
