How to Upload Your Website to WordPress
WordPress is the most popular blogging platform in existence, with a whopping 75.2 million global monthly active users as of April 2020.
Its popularity among bloggers has led to it becoming a one-stop shop for website owners who want to start blogging or want to make changes to their existing blog. WordPress easily connects with all the major social networks, making it the perfect platform for any type of content creator.
Due to its widespread adoption, many startups and businesses are choosing to use WordPress to power their websites, including online stores, portfolio sites, and blogs.
And, as the CMS of choice for so many large brands and media companies, it’s not difficult to see why.
But, if you’re an independent content creator looking to get your feet wet with blogging, how does one go about uploading their site to WordPress? Well, in this article, we will discuss the best ways to do so.
The Definitive Guide to WordPress.com
If you’ve decided that WordPress is the right platform for your blog, you might be wondering where to host your content. There are several options when it comes to this question, and one of the most popular is WordPress.com.
This platform provides a free version of WordPress along with a hosted solution that allows you to create and maintain your blog. You don’t need to register for an account to use this service, but if you do, you’ll gain access to additional features.
One of the things that sets WordPress.com apart from other similar services is that it offers a dedicated customer support team that is available 24/7 via email and live chat, should you need assistance.
Additionally, this is one of the few services that offer reliability guarantees, ensuring that your site will always be available and, in most cases, functioning correctly.
Speaking of functioning correctly, let’s discuss some of the common pitfalls that you might encounter while developing a WordPress blog. If you want to find more information on specific topics, feel free to visit the WordPress website itself to learn more.
The Definitive Guide to WordPress.org
You might be wondering if WordPress is the right platform for your blog if your existing site is not hosted on the WordPress.com platform. In that case, you should definitely check out WordPress.org since it provides a completely free version of the platform, along with a self-hosted solution that allows you to install and maintain your blog on your own hardware.
One of the main advantages of this platform is that you retain full control over your content and know exactly where it will be stored – no more third-party servers!
Additionally, with a self-hosted blog, you can choose the domain name that will appear alongside your website’s address (commonly referred to as the “website domain”) and install a free SSL certificate to ensure that your site’s confidential content is always protected.
If you’re concerned about having enough storage space to host your blog, this option also allows you to choose your desired storage capacity. It’s a common mistake for beginner bloggers to choose the cheapest available plan when starting out, only to find themselves struggling with limited storage space when their blog starts attracting thousands of readers.
And last but not least, let’s not forget about the incredible community that is available on WordPress.org. In most cases, you will not find a more accommodating and helpful group of people when it comes to problems and questions related to blogging and website development.
To sum up, if you’re looking for a free platform that allows you to start a blog or make significant modifications to your existing one, then WordPress.org is exactly what you need.
Secure Blogging With Let’s Encrypt
Blogging is considered to be one of the most dangerous online activities due to the significant amount of information that is commonly shared between blog posts. For this reason, blogging is usually considered to be on the high-risk end of the web hosting safety spectrum.
However, if you’re serious about blogging and want to ensure that your content is always secure, then you should consider making use of services like Let’s Encrypt that provide free SSL certificates for blogging. In most cases, all that is required to obtain this certificate is a valid email address.
What is an SSL certificate? Well, simply put, it is a digital certificate that is used to authenticate and encrypt your website’s sensitive information, like credit card numbers and login credentials, as you transfer them across the web.
With Let’s Encrypt, all of this is handled for you. When you sign up for an account, you will be offered a free, self-managed SSL certificate that is fully compatible with all current web browsers.
So, as you can see, if you want to protect your precious blog content, then Let’s Encrypt is the ideal solution. And due to their rapid expansion, it is quite possible that Let’s Encrypt will be offering commercial SSL certificates by the time you read this.
Take Your Time
When you decide to start a blog, the last thing that you want to do is rush into it. Even the most experienced and successful bloggers took their time to learn the ropes, gain experience, and build a solid foundation before launching their successful blogs.
On the other hand, if you want to upload your blog to WordPress as soon as possible, then you should probably choose the hosted solution instead. But, if you want to take your time and do it right, then self-hosted blogs are the way to go. In most cases, you won’t need all of the features that are available on the WordPress.com platform, and you’ll have the opportunity to learn a lot along the way.
Create A Blog From Scratch
If you’re truly determined to start a blog and need help getting your site up and running, then you might want to consider creating a blog from scratch instead of using WordPress.com or WordPress.org to launch your blog.
Although it is possible to use either of these platforms to launch a blog, it is advised that you avoid doing so if your goal is to create a fully independent blog that is not affiliated with any other business or person. In most cases, this type of blogging arrangement is considered to be a blatant breach of privacy, and in some jurisdictions, it could be considered defamation or libel, depending on the context and content of your blog posts.
What is the difference between a blog and a website? Well, a blog is usually considered to be a standalone platform that can exist independently, while a website is always considered to be part of an organization or business entity. In many cases, a blog will host all of the content that is needed to run a website (e.g., home pages, product pages, and so on) while a website will usually host the majority of the content that is available (e.g., blogs, community forums, etc.).
Additionally, a blog is usually considered to be a relatively low-priority platform in terms of security, mainly because its content is not deemed to be especially confidential or sensitive. For this reason, little to no security measures are normally implemented by default on a blog, whereas a website, depending on its nature and level of activity, might need to implement more elaborate security measures (e.g., 2-factor authentication, secured connection, etc.).
Choosing a platform like WordPress to launch your blog does have several advantages. Not only does it provide you with a large audience, allowing you to quickly gain credibility and build a following, but it also allows you to make significant modifications to your blog as you see fit, without needing to consult with an expert.
Speaking of significant modifications, let’s discuss two things that you might want to avoid while developing your blog. The first is making use of the wrong tool for the job, and the second is trying to become an overnight success by producing high-quality content without giving it proper research and planning.
Use The Right Tool
Even among experienced bloggers, the use of the wrong tool for the job can be an epidemic. Whether it is a lack of experience, unrealistic expectations, or just plain old fashioned laziness, many beginners try to shortcut their way to internet fame by using tools and techniques that were not made for the purpose of creating a blog. For example, if you’re looking to use Photoshop to create awesome visuals for your blog posts, you might want to consider using Canva instead.
Canva is a free photoshop alternative that was designed for bloggers and content creators who want to quickly and easily create beautiful artwork that will incorporate text, images, and other elements to achieve a specific look and feel.