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After a long time self debate about this blog and where I wanted it to go, I decided it was time to (finally) go self hosted and make the move to WordPress. I honestly didn’t feel excited to blog anymore and felt I really wasn’t learning anything new on Blogger. In the short amount of time I have researched about WordPress and all it has to offer, I felt the spark to blog – and to keep learning.
My first plan of action was buying a domain name and hosting. I needed both – so I researched. I decided to go with Siteground after reading so many great reviews on this hosting site. They were (and still are) having a killer deal and also offered free migration services. I had also found that they will answer many questions 24/7 that don’t even have to do with Siteground. Trust me, I know. I must have used the chat function at least ten times and each time they helped me get through whatever problem I was having.
Here is what I purchased:
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A year of hosting with Siteground
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A child theme (with Genesis framework)
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Migration fees were included with Siteground but I did most of the work myself.
I tried to be as cost effective as possible. I used Pinterest as well as YouTube videos on WordPress, Plugins, Widgets, etc. all so I could do most of the work on my own. There are plenty of web designers and websites that will do all of the work for you, but that comes with a hefty fee.
There were struggles
I ran into a major snag in what I thought was going “well” when moving my blog over. None of my photos were included in any of my blog posts. Thankfully with help from Siteground, they did everything they could to get as many photos back as they could. *Save and backup your photos and blog often, don’t be like me.*
After only two weeks of being on WordPress I have learned more about blogging efficiently and SEO than I ever did on Blogger. I feel happy to know that I now own my content and have more options and tools to help me learn and grow.
