WordPress.com Vs WordPress.org

Which Is Best For Your Blog?

If you’re new to the world of blogging, you’re probably wondering, “WordPress.com vs WordPress.org – what’s the big difference?” The truth is while there are many similarities between the two, there are just as many differences. That’s why it’s critical that you make the right choice when setting up your blog. This post covers WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, so you can make the best decision for your exact needs.

WordPress.com

In considering WordPress.com vs WordPress.org, we’ll start with the .com version. WordPress.com is an awesome way to jump into blogging, but only if you have no plans to monetize your blog. If your main interest in blogging is just getting your personal thoughts out there, WordPress.com is perfect. It’s free, easy to set up, you can choose from a multitude of free templates, and you don’t have to purchase a domain name or a hosting account.

Everything you need for this type of blogging is included in WordPress.com. However, if you decide you’d like to make money from your blog (or you think you’d like to make money from your blog in the future), WordPress.com isn’t the place for you. WordPress.com will ban your blog and possibly even delete your blog if you attempt to monetize it through the free platform at WordPress.com.

WordPress.com offers free hosting so you don’t have to set up an outside hosting account, but you’ll trade that free hosting for a dedicated wordpress domain name. For example, instead of www.seattleseoconsultant.com, with WordPress.com, your domain would be www.seattleseoconsultant.wordpress.com. That extra part of adding .wordpress.com to your domain name does a few tricky things that can work against you if you’re blogging for business instead of just for personal reasons.

First, people will know you have a free blog with a domain name that includes .wordpress.com. This doesn’t give you much credibility as a business owner, but it’s fine if you’re just setting up a blog to share your thoughts, your pictures, and things you enjoy with your friends and family. Second, you have fewer customization and plugin options with WordPress.com. If you want all the bells and whistles of blogging, you’ll have to settle for less with free WordPress.com.

WordPress.org

If you’re running a business, or you want to monetize your personal blog, WordPress.org is the way to go. Although you’ll have to sign up for a self hosting account and register a domain name at an online provider like Host Gator or Go Daddy (which aren’t all that costly anyway), you’ll gain a ton of valuable tools that will help your website rise in the rankings along with many other features that will help you build your business.

Most importantly for business owners, you can monetize your blog to your heart’s content with WordPress.org. You simply set up your domain and hosting, choose from a variety of free themes or upload your own custom theme, and then get to work creating and monetizing your blog.

Your customization options are practically unlimited with WordPress.org, including the option to create pages, posts, add widgets, install plugins, insert videos, images, audio, and much more. WordPress.org also offers excellent trackability. You can track all kinds of statistics that will help you increase your rankings and convert more visitors into customers.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of WordPress.org is the ability to have your own domain name like www.seattleseoconsultant.com instead of www.seattleseoconsultant.wordpress.com. This lends much more credibility to your business, giving you the image of a solid company instead of a fly by night operation. Since dedicated domains rank better in the search engines than .wordpress.com domains, you’ll automatically outrank your WordPress.com competition with a WordPress.org blog.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org? Which is best for your blog? Both platforms work great for bloggers worldwide. Choosing between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org mostly comes down to your type of blog and your plan for monetization. Consider your needs and evaluate which platforms fits your long term needs best.

Still not sure about choosing between WordPress.com vs WordPress.org? Seattle SEO Consultant can help. Click to schedule your free 30 minute consultation today. We can help you make the right decision for your blog, and we can even set up your WordPress.com or WordPress.org blog for you, including customizing your theme so it presents you or your business best.