Everyone wants to blog and with a host of popular free blog hosting solutions available, WordPress.com is a popular choice. However, everything that comes free has its limitations, and it is better to know the benefits and limitations before starting a WordPress.com blog.
With WordPress.com Blogs
First I will highlight the major limitations of the WordPress Blogs which might make you decide to install the downloadable version (wordpress.org) with your own paid domain name and own webhosting.
Disadvantages
- No income – with hosted WordPress you cannot monetize your blog. All the advertisements are controlled and you are not allowed to display advertisements
- Domain limitation – your domain will be like this: www.yourblogname.wordpress.com
- Limited storage space – if you run out of space you will need
- Limited Design – you will get to choose from themes, but you cant upload and edit
- Check terms and conditions
Advantages
- Free – you don’t have to pay for hosting and domain registration. All you need is an e-mail address.
- Automatic Updates – Each time the new version becomes available, your blog will be automatically updated.
- Easy to Use and Set-up – All you need to do is to create a WordPress account, choose your subdomain, theme and you are ready to go
With your Self hosted Blogs
A WordPress Blog that is hosted through your own domain ensures that your site is not only completely optimised for search engine ranking, but also provides the highest level of customisation and options to earn revenue.
With self hosted blog you gain more power and control of your own blog.
Advantages
- Earn revenue – start selling your own products or promoting someone else’s products. You are allowed to add a shopping cart and any number of plug-ins for tracking, click-throughs, and other widgets that generate revenue.
- Design – No limitation on themes. There are many free themes available and also customised or premium themes to make it more profesional.
- Complete control – you can customise your blog/website as you wish. No limitation on the design. This will help you to differentiate your blog from others. You will have many more options as your online business evolves and grows.
- Search Engine Optimisation – WordPress is Search Engine friendly and allows every single page to be indexed.
- Own Domain Name – choose the right name for your blog/website, get recognised, brand yourself. Do your keywords research first.
Disadvantages
- Not as easy to set up – you will need to download and install WordPress. This also depend on the type of Hosting you use.
- Not automatically updated – WordPress is becoming more and more popular and it is updated regularly and so you will need to manually update the self-hosted blog with the new release
- Cost – you will have to pay for hosting and domain renewal. With the professional blog, or if you wish to use it as a Website, you will need a professional to design you a unique theme.
