Note: In this article I use the terms website, blog, and site interchangeably. These days, there’s not much difference between a website and a blog in terms of how they are set up.
Getting a business website set up is a major challenge for most coaches. There are so many options and decisions to be made.
I’ve made it simple for the pilot program coaches by recommending that they get a self-hosted WordPress business website.
What does that mean, you might be asking!
If you find all this terminology confusing, you’re not alone.
Let’s start by explaining what “self-hosted”, “hosted” and “WordPress” mean.
Difference between hosted and self-hosted websites
Self-hosted means that you purchase a domain name and website hosting and upload your business website content to your hosting account. Rates for website hosting range depending on the features you want, but expect to pay about $10 a month for a reliable web host with good customer support.
Hosted means that you register at a service such as Blogger or LiveJournal or WordPress.com and set up your site for free. You don’t have to buy a domain name (although you can) or pay for website hosting because your site is hosted by the service.
Why WordPress can be confusing
WordPress is software that is used to run websites and blogs. What makes it confusing is that there are two versions: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Simply put, the “.org” is the self-hosted service and the “.com” is the hosted service.
OK, so what does “self-hosted WordPress site” mean?
A self-hosted WordPress website means that you have done each of these four steps:
1) purchased a domain name
2) purchased website hosting from a company such as Bluehost or Hostgator
3) installed the open source software called “WordPress” on your domain at your hosting service
4) uploaded (published) your website/blog content to your site.
Because you installed WordPress on your domain at your hosting service, this is referred to as “self-hosted”.
Note: “Self-hosted” is also referred to as “hosted on your own server”.
I already have www.mywebsite.wordpress.com – is that the same thing?
No. This is why it’s confusing. There is a free service located at www.Wordpress.com. This service uses the open-source WordPress software to provide free websites/blogs. Because these sites are located on free hosting, this is referred to as “hosted” sites.
So why bother paying for hosting?
Use of the free WordPress.com service is subject to their terms of service. For example, you are restricted as to what kind and how many advertisements or affiliate links you can put on your site.
Pros and cons of hosted (WordPress.com) versus self-hosted (WordPress.org)
Both use the WordPress software, but in different ways:
With WordPress.org, your blog or web site is hosted on your own server. Don’t be put off by the “.org” in the name – your business website or blog will be titled www.yourwebsitename.com or whatever domain name you have purchased. This is important, because it means that your business website is entirely under your control.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that you will need to register your own domain name and get paid hosting. Not only does this cost money, but it’s more technically challenging than going with a hosted solution. Community pool or private pool? It's your choice
The good news is that it is free and easy to set up a WordPress.com site. You don’t have to buy a domain name (although you can if you want), and you don’t have to pay for hosting because your blog is hosted by WordPress.com. Therefore, your website url will look like www.yourwebsitename.wordpress.com.
The bad news about WordPress.com is that it places some restrictions on what you can do with your blog, such as only allowing one affiliate link. This may or may not be an issue for you.
An analogy would be that with a hosted solution like WordPress.com you are swimming in the community swimming pool so you have to follow the community rules. If they say “no skinny dipping” then you can’t do it. In contrast, a self-hosted site (which you get by purchasing your own domain name and hosting) is like a private swimming pool in your own backyard. If you want to go skinny dipping, it’s entirely up to you!
Bottom line
I’m recommending the pilot program coaches get a self-hosted WordPress site.
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