New to SITS? Welcome!! Go read this to get started.
Welcome to the weekly blogging tip and comment game! This week I’m talking about the pros and cons of moving from Blogger to WordPress.
Since SITS changed blogging platforms from Blogger to WordPress last week, I’ve received lots of tweets and emails asking, “Why?” Today I present to you the Top 10 Reasons to Move to WordPress:
- Plugins. There are hundreds of thousands of plugins (similar to gadgets/widgets) that enhance WordPress. They are free and do all kinds of fun and useful things. You have already seen the “Comment Luv” and “TwitterLink” plugins in the comments here at SITS. There are plugins that share your content on social networking sites, track clicks on outbound links, display a welcome message and ask visitors to subscribe to your blog, automatically tweet your posts, show the weather in your sidebar… ah, so much fun. If someone would give me a full time job testing plugins, I’d be in heaven. Plugins rock.
- Thousands of theme options. You can find tons of beautiful free themes (designs) for your WordPress blog. Just upload and activate.
- Commenting is easier and better. Is anyone else really annoyed by the Blogger commenting system? There’s a pop-up window (sometimes two), then after you enter your comment you get that “are you sure you want to navigate away from this page?” alert. ARGH. With WordPress, just enter your name, email, URL and comment. And you’ve got a link directly to your blog – not your Google/Blogger profile. Not to mention all the cool plugins you can install to give your commenters extra link love.
- Static Pages. For permanent, important information such as advertising, policies, “about” or “contact” pages, you can set up “pages” on WordPress, which are different than “posts.” Pages are easily linked in a navigation bar or sidebar widget instead of being buried in your post archives, so they are easier to access and edit. They also have simpler/more professional URLs.
- Professionalism. If you have a product, store, or service, WordPress is the way to go. You have more options in terms of organizing and categorizing your posts, pages and other content, as well as more options for your home page display. WordPress can be set to show a featured post/image or a static page for your home page instead of a “list of posts.”
- Spam control. Forget about that “captcha” word verification. WordPress comes with the fantastic Akismet plugin to control your spam. You have full control over what type of comments are held in moderation — comments with more than 3 links, comments that include certain words (gambling, sex, etc), or comments from specific IP addresses.
- SEO. You can install a theme that is specifically designed for search engine optimization (SEO) and/or there are many plugins that also help you specify title tags, meta tags and other options that will help your blog rank higher and be seen by more people. On WordPress’s dashboard there is a section that lists every blog that has linked to you recently. It’s a great “at-a-glance” way to quickly see who is talking about your blog.
- It’s not hard and you won’t lose your permalinks or posts. Creating a post is no harder in WordPress than in Blogger. You do need a little bit of tech knowledge to buy a domain and web hosting, but most people have no problem. You might need some assistance importing your Blogger blog to WordPress and making sure all your permalinks still work. If you have a HUGE blog with TONS of comments, there is a chance you might lose some comments. But most blogs import all posts and comments smoothly.
- Superior Support. Because WordPress is so popular and used by many professional bloggers, designers and programmers, the support forums are incredible. WordPress’s tutorials are also excellent.
- Full control and statistics. OK, this is really two things. Yes, you can gets stats from sites like Sitemeter and Google Analytics, but WordPress offers you a complete stat package built in. And you don’t ever have to worry about Google deleting your blog. You own it. WordPress also makes it really easy to backup all your posts and data.
The cons? Well, there is a cost. You need to buy a domain name ($10/yr) and hosting (~$9/month). And if you are completely techno-phobic, you may need to hire a designer if you want a highly customized design (although this is also true with Blogger).
I hope I’ve given you some insight as to the power of WordPress. Let me know if you have any questions!
Now, let’s play a game! Here are the rules for the SITS Saturday Sharefest:
- Leave a comment here with a link to one of your best blog posts (or just your main URL if you prefer).
- After you leave your comment, visit the link of the person who commented BEFORE you.
- Comment on their post and be sure to say “Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest” in your comment.
Now, go leave some comments! And please visit my new blog – Mom, Reinvented. I’ve got some great giveaways going on!
SITS Girls Twitter Party this Monday- no brands, just us connecting! Here is the info.
Want to subscribe to SITS and get an email each time we post? Just click here.
And, as always, when you see this:
LEAVE A COMMENT.
Happy Saturday everyone! Be sure to stop by my blog and enter my fab GIVEAWAY!
.-= Favourite Vintage Finds´s last post: An Angel At My Table =-.
This is so interesting because I’ve been thinking about switching to WordPress…not sure if I’ll make the leap yet though!
Woohoo! Happy Saturday, all!
.-= Pregosaur´s last post: She has arrived! =-.
Have a great weekend everyone. Think I’ll be sticking to blogger
.-= Chocolate Lover´s last post: Friday’s with Mr. Milk – Weather Permitting =-.
Wow I’m already second today
wohooo!
… and I actualy always wonder why everyones blog is on blogger and not wordpress.
