WHAT IS A SELF-HOSTED WEBSITE?
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS?
New bloggers have so much to learn.. and a lot of it can be very confusing in the beginning. A couple of questions a lot of my students ask.. what is a self-hosted website? And.. what does self-hosted mean?
A self-hosted website is one that you are hosting yourself on your own hosting plan through your preferred web host.
* This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.
If you read our post on How to Start a Blog.. we explain registering your domain name.. as well as arranging your website hosting.
Additional information on these two aspects of setting up your blog can also be found in a couple of our other posts:
* How to Register a Domain Name
* Best Website Hosting Services
Once you have registered your domain name through a domain registrar.. you would then choose your website hosting provider.
Blogging Step-by-Step
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Sherry Bennett aka The Blogging Queen
Need help getting started? Consider our Top Selling course.
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WHAT IS A NON SELF-HOSTED WEBSITE?
A non self-hosted website is a site that is being hosted on one of the free platforms. You are not paying to host your website.. you are instead hosting it on someone else’s site for free.. as is the case with WordPress.com
As the saying goes.. you get what you pay for! And.. in the case of free web hosting, this is certainly the case. There are a myriad of reasons you DO NOT want to host your website on one of the free platforms.
One of the major reasons is that when you are taking advantage of using someone else’s offer to host your site for free.. there will be limitations as to what they will allow you to do.
For example, in many cases, you will not be able to monetize your site. It is their site and they are the ones making the rules and calling the shots. You are giving up your right to do as you please with your own website.
Not only that.. but technically you do not even own your website. The site that is allowing you to host your site for free actually owns everything posted on their site.. including your website.
So basically.. hosting your site on one of the free platforms is like renting a home. You have to abide by the landlord’s rules.. and you will never own the property.
On the other hand.. registering your own domain name ($5-$6 annually).. and having your own hosting plan (a few dollars a month) means YOU own the property.. and you can do as you please with it.
No one else owns your site or your content.. no one can put limitations on what you can do with your site.. you can monetize it to your heart’s content.. you can move it whenever and wherever you please.. and no one can pull the rug out from under you!
ANOTHER REASON NOT TO GO WITH WORDPRESS.COM:
Many people are not aware that if your site gets too big WordPress.com will tell you that you have to move your site.
WordPress.com is really NOT intended for long-term hosting or the hosting of large sites. It is mostly used by those who are blogging simply as a hobby.. and newbies who are just testing the waters to see whether blogging is something they will enjoy doing.
As soon as someone has been blogging for a year or so and have learned a bit more about blogging they realize they need to move their blog to a self-hosted platform.
Those who do not move while their blogs are still fairly small find themselves with a HUGE nightmare to deal with when ultimately their site gets too big to continue being hosted at WordPress.com
They find themselves facing the daunting task of having to go in and copy their posts from WordPress.com and move it to their blog on their own hosting plan.
If you made the newbie mistake of starting out with WordPress.com you would be wise to move sooner rather than later.
WHY IS SELF-HOSTING YOUR WEBSITE SO IMPORTANT?
Have you ever been viewing a business website, and noticed in the footer the text states: “Get a free website with Weebly?” This is what you get with a free website. You get their advertisements on your website. 😧
Since your website is being hosted on their platform for free.. the ads are not able to be removed. These ads earn revenue for the platform you are hosted on. That is their only incentive to host other people’s websites for free.
The more free websites they host.. the more sites they are able to place ads on. More ads running on more sites.. means more revenue for them. It’s all a numbers game.
If you are trying to establish yourself as someone who is knowledgeable.. and as one who has some sort of authority in your niche.. these tacky ads appearing on your site give your site a totally unprofessional look.
This will cause visitors to think twice about your business. Their first concern will be.. if they were to purchase something from your website.. will you still be there if they should have questions of some sort? Or are you one of those who is here and will be gone by tomorrow?
People who use free website solutions are notorious for throwing in the towel and moving on since they have absolutely no investment of any kind in their business.
This means visitors will understandably be concerned about the stability of your business if you are not willing to spend a few dollars a month for web hosting.
This will cost you far more than you are saving by not arranging your own web hosting. Many hosting plans start as low as $2.49 per month. It doesn’t get any more affordable than that!
When you have a self-hosted website you have all the freedom to do as you wish with your site. You own the site and all of the content. This is especially important if you are hoping to earn additional income from your website.
A SELF-HOSTED WEBSITE MAY BE MONETIZED…
MONETIZE YOUR SITE HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT:
There are a number of ways to monetize your website. The first and most popular way to monetize is with the use of affiliate programs.
Not only do some free website platforms not allow you to monetize.. but many affiliate brands will not work with bloggers who do not have ownership of their own website and content.
The brands you are applying to will figure you cannot be terribly committed to your business or to your success if you are not willing to invest a few dollars a month to register a domain name and secure web hosting for your website.
Are you ready to move on to the next step in starting your blog?
Here is the page that details the steps for you:
How to Become a Blogger – The Beginner’s Guide
About the Author: Sherry Bennett
Ms. Bennett is a Professional Blogger, who has been earning a living online with niche websites for 25+ years.
Through hard work and dedication, she has turned her passion for blogging into a 7-figure business.. and you can do the same.
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* If you are a new blogger just starting your blogging adventure
learn how to start your blog the right way from the beginning:
Blogging Step-by-Step
Have more questions? Need some answers?
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Business Page: The Blogging Queen
Facebook Group: 7-Figure Professional Blogger – Sherry Bennett
