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After I attended Bloggy Boot Camp in Charlotte last May I made the decision to switch to WordPress. The SITS Girls really talked it up and after doing my own research I decided to bite the bullet and do it. So why did I switch? Here are my reasons…
- First of all I switched to WordPress.ORG not WordPress.COM…Wordpress.COM is just like being on the Blogger platform except you can’t do any sponsored posts so DON’T do that (so it’s actually worse!! YIKES!!). WordPress.ORG is self-hosted so you own your content. That is huge. At any moment in time Google can shut down your Blogger blog and you will lose everything. Not cool Google.
- SEO…search engine optimization. You just can’t beat the the plugins WordPress has in order to optimize your SEO and get your posts out there for more people to find and read. My personal favorite is the YOAST plugin. If you want to monetize your blog then you really need to get your posts out there and this is the way to go.
- WordPress is seen as more professional than Blogger. I’m not saying that to “diss” anyone who still uses Blogger but it’s true. I LOVED Blogger and it was a great starting point for me but when I was ready to get “serious” I made the switch.
Those are my BIG reasons. I have a couple smaller ones like the fact that I reeeeally love the stats you get from the JetPack plugin. You can see where people are coming from, what they are clicking, who referred them, etc. It’s amazing. I also love all of the plugins and that you can customize your site without the constraints that Google/Blogger puts on you.
I haven’t found that it’s more expensive, yet. I hired Blogelina to make the switch for me and she included a year of hosting. So I guess I will find out in July how much that costs…LOL!
Here are some great resources to look into that I have used or definitely would. Please keep in mind that this is NOT a sponsored post these are just companies that I have loved.
- Blogelina This is who I used to switch me from Blogger to WordPress. She has a wait list but is very good.
- Blogger-to-Wordpress DIY This is a post from The SITS Girls on how to make the switch yourself. If you are brave then I say go for it!
- GoDaddy This is who hosts my site and I have never had a problem. They are super quick to email and answer any questions you have.
The only issue I have with WordPress is that the format is off on all of my old posts (pre-WP). If you have any suggestions on how to fix that I would LOVE to know!
Are you thinking about switching to WordPress??
If you have any questions please let me know!!
These are all the reasons I switched. Especially the part of Google deleting Blogger blogs. They marked my design site as spam (why I will never know as it didn’t allow comments) and I knew I couldn’t stay there.
My old posts had funky formatting too. Unless you used a certain importer they look funky. Now you might just have to fix them manually by replacing the div styles with p styles (look at your clean WP posts’ HTML to see what I’m talking about).
I offer Blogger to WordPress transfers and I love doing them!
The only thing I suggest is maybe adding CommentLuv. It helps retain your reader’s credentials so they don’t have to enter their info when they comment.
Switching to WP is one of my top goals for this year. You’re right – the conferences definitely talk it up. I am nervous to do it though because I am SO comfortable with Blogger and I don’t do well with change like that.
I recently made the switch too, and I’m so glad I did! The plugins alone make it worth it.
It makes sense for every blogger to switch over to wordpress. I did it a little over five years ago and I never looked back. It’s such a better platform and it’s way more professional.
I made the switch a couple years ago and don’t know why I didn’t sooner!!
It makes sense why bloggers should be using wordpress. There are lots of good reasons to switch here!
I switched a long time ago and I never looked back. WP is a GREAT platform that does everything I need and want to make sure my blog stays up to date.
WordPress is the BEST!!
I love WordPress so much. It’s super user friendly. I tried blogger. It was terrible.
I loved Blogger while I was on it but I didn’t know any better. Now I do!! LOL!!
I switched from Blogger to WordPress after a month. I liked Blogger but I knew that eventually I would want to monetize and do sponsored post so I jumped over to self hosted. Congrats on switching!
I switched a few years ago but thanks! I love WO so much better and it’s good that you switched over early!!
I’ve always used WordPress since I switched from FTP website to blogs. I love it and I know you will really enjoy using it. I’m not sure if I would like Blogger as much simply because I love WP plugins.
I use WordPress for all of my sites (blog and non-blog) and I love it! It’s so versatile and there are so many more things that a non-coder like me can do!
I’ve been using wordpress for years and love it. The platform is very user friendly/easy to navigate.
I’ve worked on both Blogger and WP and holy wow, such a difference. WordPress streamlines everything, it is so user friendly, and I am all for anything that is going to allow me to make money and be seen! I’m thrilled that you attended this conference and made the decision to switch. Welcome to the other side. ;)
I appreciate both platforms for all their features, I have blogs on both and I have been using them for years. WordPress, I would say is for the more business conscious blogger, they have a lot more tools compared to blogger as well.
I started from the very beginning of my blog with wordpress.org and I am so glad that I did!! It was definitely worth the investment! I am so glad that I did my homework :)
I made the switch and i am so happy i did. I had the same reasons as you to make the switch.
This is indeed great information for any blogger or anyone thinking of blogging. I didn’t know the difference between WordPress.COM and WordPress.ORG which is really good info to know by the way. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I really think you made the excellent point of the fact that Google can just take away your blog. A lot of people think “oh that will never happen to me” until it’s far to late.
I didn’t know there were plug ins to optimize SEO. That is a wonderful feature!
I started on my own self hosted WordPress site. I never imagine that I would be where I am today. I’ve been blogging for 3.5 years. It’s given me possibilities that I never thought were possible.
As far as the formatting on your old posts, you probably just need to edit them in WordPress.
The costs involved in running a huge blog can get pricey if you have to move to VPS (virtual private server). I had to do this with my blog a few years ago. I crashed the blog on cyber Monday two years ago, talk about embarrassing.
This is my second blog and I’m excited to see what is in store for it. :)
I love using WordPress. It has so many options to help with creating and keeping my blog running.
Started out with Blogger but switched to WordPress. WordPress is more flexible, better seo and better design options! No regrets!
I switched from Blogger to WordPress quite a few years ago. It was one of the best decisions I made about my blog. Thanks for sharing.