Do I Need to Install WordPress When I Switch Hosting?
If you’re reading this, I assume you’re either a blogger or someone who works with bloggers — otherwise, why would you be here?
The question is: do I need to install WordPress when I switch hosting?
The short answer is: no. You can continue to use your current platform — whether that’s WordPress, Typepad, or whatever — to publish your content.
The long answer is a little more complicated. Let’s dive in.
Why Should I Switch Hosting?
The main reason you might want to switch hosting providers is because your current one isn’t offering the features you need or because they’re being overly intrusive with the data they’re collecting about you (usually without your knowledge).
But beyond those two reasons, there are also a host of other advantages to switching hosting providers.
Here are just a few of them:
1. The Best Technology Ahead Of Their Time
When most people think about switching hosting providers, they think about the technology behind the platform. After all, today’s tech-savvy bloggers can often be found blogging on one of the numerous platforms available for public use (e.g., WordPress, Typepad, Medium, etc.).
While it is definitely great to be able to harness the power of today’s technology, let’s not forget that the same technology that enables you to quickly and easily set up a blog also allows your hosting provider to track every move you makes, from the day you sign up till the day you harde…
2. A Peaceful Escape From The Opinions Of Others
If you want to be able to truly speak your mind, you’ll need the freedom to do so without the constant pressure of trying to please others. Your current hosting provider might not even allow you to have an opinion on certain topics, or they’ll clog your blog with editorial comments and forums that never stop popping up (and driving down your engagement and satisfaction with your blog).
Thankfully, with a little planning and research, you can find a hosting provider that shares your views and values. In fact, you might even find that they are the _exact_ platforms you need to grow your business and become the successful blogger you were born to be!
3. Huge Discounts On The Tools You Need
One of the main reasons people choose one hosting provider over another is because of the discounts they receive on the various tools they need to run a successful blog (e.g., web hosting, email marketing, etc.).
If you’re serious about blogging and want to save as much money as possible, you might consider looking into getting a hosting provider that offers substantial discounts on the tools you need to launch and grow your blog. The more you use your blog, the more you’ll realize how much you need to make it go smoothly—and how much you can save by getting a discount on the gear you need!
4. A Stable And Secure Blog Platform
Another important factor to consider when choosing a blogging platform is whether or not you’ll be able to rely on it and if it’s going to be stable and secure in the face of a data breach or server crash.
Even if you’re using free blogging platforms like WordPress or Typepad, you should consider the security measures those platforms take before you launch your blog. For example, does your current blogging platform offer two-factor authentication? Can you rely on the security of your SSL certificate?
If you answered no to either of those questions, then it’s time for a change. A stable and secure blogging platform that also offers phenomenal support is what you need if you want to truly build a resourceful blog—one that can withstand whatever the internet throws at it.
5. A Global Focus
If you want to blog internationally, it’s important to consider the types of content you’ll need to make it work. Your current platform might not offer the features you need to post and share content in other languages — or it might require too much work to do so (e.g., adding a translation layer to your website).
However, you can find a hosting provider that offers multilingual capabilities and has an extensive community of users who can help you get the most out of it.
What If I Don’t Want To Switch Hosting?
Even if you have a really good reason to switch hosting providers, there is still an option you should consider. That is, if you don’t want to switch, then simply go with what you have and make the best of it.
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world — and with good reason. It has an extremely active and vibrant community and a phenomenal support team. If you’re confident that your current hosting provider is up to date with the latest security measures and that their service is reliable, then there is no reason to risk your…
Conclusion
So, should you switch hosting providers? That all depends on you, of course — but I’d say it’s absolutely worth it. The main thing is that you do what’s best for you and your blog. If you’re looking for a way to save as much money as possible while also getting the most from your blog, then I’d recommend looking into getting a hosting provider that offers phenomenal discounts on the gear you need.
One of the most popular sites online today is definitely Blogger — the platform many of us use to quickly and easily launch a blog. Back in January 2019, when Google announced that they were shutting down Blogger, a lot of us were absolutely devastated. We had spent years building our blogs on this platform and were finally faced with the challenge of finding a new blogging platform.
But you know what? It wasn’t all bad. It turns out that Blogger had actually been listening to its users for years and had started to heavily promote the platform’s features to bloggers looking for a new blogging platform. So while Blogger was indeed shutting down a lot of its features, it also gave us some amazing advice about what we should be looking for in the future.
One year later, and with a new platform (that still uses a lot of the technology Blogger pioneered) under my belt, I can say that the advice Blogger gave us was definitely spot on. Here are some of the things I’ve learned from launching and managing my blog, The Lucid Blog:
1. Don’t Be Fooled By The Glitz And The Glam
One of the first things Blogger told us when it announced that it was shutting down was to avoid choosing a blogging platform that was too “pretty” or had a “glitzy” look to it. While I don’t want to steal any of Blogger’s thunder (it was certainly a great platform), their website looked quite a bit like a dating app, and they were quick to point out that many people get sucked into the glam without thinking clearly about the underlying technology used to provide a good experience for their users.
My advice? Avoid anything that looks too “pretty” or has a “glitzy” look to it. It’s great that you want your blog to look fancy, but make sure that the people reading it are not being fooled into thinking that it is a well-designed platform instead of one that you simply threw together in a hurry. Designing a good-looking site for your blogging platform is certainly easier than designing one that is functional and meets all the requirements of a good CMS.
2. Only Post What You’re Interested In
One of the biggest mistakes you can make as a blogger is to post anything and everything that comes to your mind. Some of my most popular blog posts are definitely the ones where I talk about my personal experiences (e.g., dating or travel), but I’ve also published posts on a whole host of other topics—from business and technology to health and fitness and even some celebrity gossip!
The problem with this approach is that your audience will quickly become jaded and ignore your content if you keep posting about topics they’re not interested in. Even worse, you’ve just pushed out a bunch of content for the sake of pushing out content — without any regard for whether or not it’s been seen by your audience.