How to Delete Your WordPress Blog from Your Hosting Company
You have a brand new blog. You wrote a few articles, hooked up with some great content marketers, and launched into the world of blogging. You share your love of travel, fashion, and lifestyle with your audience. You even started a premium course on blogging, teaching people how to become successful bloggers.
But now it’s time to take your blog down. You don’t want to keep putting out content when nobody is reading it. You tried promoting your blog a few times but didn’t see any traction. Deactivating a WordPress blog is a pain. Especially when you’re using shared hosting.
You could delete your blog from your hosting company’s control panel. But then you’d have to remember all the different ways you’d need to adjust your website’s settings to make it work anyway. Plus, there’s always the chance that you’d break something along the way. Or that someone else would break something while you were trying to work on fixing it. When all is said and done, you’ll have a ton of technical support requests submitted due to your shared hosting plan.
You might also decide to host your blog on your own server. This way you can install WordPress on it yourself. Then, you can control all the settings without any hassles. Plus, you won’t have to worry about your blog getting hacked or broken due to improper settings or plugins. (Or, if it’s already too late for that, you can always recover from a hack.)
Another option. Which is often the best choice. Is to hire a webmaster to do all the work for you. While still keeping your blog’s existence a secret. (Hire a webmaster to take down your blog – The Ultimate Guide). This way, you won’t have to worry about any of the technicalities. Your webmaster will take care of them. Plus, it’ll give you the peace of mind to focus on growing your business.
The Pros And Cons Of The Many Possible Solutions
So now that you know the options, it’s time to pick one. Or, at least, the best of them. When it comes to deleting a WordPress blog from your hosting company, there are several viable solutions. Each with their perks and quirks. So it’s important to understand what you’re getting into before you decide which one to go with.
Let’s examine the various options, shall we?
1. Install WordPress on your own server
If you’ve been putting off doing this for as long as possible, you can finally feel free to indulge. This is the preferred method for those who want to keep their blog private. Or, at least, keep it out of the public eye. (The ideal solution for those who want to keep their blog private).
You’ll have complete control over the content that’s published on your blog. And you can do anything you want with the way it looks. There’s no set-up or configuration required other than adding the correct IP address to your hosting account. Once that’s done, you can install WordPress himself, or hire someone to do it for you.
This is the most secure option. Because you’re in full control of your blog’s data and settings. Nobody else has access to it but you. (Unless you decide to share it with them.) Which, for the most part, you shouldn’t. (Unless you want to invite guest bloggers or a team of content creators to work with you.)
2. Use a free blog hosting service
You can find a decent number of hosts that will allow you to install WordPress onto their servers without having to pay a cent. (Install WordPress on Free Blog Hostings – Top Picks). In fact, there are even hosts that include basic features like a free domain and free backups with their premium packages. (See the comparison here).
These are perfect for people who want to keep their blog more or less publicly available. (But don’t want to put in the effort required to maintain a private blog). You’ll have to install WordPress yourself, or hire someone to do it for you. (Although, you could use a tool like WPE to install WordPress on a free host automatically.)
This is the second most secure option. (Just behind the previous one). Because, as the name would suggest, these hosts are free. And, therefore, there’s no money to be made from advertising, affiliate marketing, or even premium packages. (Unless you decide to take them up on it.) So, the only way they can generate revenue is through selling your data to advertisers. (Unless you decide to take them up on an ad campaign or donate money to them directly.) Which, again, you probably shouldn’t. (Unless you want to support an anti-spam blog.)
3. Install WordPress on a managed hosting service
Not all hosting services are made equal. (Especially when it comes to deleting a WordPress blog from them). Some hosts, commonly referred to as Managed Hosting Services, are built with all the features you’d need to make blogging easy. (WordPress installs easily on Managed Hostings – Why You Should Use Them). They’ve got automated backups, free installs, free domain privacy, and free backups with paid plans. (See the comparison here).
These hosts are ideal for people who want to keep their blog semi-public. (But don’t want to have to keep installing WordPress or paying for additional features.) When you install WordPress yourself, or have it installed and managed by a content strategist, you can be sure that all the bases are covered. (Especially if you’re paying for the plan.)
This is the third most secured option. (Just behind the previous two). Because, as the name would suggest, these hosts are managing your blog for you. So, if you’re not comfortable doing so, there’s no need to.
4. Use a self-hosted blog
You can also host your blog on your own server. (See the comparison here). This is the most labor-intensive option. But, in return, you’ll have the freedom to do anything you want with your blog. (As long as you have enough storage space and a fast enough internet connection).
The advantage of a self-hosted blog is that you have the ability to add additional security layers. (Whether you’re using plugins or manually patching your WordPress installation.) So, if you’re feeling extra-confident, you can go the extra mile and add one more. (Plugin-free security for your WordPress blog – A Comprehensive Guide). There’s also the freedom to choose your own custom domain. (Instead of having to use a sub-domain).
This is the fourth most secure option. (Just behind the previous three). Because, as the name would suggest, you’re providing your own server and security measures. So, if you’re not comfortable doing so yourself, there’s no need to. (Although, it doesn’t hurt to hire a couple of experts to help you out.)
5. Install WordPress on a VPS (Virtual Private Server)
A Virtual Private Server, or VPS, provides you with some of the advantages of a dedicated server. (Except, without the need to purchase one.) Most VPSes will provide you with a dedicated IP address. (Which you can use to access your blog from anywhere. (Whether you’re logged into your home computer or on the go.) Even when you’re not technically logged into your account.). (Plus, you can install WordPress yourself, or have it installed and managed by a content strategist.)
These VPSes are great for people who want to keep their blog semi-public. (But, still don’t want to have to keep installing WordPress or paying for additional features.) When you install WordPress yourself, or have it installed and managed by a content strategist, you can be sure that all the bases are covered. (Especially if you’re paying for the plan.)
This is the fifth most secured option. (Just behind the four previous ones). Because, as the name would suggest, a VPS provides a virtual server. Which, as we’ve discussed, is a fully functioning sandbox for WordPress. So, if you’re not comfortable with having a public blog, there’s no need to. (Although, it doesn’t hurt to hire a couple of experts to help you out.)