We are here to tell you that the best way to create your self hosted blogging and the benefits of self-hosting for a blog.
As a beginner blogger, it can be overwhelming to choose where you would like to create your blog.
Although sites like Wix and Square space are appealing because they do the hard work for you and offer drag-and-drop building features, as tempting as they may be, do not create your blog through them.
Here is why you should create a blog with self-hosting and the benefits of self-hosting for a blog in 2023.
Let’s drive in!
What is Self-Hosting?
Self-hosting blog means you are running your website independently. Instead of using a platform or cloud server, you will run your own network and be responsible for the maintenance of your blog.
You’re probably thinking, why would I want to give myself the work if I can use a site that will do it for me, that’s why we have created this post to share the 12 benefits of self-hosting for a blog.
12 Benefits of Self Hosting for a Blog in 2023
Here’s why you should start a blog with self-hosting!
1. Customize Your Domain
Your blog is a business and you need a custom blogging brand name for the business. Having a self-hosted website allows you to create a domain that is fully customized to you.
You can pick the .com, .net, .org, co.uk, etc. You also don’t have to include .wix or .squarespace in your URL. Having a fully customized domain will make your website and brand more official.
2. Ranking on Google Using SEO
Having a self-hosted website allows you to rank on Google using SEO, and search engine optimization. You can do this by adding meta tags, SEO titles, and keywords.
You can also amend your permalinks. A permalink is a permanent link that you assign to your pages, posts, and products. For example, a permalink would be www.example.com/permalink.
If you are looking to become a full-time blogger, ranking on Google is an essential part as it brings in traffic without posting on social media.
This is the ideal situation as it’s passive traffic, meaning we don’t have to put in the work of sharing the post to create blog views.
3. Full Control Over Your Website
You have full control over your website which for a blogger is the best situation. If you are looking to customize it or add a little sparkle, you can!
There is no limit to self-hosting as you can create the code for your site and insert it using a code plugin.
Having full control over your website also gives you peace of mind. If Wix went out of business, your site would too, and sadly all your hard work would be lost.
We really don’t want that!
4. Plugins
As mentioned above, you can add plugins for just about anything. If you would like to add social share buttons or your Instagram feed to your blog, you will need a plugin.
Most free website builders don’t include plugins, therefore you are very limited. Although you can add your own code, there are already over 56,000 plugins on WordPress that are available for you to use.
5. Advertising
If you are looking to place ads on your website, which we don’t recommend doing until you have built a larger following, ad networks will not accept Wix or other platforms that are not self-hosted.
Also, in order to add advertising, you need to use plugins.
6. Cost
The cost of self-hosting a website and using a hosted platform like Wix is an incredible difference. Yes, you are doing more of the work with a self-hosted website, but you have more freedom.
For Example; Let’s take WIX:
Information Wix Self-hosting:
- Price $12.50 $4.95
- Storage 10GB Unlimited
- Plugins No Yes
- SSL Certificate Yes Yes
- Bandwidth Unlimited Unlimited
- Remove ads Yes Yes
As per the above data, although Wix offers some similar features, the price point is a lot higher than self-hosting.
6. Professional
A self-hosted website is more professional looking as it’s clear you have created the website yourself. As mentioned above, you can create a personalized domain. Otherwise, it would look like this:www.example.wix
If you’re a hobby blogger this isn’t a problem, but if you are looking to blog full-time, you will need a customized domain.
Also, remove the ads from your website. If you use a free account, you will have Wix ads all over your website, which again doesn’t look professional.
7. Choose Your Theme
When creating a WordPress site, you can download a pre-made theme onto your site. WordPress offers a number of best themes but you can also purchase them off Etsy and other theme builder websites.
Using a theme will allow you to customize the colors, fonts, and layout of your site with a wide selection of choices. For example, you could add the sidebar to the right-hand side instead of the left.
8. Build an Email List
If you are a full-time blogger, you need an email list. In order to create an email list, you need to include plugins on your site to gather the data.
You can collect emails using other sites, but you have to create separate landing pages, this would mean your readers would have to jump through hoops to add their email, and sadly no one is going to do that.
Having an email list is an important part of blogging as it allows you to build a relationship with your readers and have a direct line of contact with them.
9. Work with Brands
Brands are more likely to reach out if your site is branded and professional.
If a brand is checking out your site and you have Wix ads all over it with no real customization that makes you stand out from other bloggers, they aren’t going to reach out.
First impressions matter, ensure that your blog is optimized.
10. Build More Experience
Although using a self-hosted site is the correct way to build a blog, it does require more work. As you build your website, you will obtain a lot more skills doing it yourself, which will benefit you in the long run.
If you are struggling with how to create a WordPress site, we have a fully completed guide that is built for beginner bloggers! Check it out here.
11. Community
WordPress is the most popular site to build a website on, and because of this, the community out there is huge. If you have a question or you’re stuck with something, someone will know the answer.
There are a number of blogging Facebook groups that are there to help beginner bloggers with building a website and doing it through self-hosting.
12. Monetize Your Blog
The dream of a full-time blogger is to create an income. In order to create a livable income, you need a self-hosted website. The main ways that bloggers make money are by doing the following:
- Affiliate marketing
- Ads (requires self-hosting)
- Sponsorship posts (You will have a better chance at working with brands having a self-hosted website)
- Digital products (Creating an e-commerce store would cost extra and you would be required to update your plan using Wix, with self-hosting, it’s free!)
How to Get Started with a Self hosted Website?
If after reading this post, you now feel ready to create a self-hosted website, we are here to talk you through the process. If you want to start a self-hosted blog you must need two things:
- Custom Domain Name
- Web Hosting
Domain Name: You can buy a domain name from either Namecheap or Godaddy. Both are affordable and easy to manage.
Web hosting: We use a site called Fastcomet to host all of our blogs. They offer a monthly subscription plan, which a lot of self-hosting companies don’t offer, they only offer yearly plans.
If you’re a beginner blogger and want to keep the outgoings down, Dreamhost offers a very affordable plan.
The starter sharer plan is only $1.99 per month and this will allow you to create your full self-hosted website with WordPress and include all of the above benefits.
Their support team is also on call 24/7 and will help with any queries that you may have.
Get started here with the Starter Sharer Plan at Fastcomet.
If you are looking for a full guide on how to set up a Self hosted blog from scratch, check out our full guide on how to start a blog from scratch.
Over To You!
Although self-hosting does require more work and knowledge, the above 12 benefits of self-hosting for a blog speaks for themselves.
If you’re looking to move across from a hobby blogger to a full-time blogger, having a self-hosted WordPress site is the best move to make.
What are some benefits you’ve noticed with using a self-hosted website for blogging? Let me know in the comment below!
