4 Reasons to Use Self-Hosted WordPress to Power Your Website

If you are thinking about starting a website or blog, you might have thought about using WordPress to do so. WordPress is a very popular blogging platform that you have probably heard of countless times before, but one thing that you might not realize is that there are two types of WordPress for you to choose from.

One option is to host your website through WordPress.com, which is a free service. You do not have to pay, which can seem appealing, but there are some drawbacks. These drawbacks are what often encourage people to opt for WordPress.org, which you have to pay for. Basically, you purchase a Web domain and website space from a Web host. Then, you install WordPress to your server and operate it that way.

For most website owners, this is the best choice. These are 4 reasons why self-hosted WordPress is the best option for powering your website as well.

1. You Can Make Money With Ads

One thing that a lot of people don’t realize is that WordPress.com does not allow users to have paid advertisements on their sites. This is a rule that gets broken a lot and that isn’t always enforced, but you should never start your website with the intention of breaking the rules.

If you have a self-hosted WordPress blog, however, you have the opportunity to post as many advertisements as you want. Obviously, this is important if you want to be able to make an income from your blog.

2. You Own All of Your Data

When your blog is hosted on a free blogging platform, you don’t actually own your content or your website. This means that if your page is reported for spam or content that someone doesn’t like, your site could get shut down at any moment. This could cause you to lose all of your hard-earned work and lose all of your traffic.

When you self-host your WordPress site, however, you don’t have to worry about this happening. You own your data and your website, so unless you are breaking the law, you should not have to worry about your content being removed.

3. You Have More Control

You – as well as your readers – deserve an attractive website with all of the newest and best features. When using the free WordPress platform, you don’t have as much control over your website. This means that you can’t upload “skins,” which would otherwise be used to customize the look of your website. You also won’t be able to use all of the many helpful WordPress plug-ins that are available, such as the ones that allow you to sell things on your page and more.

Basically, there is only so much that you can do with a free WordPress site. In the end, your website is probably going to look pretty basic, just like all of the other free WordPress sites that are out there. With a self-hosted WordPress site, however, there are so many things that you can do to your website to make it truly unique. Not only will it look its best, but you can help ensure that it performs well, too.

4. You Have Better Tracking Options

Tracking the traffic on your website is important. Then, you can determine where all of your traffic is coming from, which can help you with promotion and marketing. You can also get a better idea of where your clients live and how frequently they visit your site, which can help you provide better-targeted traffic.

You won’t have the power to see all of these statistics if you opt for a free site. If you self-host your site, however, you can use all of the tools that are available through your Web host to really track all of the traffic to your site. This can help you build your site and can just plain satisfy your curiosity.

If you are thinking about getting started with a website or blog, you shouldn’t opt for the free option. Even though it can be tempting to set up a website that doesn’t cost you anything to operate, you’re much better off self-hosting your blog instead. Then, you can enjoy all of these benefits and more, and you’ll be able to operate a much better site or blog because of it.