I’m a big fan of self-hosted blogs, but I include free blogging in my marketing mix.
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Experts Weigh In
Remarkablogger points out several pro’s and con’s in the post “Moving from WordPress.com to Self-Hosted WordPress in Plain English“, such as
- Customizing your theme
- Adding Script and Ads
- Using powerful Worpress Plugins
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I would argue about the negative effects on your search engine ranking by having your blog separate from your main site: if organized correctly, free blogging sites are a clear benefit to your overall search engine ranking and exposure.
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- However, you negetively effect your branding by sending your visitors to two different locations and two different looking sites.
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Is It Time To Step Up?
If you are just considering a blog for your business or hobby group, this is a good time to think long-term.
Take into consideration the frustrations and limitations that caused simplesahm to make the “inevitable switch” to a self hosted blog
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Step-By-Step
Here are 2 beginner-friendly PDF’s to help you learn more about using WordPress.com to create your own website from scratch.
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WordPress How-To Videos
Learn more about WordPress with these quick, 5 minute tutorial videos on WordPress:
- 5 Minute Video Introduction To WordPress
- How to Configure Your WordPress Settings
- Using the WordPress Manage Tab
- How to Change your WordPress Theme
- How to Write a Post on WordPress
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Best of Both Worlds
I completely love the WordPress Stats you get on a Free Hosted Blog. And, while I also include Google Analytics on my self-hosted blogs for in-depth analysis, the Automattic Stats plugin gives me the same WordPress Stats on my Self-Hosted Blog!
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Additional Resources:
- Ultralite Hosting – ideal for a single wordpress blog with static website.
- Free Starter Power-Wordpress – Fishi.ca: created for Tourism Business owners who are new to blogging, who need instruction, help and education about managing wordpress.
- WordPress Support Forums – search these forums to find the answer to almost any question ever asked about wordpress.
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