This is a follow-up post to the question of what kind of site is this where you name is the URL? Thanks for the great questions Brittany!

Question: How did you create your site / how can I start my own?

Answer:  There are two good routes.

1. Free – Use WordPress.com and register a site as yourname.wordpress.com

Downsides: you don’t have as much control over adding other features (Plugins) or changing the appearance (themes). Looks less professional due to being a  .wordpress.com  domain. (Also, can’t put ads on it)

Upsides: Free, quick and easy to start. Some exposure benefit to being in the WordPress system. You can export posts to self-hosted if need be.

2. Self-hosted – This is the best option. You have the software on hosting you rent. Downloaded from WordPress.org – domain can be yourname.com

Downsides: This will cost $10 a year to buy the domain. And for basic hosting $5-7/month. There are places that have WordPress specific hosting for $10/year! I wouldn’t use the $10 option if you plan on getting large amounts of traffic. (you can always switch hosts) It is also a bit of a learning curve to install. However most hosts offer “Fantastico” which allows pretty much 2 click install and configuring of WordPress.

My company, LimeCuda, provides enterprise-grade WordPress hosting and maintenance plans. If you have a high value site this could be a great fit.

Other options are: WPENGINE, HostGator, SiteGround, there are endless options these days.

 

 

Upsides: You have complete control over WordPress. Change the appearance and functionality to your heart’s content. Can be at yourname.com You can usually create email addresses @yourname.com  You can have ads if you like. Can rank more easily for your name.

My site is self-hosted and that is the route I would recommend. I have started many WordPress sites and would be glad to answer questions about the process or help someone start their own.

I started a few sites on WordPress.com and regret it now as one of them gets over 3000 visits a day and I cannot monetize that without moving it to self-hosted (thus losing some of the SEO value it has built up).

Resources:

• WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org
• Ultimate Guide To Using WordPress For A Portfolio
• WordPress Tips + Things You Can Do After Installing WordPress
• The 31 definite reasons why you should be self-hosting WordPress
• Understanding WordPress (Self Hosted WordPress vs WordPress.com)
• 10 Reasons to Self Host Your Own Blog