In my first post Newbie Blogger, I asked several questions. Ones that I think most people who are just as computer or should I say internet inept as I am are asking as well.
The other night specifically I had a wonderfully informational conversation with Amanda from My Four Littles. We talked about domains, hosting, switching over and random other helpful tips . Most of what I mention in this post will reference to this conversation.- What does owning your domain mean ?
- Well first off a domain is just a fancy word for saying your sites web address.
- Owning your domain means you drop the sub-domain in your URL such as having it say blogspot.com or wordpress.com. Owning your blog/businesses name also gives your readers the impression and sense of establishment.
- Owning your name makes it easier for readers to remember your blogs name and web address.
- What is 'parking' your domain mean?
- This is when you have purchased a domain name but don't have a site ready for it to point to just yet. AKA unused domain names. What you do then is park it to a dummy site until you have a website ready for that domain name.
- When you became a dot com do you lose your Alexa rank and Page rank?
- This depends. If you are going from a sub-domain (such as having blogspot.com or wordpress.com in your URL) and you purchase a domain for that site yes, all of that resets.
- However, if you own your domain and then move from Blogger to WordPress you keep your Alexa and PR ranks. < Learn how to do this part on your own HERE.
- Do you have to pay to own your domain every year or is it a one time cost?
- You pay to own your domain yearly. It's not much though which is good. Expect it to cost around $10/year.
- Some great site to purchase your domain on :
- Why switch from Blogger to Wordpress?
- WordPress has a lot more features-gadgets
- Being self hosted means Google can not shut down your blog
- WordPress can be made to look more professional
- Do you have to pay for Wordpress ?
- Not for WordPress it self - that is free, open source software. You DO have to pay for site hosting though. You can use someone's referral link to get for only $10/year though !! (Site Ground) This is Amanda's referral link :-)
- What is site hosting and why would I want it/ need it ?
- Why I am staying on Blogger - At least for now
- For now I am happy with my Blogger layout and gadgets
- I have made the step in the right direction recently by purchasing my name (sparklemepink.com) not only to have a more aesthetic looking URL but also to give myself peace of mind that no one else can own my name - because I truly love it <3 and if someone else had it I would have to kick their avatar butt.
- I don't have to pay for hosting - Blogger is hosting my content for me for FREE right now and since I am a relatively small blog at the moment I find moving might be too bog of a step for me right now.
- Will I ever move ? Possibly, if there are more issues/rumors with Blogger, yes. I personally have not had any issues with Blogger to date "crossing fingers" .
I will add to this post and update as I too learn more about Hosting and Domains and Blogging
Let me know in the comments below if you have any more questions you would like answered about being a newbie blogger or just blogging in general I will do my best to answer them all :-)
**All info in this post refers to the conversation between Amanda and I, wpbeginner.com and the lovely and ever insightful wikipedia.
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This is so helpful! I am new to the lingo although I've been lurking around blogs for years!
ReplyDeleteThis is so awesome! I have been blogging for a year and half now and I still don't get the majority of it lol...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the help!
This is AWESOME! Thank you!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, this is *so* needed! I had no clue what I was doing when I first started blogging, and all the resources seemed too techy for me - I just wanted to write!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post for the newbies out there!!!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you guys have found this helpful, I know I felt so overwhelmed and lost at first . N hey I am still learning but that's what keeps us on out toes right ?
ReplyDeleteI haven't started blogging yet so this post is very helpful. I found a few free blogging courses on Udemy (where I take some other courses, lots at no cost/low cost). Even the intro courses seem overwhelming, so I need all the help I can get!
ReplyDelete