Last Updated on: October 5th, 2014
Have you thought about switching from a wordpress.com to a .com website? I have, and when I did, many questions popped up in my mind. I enlisted help from Patrick McFadden in my quest to find answers to them. This post, complete with videos of our two Google Hangouts, will give you the answers you have been looking for!
The first hangout was done from Patrick’s end. By this I mean that he invited me to the hangout. I had more questions, though, and so we made plans to do another one, with me inviting him this time. Since “Hangouts” are still new to both of us, we were both able to learn from these experiences. Whomever does the inviting is the person who gets to begin recording the hangout “on air”.
I began following Patrick’s blog several months ago. and when he switched to his new site, I thought that he would be the perfect person to ask to answer the questions I had. I was thrilled when he readily agreed to help me! His new site is here.
Patrick is a great guy. You can meet him, too, and hear what he has to say below. I know the video is long, and so I went through it to highlight some of the important points, and at (roughly) what times they occur at, so that you can jump straight to the parts you like. (I have seen this done on other sites, and think it is super-helpful, and so I decided to do this for you, to make your life easier. I’m nice that way!)
So here is a short breakdown for you:
1:57 Options you have with a .com site that you don’t have with a wordpress.com site
4:18 Scheduling posts
6:37 Jet Pack
7:42 another option
7:55 Disqus comment system
10:25 “legitimate” subscribers
12:19 readers, and a call to action
13:32 settings to be adjusted
15:01 platform problems
17:00 why it is a good idea to keep the wordpress.com site instead of deleting it
18:33 storage space issues
19:48 Patrick reveals a secret about using images and videos
24:10 good leadership quote, advice, and appreciation
26:00 statistics and focus on content and delivering value
28:00 my most clicked-on post
32:02 my mom sneezes (I made the video at her place, and could not control this!)
32:48 I got interested in marketing and signed up for it
34:34 what I need to learn
36:34 effort pays off and is needed
41:35 we all have unique talents to share and contribute
I had a few more questions about switching from a wordpress.com to a .com website, and I also wanted to make a shorter video that would answer them, so I contacted Patrick again. In the video below, Patrick answers these questions:
1. What are the steps I need to take once I decide to switch to a .com site?
2. How much does it cost to make the switch, or what are the potential costs? List and prices, please! (ie: domain name, hosting, plugins, etc)
3. Is there a way to cut corners and keep costs down?
4. My blog url right now is lorrainemariereguly.wordpress.com and I want it to be lorrainereguly.com — how do I do this? (What steps, and in what order, do I need to take?)
5. How do you “move” all of your wordpress.com posts?
6. Is there a storage limit for a .com site like there is on a wordpress.com site? If so, can you purchase additional space?
7. Tell me more about your business and what you currently get paid to do. (Here is your chance to market yourself!)
8. Can you give me a “sneak peek” into the digital products you will be selling in the future?
9. How did you get so interested in marketing, and where did you learn about it? (School?)
10. Is there anything else you would like to add about yourself, or any advice you would like to give bloggers (especially new bloggers)?
Here is a rough breakdown of this video:
00:20 The first question is asked
01:40 Costs are discussed
03:14 Cutting corners and keeping platforms
04:14 My blog question
05:22 Moving posts
06:39 Storage limits are discussed, even though no answers are found! Perhaps you can find some answers in this post.
09:45 Patrick talks about marketing and what he does
13:56 follow your DNA!
14:27 Advice is given
15:05 Final thoughts
I hope that this has answered any question you may have about switching from a wordpress.com to a .com website. I know I learned a lot!
Patrick McFadden knows a lot about marketing, and shares his knowledge on his main blog, Indispensable Marketing, offering tips that can be applied by anyone. He is also a public speaker and consultant. You can follow Patrick on Twitter, read his personal blog, or see his profile on LinkedIn.
If you have any questions, please ask them in the comment section! Don’t be shy!
Thankfully I started with a .com WordPress blog, but that doesn’t mean everything has been easy sailing. At one point, I put a bunch of my old travel posts in the trash without realizing the trash gets automatically deleted every month. Live and learn, that’s what blogging is all about, and it’s great that we can all help each other learn and grow when needed.
I completely agree with you, Jeri! Helping others is what it’s all about! 🙂
I found this helpful the other day when I read and I like your writing as well http://barbmca.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/unique-leaves-award/
Barb, my aim was to help!
Thanks for the compliment, too! 🙂
Patrick has a lot of helpful advice here!
He sure does! I am grateful that he was willing to share it, too! 🙂
I’m thinking about it but not making the move just yet.
Me, too!
Thanks Lorraine for the opportunity for me to share my know knowledge with your awesome community! I appreciate it very much!
You are most welcome!
Thank you for the great information! This post earned me a re-blog! YAY! 🙂 ALso, a scoop on Scoopit!
Glad I could be a part of this!
Thank you! I am excited for both of us! Talk about indispensable marketing! I love it when people share my stuff! 🙂
Reblogged this on Greatpoetrymhf's Weblog and commented:
Perfect timing for me….how about you?
I am not planning on moving just yet, but think it is good to be informed beforehand, so that when I am ready to take the plunge, I will be prepared! 🙂
Thanks for the re-blog, too! You made my day! 🙂
This was very insightful. Enjoyed the video! Excellent job. I’ve been stalling on changing my blog and now I’m glad I did.
As you learn more about blogging, your blog will evolve. Mine has, and still is!
I am glad you found this useful. I know I did!
This can be tricky, but it’s all worth learning. I’ve gotten a lot of jobs I wouldn’t have, if it weren’t for knowing my way around blogs and websites on the backend.
Blogging is something that anyone can do, but not everyone can do it well. I am still learning, but think I have the basics covered. However, I also don’t have my own domain name yet, or paid hosting, so I am certainly not an expert! But I have watched tutorials and read a lot about this subject, so I have a good understanding of it. Also, it helps to talk to people who have been through “the change” themselves!
I had a couple knowledgeable friends to guide me through it the first time, and after doing it for a couple of clients, and then a couple more times for myself, it’s one of those things that, in retrospect, seems simple, however daunting it seemed from the starting point.
Doing anything for the first time can be intimidating, and that’s why it is nice to have help! Hence the reason for my post! 🙂
You were lucky you had someone to help you, Connor. I am a non-techie type, so I need all the help I can get when it comes to things technological!