BTW if you have a normal blog like I do with no registered domain then it’s completely free too. Oh and I looooooove the WP stats page
Enjoy your weekend everyone and Happy SITS Sharefest
I’ve been toying with the idea of moving to wordpress for a while. I just don’t think I can warrant paying out for hosting!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
.-= Satakieli´s last post: Butternut Squash Recipes and Thanksgiving menu =-.
Morning all from N Ireland
Had a hectic week, sold lots of my jewelery, and the weekend does nit look any less hectic.
My son said some hilarious things on my blog about how the ice gets inside the fridge freezer. Hope you can check it out
I’m in the top Ten today! Yay! Enjoy the weekend. Spend some time with family having fun today.
.-= Fruitfulvine2´s last post: Tips for Wives – Pray the Word =-.
Twitter: #!/Reviewer11
says:
HAPPY SATURDAY ALL!
Very interesting,… and tempting. Had been toying with the idea to move,.. but I am techno-phobic (thank you, love that word) and fear is holding me back. Can barely put a decent blogger post together,..
But temptation, temptation…
Fab Saturday to all!
.-= WhiteSockGirl´s last post: A Story for Every Picture: Trapped =-.
Have a good weekend everyone!
.-= Emma´s last post: Little bunny, what have you done? =-.
Saturday Sharefest! I love it!
.-= Kitty´s last post: The Day After =-.
Have a great weekend!!
.-= Jaqueline´s last post: Six Word Saturday =-.
Happy Saturday! Have a great weekend!
Hmmm, it’s like biting the hand that feeds you a little bit…I’m happy for you guys but I don’t know if I necessarily agree. Hope we can still be friends… ;O)
After my awful sad news of last week, we have some happy news in that we bought Ollie his first pet! 2 fish! I’m going to announce their names today
Please stop by and say hi if you get a chance. Looking for followers and new blogs to follow too!
.-= Emma at Toddler Awesome´s last post: Our new family members! =-.
Hi everyone!
Please stop by for all your blog design needs
.-= Indiechick Blog Design´s last post: 20% discount to all those who entered my giveaway =-.
that some pretty nice pros!!! I’ll be thinking to upgrade my blog very soon too.
Have a lovely weekend!! What you’re up to girls???
Bisous!!
.-= Miss Always Carried Away´s last post: Chaotic me… =-.
Good morning everyone! It’s so great to be up at 5am on a Saturday with my Peanut
For some reason comment luv isn’t working for me – here is the link to my most recent post.
http://bit.ly/2sy5FK
Good Morning all and happy Saturday sharefest!!
Check out my blog, I need more weight loss partners
.-= Ashlee @Fatmomblog´s last post: Get down with the sickness.. =-.
Happy Saturday everyone!
Happy SITS Saturday evenyone! Hope you get some “you” time today! Would love you stop by my “Balance Beam” (Life Balance Strategy, Humor & Random Overshare).
Cheers!
.-= Charlene´s last post: Five Ways to Steal Back Time =-.
Boy oh boy, am I tempted to move to Word Press!! Now all I have to do is find some extra money in my budget. Super fun. On to more super fun things, though!
Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest everyone! Here’s my link: http://typeamommyblog.blogspot.com
.-= Elizabeth a.k.a. Type A Mommy´s last post: IHOP Pancakes =-.
I would say that I love your new look, so WordPress has my vote. Maybe someday will look further into pros/cons vs. Squarespace.
Ok, going to do some blog-hopping this beautiful a.m.
Happy day to all in SITSland!!
.-= Christine´s last post: Obsessed with Equality =-.
its finally saturday!! have a great weekend, all!!
.-= tina´s last post: proud(and teary-eyed) mama! =-.
Blogger? WordPress? Blogger? WordPress? How to decide? So many good reasons to switch, one good reason not to (cost) especially since I’m not even sure people even read parenting BY dummies anymore. Hello? Readers? Are you out there? Anyone? Anyone? See, told ya so:(.
http://parentingbydummies.blogspot.com/
.-= parenting BY dummies´s last post: Saturday Swag-urday: For Dads =-.
Thanks for the tips!
.-= carrie @ Deliciously Organic´s last post: Red Pepper, Corn and Potato Soup =-.
Yippee for Saturday!
http://zemeks.blogspot.com/2009/02/drinking-at-sink-by-spunky-doodle.html
.-= Karen & Gerard Zemek´s last post: 6 Things I Learned This Week–Part 45 =-.
Hey there everyone. It’s the weekend! One of my fave posts happens to be my most recent one!
.-= Liz´s last post: You mean it gets worse?!? =-.
Happy Saturday Sharefest Ladies, Here’s your joke of the day:
A married couple was in a terrible accident where the woman’s face was severely burned. The doctor told the husband that they couldn’t graft any skin from her body because she was too skinny. So the husband offered to donate some of his own skin.
However, the only skin on his body that the doctor felt was suitable would have to come from his buttocks.
The husband and wife agreed that they would tell no one about where the skin came from, and requested that the doctor also honor their secret. After all, this was a very delicate matter.
