As you all know by now (and must be sick of hearing me say) I just moved over from Blogger and became self hosted.
A lot of bloggers said they were also considering making the move, so I thought I would share with you 8 tips for going self hosted.
1. Breathe
Ok, so breathing is a given. What I mean by this is when you are at the point of screaming, take a couple of deep breaths.
It sounds silly, but it really does help. If nothing else, it will stop you hyperventilating.
2. Walk Away but Don’t Quit
I said a few times I felt like just giving up. You will probably feel like that at least once through the process.
Don’t! If you give up now, chances are you will never try it again.
I would recommend walking away short term though. Just close it down and return in a few hours or the next day with a fresh mind.
3. Set a Date
Prior to making the switch, I ummed and ahhed for weeks. I kept talking myself out of it, convincing myself I wouldn’t be able to do it.
I eventually decided enough was enough and set a date for the move. Once the date was set, I began telling people it was going to happen – I couldn’t back out of it once it was public.
4. Do Your Research
Before you actually start the process, have a look at some hosting options and the blogging platforms available. This way, you will be well informed of the options and more likely to choose the ones that are right for you.
Once you decide on the blogging platform you want, if it is new to you, have a play with it. I was lucky enough that a very good friend has a blog here on WordPress and she very kindly gave me her login so I could have a nosey around.
If you are not in the position to do that, set up a free blog on your chosen site just to have a play about with it.
5. Gather Everything You Need
Once you have completed your research into your chosen platform, have a read through some tutorials if you are unsure how to migrate. From this, you will learn what you will need.
The basics you’ll need to handle and/or to set up are: your host platform, your blogging platform, your URL, and your chosen theme if you are not using a generic one.
6. Don’t Be afraid to Ask for Help
If you’ve been blogging a while, you will know what a fantastic community the blogosphere is. Don’t be afraid to ask a fellow blogger for advice if you are struggling.
I am yet to meet a blogger who wouldn’t be willing to help if someone needed it. Remember, we’ve all been there – if not with the migration process, with something else that leaves us feeling a bit “What!?”
7. Remember your New Best Friend
Forget your real life best friend for a moment (unless of course they are a web designer, then buy them dinner and plead with them to do this for you).
Your new best friend is of course Google. Anytime I hit a snag, or something cropped up I didn’t understand, I Googled it. There will always be an answer there, and often there are video tutorials which I find really helpful.
8. Go in with The Right Mind Set
For a while after setting the date, my mind set was all wrong. I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to do it.
Eventually, with a lot of pep talks from a certain friend (thanks Jan), I decided I could do it. However, I also accepted that if I couldn’t it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
My main worry was that I wouldn’t be able to move my posts over correctly. In the end, I decided I would give it a go, and if it didn’t work, I would live.
I had started from scratch once and I could do it again. Once I changed my mind set to a bit more positive, but still realistic, the process seemed a lot less daunting.
Remember, it is no where near as bad as you think it’s going to be. I am the least tech savvy person you will ever meet. Prior to starting this blog, if someone had said do something as basic as re-size an image using HTML I would have laughed at them.
So when I say if I can do this anyone can, I really do mean that.
If you are thinking of doing it, I say go for it. The longer you put it off, the less likely you are to do it.
Don’t forget to check back later in the week for my post about Blogger Vs WordPress 🙂
You can find me here: Twitter Bloglovin Pinterest and Instagram Please do stop by and say hi!
I can’t tell you how many times I googled things when I moved to self-hosted. Now you will find yourself in a never-ending loop of review, tweak, review, tweak…it never ends. Congrats on making it happen though! #anythinggoes
I am trying to avoid that for now, but I am already getting the urge to start fiddling around lol! Thank you 🙂
Well done for taking the step, it sounds like it was a lot of work but it was worth it. 🙂
Thank you 🙂 You’re right, it was hard but was totally worth it, so glad I did it 🙂
Good advice! I wen’t self-hosted in the summer and definitely forgot to breath a few times! I had issues with my domain name and ‘pointing it’ to the new site which I never even considered would be a problem. You’re right though, most answers are on Google! #MMWBH
Thank you 🙂 It’s funny, the bits you think are going to be easy always seem to be stressful, and the bits you worry about are fine!
Well done! And thanks for this post. I’ve been following your switch over with interest because it’s something I’d like to do at some point, though I don’t feel quite ready yet (perhaps in the new year). I’ll also look out for your Blogger vs WordPress post!
Its always good to have an idea what you are getting into lol! Good luck for when you decide to move 🙂
I’ve enjoyed your posts on going self-hosted. I’m not quite ready but its interesting to read about it for when I am. Well done on taking the plunge! #brilliantblogposts
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed them 🙂 Good luck if/when you decide to go for it!
Great tips! I have been self-hosted since I started blogging as there’s a lot of positive points for doing so. Less hassle as well if you decide to change one in the future. Well done! #binkylinky
In one way, I wish I had started out that way, but as I went in totally blind to it all with no idea what I was doing, i’m sort of glad I started the easy way! Thank you 🙂
Great tips I will certainly come back and read again if I ever go self hosted thanks for linking to the Binkylinky
Thank you 🙂 I hope they help you if you decide to move! Thanks for hosting
I’ve been blogging for over 3 years and still not self hosted! I’m too scared! Thanks for linking up to the #BinkyLinky
It’s really not as bad as you think it will be, but if you are happy where you are then why move! Thanks for hosting 🙂
Well done for taking the leap! It can be scary but the control you get is so worth it, a lot of the self hosting options make it insanely easy to do things too 🙂
Thank you, I’m really happy I did it! It was scary but it was good scary if you know what I mean 🙂
Orrrrrr pay someone to do it for you 😉 I couldn’t have done it myself without a lot of swearing and crying and breaking my laptop (which I managed to do anyway) so well done you!!
Haha yes, that is always a good option. Thanks, but don’t worry there was a lot of swearing and crying haha!