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Self-hosting website - Is it worth it?

Zelenius

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Zelenius
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Jul 8, 2008
Messages
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I currently have a free site/blog on Wordpress.com, and I am considering self-hosting it with Bluehost. I've had it for a few months. I post almost every day and my traffic continues to grow. I have nearly 300 followers, and this number keeps going up.

I'm starting to reach the limits of Wordpress.com free service, so eventually I will have to pay anyway if I want to keep updating it. But I am not sure if self-hosting is worth it. Although with self-hosting I will be able to place ads on my site, I hear there isn't as much money in it as there used to be, since there are so many websites out there now. I don't expect to make a lot of money from the blog, but I would like it to be self-sustaining, to pay for itself.

Very few websites are about what my website is about(the people running similar sites very quickly discovered mine). It sort of inter-relates with my career, and so I can sort of use the site to promote my business. There are often "amazing", and "inspiring" videos and photos on it(according to readers and followers), though there is much more to it than this. With self-hosting I believe I will have more freedom and flexibility to make my site way better than it currently is.

How similar is Wordpress.org to Wordpress.com? How much more do I have to pay if traffic explodes? I am not an expert in SEO, so what is the best way to learn about SEO? Although I've built many websites and blogs over the years, this will be my first self-hosted one, if I choose to go down that route.
 
Yes, I'd recommend self-hosting with a Wordpress install.
As to what it will cost, that depends on how much bandwidth and server space you need. If you're hosting videos and photos, you'll need more space and more bandwidth than somebody running a simple blog. And more site visitors mean more bandwidth as well.
I've no idea what Bluehost is like in terms of support and cost. For hosting recommendations, don't rely on review sites as they they cannot be trusted. Instead, look around forums used by professional web designers, such as Sitepoint. Most of them have threads devoted to hosting issues.
Also, look at sites that are similar to yours, in terms of content and visitor numbers, and find out which hosting companies they use. If it's not listed on the site (almost invariably in the footer), don't be afraid to contact the site-owner and ask - s/he may well have an affiliate deal with the hosting company and will be happy to recommend you.

ETA: Have you got a domain name registered yet? You'll need one!
 
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Thanks Sophia and Rrose. I haven't gotten the domain name registered yet, but will do it soon. I just hope it isn't taken yet!

Will look into this some more...
 
One of the other aspects of course is that back up is down to you but there are plugins or WP's own facility that will do that.
If you look for a host that has self install scripts section eg Fantastico, ( I see Blue Host their own version) it will make the job of installing, creating the necessary databases etc much easier and quicker.
 
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I have 3 domains on Bluehost. They've been pretty reliable over the last 5 years or so until last Saturday, when they reported a power surge that knocked everything down for a couple hours. But they do have good support, competitive pricing, and unlimited bandwidth and storage.
 
Unlimited bandwidth is commonly sold but as some will tell you there is no such thing unless you can afford to have your host to add another hard disk to their server just for you when you suddenly need it. What they tend to do is oversell - offer more , knowing that most users will never get near using a few gigs a month.
If you became another Amazon overnight, what they would likely do to get you to upgrade/pay more would be to say you were a drain on other server resources (other than plain bandwidth) but for most users that shouldn't be an issue.
Many hosts offer similar deals so the difference is reliability and customer service when you need it. I've not used Blue Host but they are pretty established , pay monthly at first, rather than annual. then if you don't like them you can always find another host.
 
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