I’m going to start out with my opinion and then explain. Here it comes.
Don’t use WordPress.com for a business blog.
Don’t use Blogger/Blogspot either. These are the blogging service and tools owned by Google.
Either one is fine for a personal or hobby blog that doesn’t need a website. In fact, they are great for getting your feet wet in blogging.
But if you are going to conduct business and you want to give a professional impression, go for WordPress.org.
What’s the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
They are both owned by the same company.
- WordPress.com is a combination of hosting service and blogging software. You go to the website, sign up and presto! You have a blog — for free. That sounds pretty amazing — and it is. But there are limitations, which I’ll describe in a minute.
- WordPress.org is blogging software that you install on your website. However, you can use this software to create a full-fledged website, like the one you’re looking at now. The software is also free, but you need to provide your own domain name and web hosting. Neither one is expensive, but you do need to arrange it. This is sometimes called a “self-hosted” WordPress site, because you purchase web hosting.
WordPress.com and WordPress.org comparison
| Feature | WordPress.com | WordPress.org |
| Cost | Free, but you pay for expanded features | Free, but you pay for your domain name and web hosting |
| Flexibility | Limited templates, layouts, plug-ins | Unlimited templates, layouts (you can turn it into a website, not just a blog), plug-ins. If you want, you can even modify the programming code. |
| Usability | Easiest | Not hard, but you need to take a few hours to learn it |
| Monetization | You can’t put your own ads on it. | Unlimited. You can create a full-fledged e-commerce site. |
| URL/Domain name | Usually name.wordpress.com, but you can purchase a domain name and use that | You always have your own domain name, which you have to purchase. |
| Email address | You can’t have an email address that matches your domain. | When you buy web hosting, you’ll get free email accounts, like yourname@yourdomain.com. Read my blog post on this issue to understand why this is so important. |
| Security | WordPress.com backs up your site, takes care of spam, etc. | You need to use plug-ins to take care of backing up and spam. You also own your own content and have full control over it. |
How to convert from a WordPress.com blog to a WordPress.org blog
If you’re currently hosting with WordPress.com, don’t worry — you can migrate to a self-hosted platform using WordPress.org at any time. After buying web hosting (here’s what I use-it’s an affiliate link) and a domain name (if you don’t have one already) and installing WordPress, here are the basic steps:
- Go to your wordpress.com blog’s Dashboard.
- On the left sidebar, go to Tools, Export to download the file and save it on to your computer.
Go to your new blog’s Dashboard, and click Tools, Import.- Look for wordpress at the bottom, browse for the file you just downloaded from your old blog and import. As you can see, you can import files from several other blogging platforms as well.
- After you upload the file, make sure that you choose the option to Download & import file attachments.
If you bought your own domain name, you’ll have to transfer it to your new web host. You do this by entering some numbers, called nameservers, in the appropriate place in your web host’s account. Ask your web host’s support for details.
This process does not transfer videos, but there is a plugin that lets you embed videos embedded at WordPress.com. You can use a manual transfer process as well.
You’ll probably have to make some adjustments to your theme. You’ll also want to redirect visitors to your old blog so that they can find your new blog.
Are you ready to move up to a professional website?
I can help you with the transfer! Click the Contact link at the top of this website.
3 replies to "Why you need to know the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org"
Great table of differences. And good tip on Video. I started on a free WP blog because it could migrate to a hosted site later easily.
I did run into an article on the importance of putting WP files into a sub-directory for a clean root. (it’s easier to manage WP files if they’re not mixed in with hosting files, etc)
Here’s a writers take on the migration process, in more detail.
http://www.molly-greene.com/how-to-move-a-free-wordpress-blog-to-a-self-hosted-website/
As a writer, you’d probably enjoy her blog.
Hi Ellen, I like how you made a highly technical subject very understandable and why it’s important to run the correct version of wordpress for one’s business. thanks for your insight!
~Coach Mark Edward Brown
Thanks for finally writing about > Why you need to know the difference
between WordPress.com and WordPress.org – Change the World Marketing < Loved it!