A few years ago when I was a beginner in the blogging world, I talked to Girliegeek about the ins and outs of blogging.  It was through that initial conversation that I was introduced to WordPress.  Like most beginners, I had plenty of questions.  The best advice she gave me was to build my blog the correct way.  The number one thing was to self host your own blog. From that conversation, I have created a list of reasons why you should self host your blog.

• Respect – Reader will take you more serious if you host your own blog.  It shows that you’re committed to your site content.
• Control – As a business owner, it’s all about control.  When you are hosting your own blog, you control your blog content and activity 100%.  Hosting your own blog will allow you to write content with out any restrictions.  This has proven to be priceless for most writers.
• Advertising – If you are treating your blog as a business, you will realize the income potential as your traffic increases.  Affiliate advertising programs like Linkshare, Commission Junction, and many others require you to have your hosted site.

• Scripts – Hosting your own site will allow you to use many popular scripts that aren’t allowed on wordpress.org and blogspot.  And you can also add other features like forums, vBulletin, membership features, and much more.
• SEO – Search engines will find your site easier on a self hosted site because Search Engine Optimization is improved.  Most WordPress blogs use plugins like Headspace, All In One SEO, Automatic SEO links, Google Sitemaps and the list goes on.
• Email Accounts – On a self hosted blog you can create your own email accounts, ie you@yourdomain.com.  It looks more professional to have a your own branded email address.
• Branding – Like most business owners, I am all about branding your product.  You have the ability to customize your theme, your design and content to reflect your image and branding.
• Domain Name – One of the biggest reasons to self host your own blog is the ability to remember your domain name.  It’s much easier to remember Crmcoach.com or Paintermommy.com instead of adding wordpress.com or blogspot to the end of your domain name.

The cost of self hosting your blog is less than $10 per month.  The rewards of self hosting your own blog lasts forever.  If you want to be known for your passion and content, self hosting your blog is the way to go.

Tagged as: Blog, self hosting, wordpress