If you need the liberty to form your WordPress web site to your coronary heart’s content material, you is likely to be contemplating shifting it from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. However, earlier than beginning with the steps you’ll need to make, let’s clear up the variations between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.
The major distinction between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is that with WordPress.com you’ll get a hosting service whereas with WordPress.org you’ll have to discover one by yourself and set up WordPress software program on it. So, briefly, WordPress.com is less complicated to begin out with, nevertheless it presents much less freedom.
Also, many hosting suppliers supply managed WordPress-oriented internet hosting, so if you happen to’re prepared to pay a bit extra for this ease of use, you may take into account these options as nicely.
While WordPress.com presents a free entry-level plan, it comes with some extreme restrictions equivalent to inserting your website underneath a subdomain, placing WordPress.com’s adverts in your website, scanty disk area of 3GB, lack of ability to monetize your website, and lack of assist for plugins outdoors the platform.
Even if you happen to go together with one of many pocket-friendly paid plans, you continue to gained’t be allowed to set up templates, themes, and plugins off the platform, which is a deal-breaker in order for you to make your website appear to be one in 1,000,000.
On the opposite hand, with WordPress.org you may construct a completely useful and utterly customizable website for lower than fifty bucks per yr, however you’ll have to get your palms soiled with internet hosting, third-party instruments, and constructing your website from the bottom up.
The actual WordPress (that’s, WordPress.org) is a free, open-source CMS software program that’s surprisingly easy to be taught and use, so it comes as no shock that over 43% of all websites are utilizing it at this second.
With WordPress.org, your website, its content material, and all its knowledge shall be yours, and yours alone. Since you’ll have full management, your website gained’t be shut down (and all of your valuable knowledge endlessly misplaced) as a result of somebody thinks you’ve damaged a rule or unintentionally skipped one cost.
As talked about above, WordPress.org permits a superior degree of customization, which implies you may form your website with free, paid, and even customized plugins, apps, and templates. Also, you may flip your website into an ecommerce retailer, or a membership website, and even run your adverts and earn some pocket cash.
Things to know earlier than you begin
Since you’ll acquire full possession of your WordPress website, you’ll be in command of updating it, which fortunately could be achieved in a few clicks (merely test the replace button). Also, you’ll be the one making backups of your website, which could be simplified by a number of helpful WordPress backup plugins that may permit you to automate them.
All in all, with WordPress.org you’ll have to overlook the safety of your website and ensure it’s safeguarded from all types of cyber threats. So, select a safe hosting supplier and ensure your website stays sensible on safety.
As for buyer assist, whereas WordPress.org presents a radical knowledgebase thick with how-tos, you gained’t get any skilled, person-to-person assist channels equivalent to reside chat or phone line.
Once you’ve understood the entire above, it’s time to set the positioning migration in movement.
1. Pick up a hosting plan
As we write, solely three hosting suppliers are formally advisable by WordPress, together with Bluehost, SiteFloor, and DreamHost, so if you happen to’re in search of an ideal WordPress-oriented internet hosting plan, you may want to test these hosts proper from the beginning.
Their entry-level plans are fairly pocket-friendly for brand spanking new customers, full of top-notch options, and backed by money-back ensures.
2. Install WordPress.org
Since most WordPress-oriented internet hosting suppliers supply one-click WordPress installs, organising WordPress in your website must be tremendous easy. You solely have to log into your internet hosting account and search for a WordPress icon. Once the set up is full, you’ll have the ability to arrange your website’s title, create a username, and give you a strong password on your WordPress account.
3. Export all of your knowledge from WordPress.com
Now you’ll need to register to your WordPress.com website, go to the dashboard, and discover the “Tools” button on the left column. Tap on it, then into the “Export” button, and at last click on on the “Export all” button that’ll seem on the pop-up window.
Once the export file is prepared, a download hyperlink will seem, so click on on it to download the zip file in your PC.
4. Import that knowledge to your new WordPress.org website
To do that, you’ll need to login to your newly put in WordPress website’s admin space and go to “Tools”, faucet “Import” after which click on on the “Install Now” button slightly below “WordPress”. Now WordPress will set up the WordPress importer for you, after which you’ll want to click on on “Run importer” to go on with the process.
This will take you to a brand new display screen the place you’ll have an choice to add the WordPress.com XML file you’ve downloaded shortly earlier than.
We ought to observe that if the scale of your file exceeds the permitted one, you’ll have to get in contact along with your internet hosting supplier and ask them to quickly enhance that restrict. Or, when you’ve got time to spend, you would break up your file with a WXR file splitter.
5. Redirect your WordPress.com website to the WordPres.org and protect its web optimization
The last step of the migration course of (nicely, in addition to trying out if every thing works nicely) is to redirect your outdated WordPress.com website to your new WordPress.org website and also you’re doing this to protect its search engine rankings.
Since WordPress.com doesn’t supply entry to .htaccess, you’ll have to buy an improve function referred to as Site Redirect for an affordable $13 per yr and add this performance.
To do that, go to your WordPress.com website’s dashboard, go to “Manage” after which click on on “Settings”. There you’ll discover “Site Address”, so click on on the ‘redirect’ hyperlink. When the following display screen pops up, enter your new WordPress.org website’s area title, faucet the “Go” button, and that’s about it.
Benefits of shifting to WordPress.org
While shifting your website to WordPress.org does require a bit of labor, there are many advantages to look ahead to together with a superior degree of customizability, all kinds of free and paid themes, plugins for just about something, the flexibility to use Google Analytics for customized analytics and monitoring, having full management over information and codes, and coming into contact with all types of creators, designers, and builders from WordPress’ dedicated on-line neighborhood.
Since the migration of your website shouldn’t take greater than a few hours (relying on its complexity), your website gained’t be struggling any disastrous quantity of downtime.
Final ideas
Although it’s considerably easy to begin your journey with WordPress.com, after bumping into the boundaries of this platform, you’ll most likely be shifting your website to WordPress.org with out a second thought.
It may appear a bit intimidating at first, however the migration course of is surprisingly easy and, aside from redirecting your website, you gained’t have to pay something.
