Dinner last night
After going out for a lovely meal with family last night, I was wandering around the internet kind of randomly. I somehow stumbled across this article and ever since I have started to feel somewhat urgently that I should buy a domain for this blog. I am hoping that some of the readers who have/have not done this will be able to help me.
Why did you/didn't you buy a domain name?
You see, this isn't my first rodeo.
I bought my first domain when I was 18. It was called Blind-Love.Net! Since then I've had no fewer than 6 other domains. I even own one right now (although its about to expire). So its not fear of the unknown necessarily that's preventing me.
But I do have a lot of questions.
Can I still have Google followers?
Should I stick with blogger to blog or should I move over to wordpress?
Is it really worth the money (not that it costs very much)?
Do I buy hosting or just get a redirect?
If any of you out there could share your experiences I would very much appreciate it!
Heya. Sorry for the long post but...
ReplyDeleteI bought a domain from the start with my Silly Mummy blog due to experience with my other blog on wordpress.com. (aka not good for stats and didn't look serious to brands).
It depends on your plans for your blog. A domain helps me manage my blog and social media better, plus my emails. I also bought hosting with the same company that I bought my domain from... I like everything in one spot.
I'm with Wordpress.org and had previously blogged on Blogger as part of my uni requirements and totally got annoyed with its limitation. So I'm a Wordpress advocate, lol.
Google Followers - I ditched it before they phased it out for Wordpress. I didn't see the point of having so many social media tools that I had to maintain. Focus is key for me, so Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and Instagram are good enough for me.
Value? To me having a domain is like having a driver's license... it can get you into places, lol and brands and analytics take me more seriously.
My personal advise: Wordpress.org. Buy a domain, buy hosting, MIGRATE and if you want you can redirect your old blogspot address to the new domain for a while and phase it out after a few weeks.
from what I understand if you are thinking of making your blog your business go for it, if you are just in it for fun stay where you are.
ReplyDeleteGood question Lisa, I've been wondering the same things!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Deanne. If you choose to only be in it for the fun but still wanted a domain then it's pretty cheap and you don't need hosting. At least with Wordpress.com --- one of my domains is hosted by Wordpress.com, I paid I think a tiny fee to just change to my domain, which itself cost less than a Subway meal, lol.
ReplyDeleteI'm new to this whole blogging thing- and I didn't even realise you could blog without a domain! My domain is with fat cow because that's what the recommended host was for the first search I came across in google, and I use wordpress.org for managing my site. All up it cost about $145 for 2 years (I think!), including site back ups, site lock and domain privacy. I'm a little bit of a techno-bimbo, so I'm just fumbling around to find how it all works. All the best.
ReplyDeleteJust a quick comment... you can totally have Blogger with your domain. I am sure you can have your followers too, and if not, people should still be able to follow your blog somehow!
ReplyDeleteHaving had a domain for a while I can't imagine ~not~ having one. Don't let that article get to you too much. After all, it's an easy fix because domains are easily less than $15 a year, which really isn't much AT ALL.
WordPress is a pain if you're making your own themes. But I dearly love it. It would be good for management, but then again I don't know much about Blogger. Also, keep your options open because there are heaps of management systems out there. I discovered Textpattern a year ago and it's lovely as well.
Buying hosting would definitely be better than just a redirect - otherwise the domain is a bit pointless!