Comments on: WordPress.org vs WordPress.com – Which One Should I Use?

By: Mark J Murphy

Mark J Murphy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:36:18 +0000

Hi Don:

Yikes, while technical enough to be dangerous, sometimes I just need someone to tell me what to do . With all the great comments above, I think I should use .com but am still confused as to whether I should use .org or .com to create a website for myself.

I am grateful(!) for your help/guidance.

1) I am a marketing consultant and simply(?) want to create a website to help ‘promote’ myself. Functionally I want to post content, including possibly videos (or link to YouTube videos), link to other blogs, my Twitter, other Twitter accounts, etc.
2) I have a domain name registered on GoDaddy
3) I don’t care about who hosts it. Whatever is easiest.
4) I don’t care about too many design options, “content is king”.
5) Am I missing anything?

Cheers!
Mark in San Francisco

By: Danielle

Danielle — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:04:48 +0000

Hi Don
Not computer saavy…super frustrated. I just came across your blog & it makes sense, so thank you. But could you advise me on my next step? I have a host & domain name with fat cow…probably not my best choice in hindsite (however I have 30 days to cancel & be refunded minus the $15 domain name fee). I just want a simple website that allows me to have a nice blog, showcase my handmade items I make & sell, and allow me to add services for paypal & perhaps a shopping cart. I tried using my host “easy” installation of wordpress….but was very unsuccesful so I uninstalled it. And I’m annoyed that in order to add paypal or shopping services, it’s an additional monthly fee. (I know, my fault for not finding & reading the small print). Should I cancel & start over? Or keep it and learn how to integrate it into a wordpress.org account? I do have a wordpress…but I guess it’s not the same thing as wordpress.org. I also have mercantec ecommerse express…not sure how that ties all in either though. O_0 any advise I’d truly appreciate.

By: Don Campbell

Don Campbell — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:00:39 +0000

testing and researching - Just because you are using WordPress from WordPress.org (also called "self hosted WordPress" doesn't mean you can't use a .com domain. You can use any domain you want. Sign up with a hosting provider (BlueHost is my recommendation) and you can use any .com domain name for your website. In this context, WordPress.com just refers to where your blog is being hosted. You can still use a .com domain and self host your WordPress.

By: testing and researching

testing and researching — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:18:05 +0000

I need some clarification on this subject as I’m currently deciding on whether or not to choose a wordpress.org site.

So, my question is (I think) like Stephanie’s: Can I register my wordpress.org site as a wordpress.com site?

I need the functionality of the wordpress.org site (photo slider, custom menu’s, more of a site vs. blog feel..), but for the sake of my audience would rather have a .com domain name.

thank you!

By: Robert Miles

Robert Miles — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:56:01 +0000

You can download Artisteer (http://bit.ly/downloadartisteer) and make a template for WordPress.org. Can not do for WordPress.com…

By: Don Campbell

Don Campbell — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:06:23 +0000

Hi Rebecca,
I haven’t heard of Basekit before so I can’t offer any comparison there.

In terms of moving your site over, you’ll be OK as long as you take the time to identify all the pages on your site that currently rank well (if they have Google PageRank and backlinks) and make sure that you do a 301 redirect of those URLs to the corresponding pages in the new site.

This article from our Users Guide describes how to do that.

By: Don Campbell

Don Campbell — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:43:56 +0000

You bet Ricky – thanks for stopping by!

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:54:36 +0000

Hello Don, thank you so much for your article! I read through all the comments and had a lot of questions answered..but alas, i have one (or two) more. I am makeing content changes on our site (www.klamathrafting.com) through Cushycms.com. Our web designer is trying to get me to switch to a better CMS because he wants us to be able to have more freedom of movement witht the site (bless his heart).
He suggested either wordpress or Basekit.com. In experimenting with Basekit (they have a 14 day demo period), i find the navigation a little complicated and from what i can see perhaps wordpress may be a better option. Do you have any comment on Basekit.com and/or the ease of use with wordpress?
Also and more importantly, we are worried that rebuilding/transfering the site over to another CMS would mess with our SEO. We currently rank pretty well within our field and seeing as though we will be getting bookings and inquiries soon…we really don’t want to screw this up!
Our designer would rebuild/transfer the site to either CMS for us, then we would be taking over the content changes from there.
If you have a minute, could you let me know your thoughts on this?
Thanks SO much!

By: Don Campbell

Don Campbell — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:47:43 +0000

tiffany,
It sounds like you have some good ideas! One of the things you mentioned in your list: ” i’d like to allow the possibility for profit-generating Ads in the near future” means you should go with your own self-hosted WordPress site since WordPress.com does not allow you to place ads on your blog there.

By: Ricky

Ricky — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:53:57 +0000

Fairly new here. Thanks for the explanation, it sure sounds better the way you explain it.