After the surgery was completed, everyone was astounded at the woman’s new beauty. She looked more beautiful than she ever had before! All her friends and relatives just went on and on about her youthful beauty!
One day, she was alone with her husband, and she was overcome with emotion at his sacrifice. She said, “Dear, I just want to thank you for everything you did for me. How can I possibly repay you?”
“My darling,” he replied, “I get all the thanks I need every time I see your mother kiss you on the cheek.”
Welcome to my life! I guess everyone can’t get along.
Have a wonderful weekend ladies!
hope everyone has a GREAT day! I am up WAY WAY to early……but hey I don’t work so I can go back to sleep!!
.-= Emalee´s last post: HeLp SpReAd ThE wOrD!!! =-.
Happy rainy, busy Saturday!! Have a great day!
.-= Dawn´s last post: Monthly Craft Challenge =-.
I’ll have to look into WordPress.
My tour of Luckett’s Antique Store (filled with vintage hip decor) continues.
.-= Chloe & Company´s last post: Completely Coastal Giveaway =-.
Up at 5…on a Saturday…definitely not like me but I can’t sleep!
Come check out our adoption giveaway, a good cause to promote our adoption and the giveaway ends tomorrow!!
http://lanceandjulie.blogspot.com/2009/10/its-finally-time-for.html
Yay weekend! Happy Saturday folks!!
.-= Typ0´s last post: Saturday Escapes =-.
I’m so glad you answered the “Why WordPress” question… When re-vamping my blog’s look and name I considered the change but didn’t make the leap
.-= Coniqua´s last post: Handmade Spalidays! =-.
Happy Saturday and weekend to all.
Thanks for info on WordPress.
.-= Gloria´s last post: Christmas is in the air … =-.
Have a Super Saturday everyone! I’m going to our “Sweet Saturday” ladies fellowship time at church this morning and then off to buy a new vacuum cleaner.
http://karenzemek.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-wash-your-car.html
.-= Karen, author of “My Funny Dad, Harry”´s last post: I’m Proud I Actually Wrote A Book—(Writer’s Workshop) =-.
Happy Saturday Sharefest everyone. I am pleased to announce my new fitness/weight loss/healthy lifestyle blog, Fitness: A Journey Not a Destination. I’ll be sharing my experiences working with a personal trainer as well as tips and strategies for losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If you have any questions, leave it in the comment section. If I can’t answer myself, my trainer agreed to answer your questions.
http://fitnessajourneynotadestination.blogspot.com/
.-= karen@fitnessjourney´s last post: The Intensity Factor =-.
I’m still blogging in the dark ages (with blogger). Stop by for a visit anyway, I’ve written a love note to my anonymous commenters.
.-= Joey´s last post: The Anonymous Commenter =-.
http://www.mylifewiththecrazies.com/2009/02/things-that-make-ya-me-go-mmmmmm.html
I am totally nervous about wordpress. I am super comfortable w/ blogger ( though I do have my own dot com) and that was a nerve wracking thing…. maybe someday….
.-= Jenn´s last post: Fridays Fragments, Positively Positive & GNO =-.
Thank you so much for all the information! A much better explanation that I’ve ever seen!
Happy Saturday everyone, I appreciate it.
Thank you so much for all the information! A much better explanation that I’ve ever seen!
Happy Saturday everyone!!
Ive been considering a switch for a while now. I have multiple blogs through blogger (all covering different topics) not sure if that could be a problem when transferring to wordpress or not so I haven’t made the change yet.
.-= Valarie´s last post: Notables =-.
This post was so useful! Thank you, girls!
Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!
x
.-= LittleRus´s last post: Notes from the Little Black Book =-.
I tried wordpress BEFORE blogger and hated it. Maybe I am just not computer literate enough but I think blogger is so much easier! Just my opinion of course….
Hope everyone has a wonderful Saturday!!
.-= Just Add Walter´s last post: Elf Yourself!! =-.
Good Morning! Today is one of those days when I want to (and can) grab a cup of coffee, snuggle up with the laptop and read blogs all day!!
Here is my link, have a great day!!
http://mostlymakingit.blogspot.com/2009/06/hes-lyrical-master.html
.-= Erin´s last post: What’s Wrong With ME?? =-.
Greetings & Salutations, y’all! All very impressive, but the thing I miss about y’all’s Blogger page is the Jump To Comments feature. Even though I LOVE looking at those who’ve popped in to SITS on any given morning, my poor ol’ wrist gets tahred, scrolling down your massive WordPress comments page!
.-= Melissa B.´s last post: Three’s a Charm, Am I Correctamundo? =-.
I have been thinking about updating my blog. We already have a domain name. Here’s my question. Would I lose any AdSense money earned if I converted to WordPress from Blogger? Please reply to my email if you see this comment and have an answer for me. Thanks.
Happy SITS Saturday everyone!
.-= Polly´s last post: Weekend Rerun/Sacred Sunday All in One! =-.