Friday, March 07, 2014

To Host or Not to Host Your Blog? And that is the Question

Food Blog for Starters is Lost in Flavors’ online hub of information and insights about starting a food blog and beyond.

One of the many questions that bug a newbie blogger is whether to have his site hosted or not. As for me, I’ve decided to stick with Blogger since I’m still testing the waters of food blogging. It’s not just about whether I can write and share my insights about a particular dish, but it also has something to do with learning the ropes of Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing and Social Media Marketing.

Web Host Servers | Flickr Commons
Photo by Infocux Technologoes
Additionally, I would like Lost in Flavors to be one of those blogs that are doing fine despite being on free host. However, a self-hosted blog has its own advantages.

Why You Need a Self-hosted Blog

Before we begin, let’s define a self-hosted blog first. Any blog or website that has its own domain name and is hosted in a paid server is called self-hosted blog.

Hosting a blog doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s expensive. You can actually buy your own domain on WordPress for $18 per year. This is an ideal choice for those who are seeking to build up their image online, as your URL doesn’t need to share exposure with your host. Imagine how awesome your domain would look like when it’s www.yourblog.com vs. yourblog.yourhost.com.

Moreover, a self-hosted blog offers greater level of customization. Compared to free-hosted sites that are very template-based for ease of management, a blog hosted on your own server offers flexible structure, design and placement. This means that you can lay out your blog to your liking. In addition, a self-hosted blog allows you to add as much plugins as possible.

Another good thing about having a self-hosted blog is having a sense of control. Any site that runs on a free host is at risk of being deleted when, for any reason, your service provider decided to shut it down. Having a blog hosted on your own server, on the other hand, gives you more control over your content. You can do pretty much anything to your blog when it’s self-hosted, as long as it adheres with your service provider’s regulations and you don’t do anything illegal.

Now What?

Self-hosted and free-hosted blog have their advantages and disadvantages. That’s why it is very important to know what factors to consider when starting a food blog. This way, you’ll know whether to bring your content to a paid host or leave it be with your free Content Management Service provider.

1 comment:

  1. Your blog template is gorgeous! Did you tweak this yourself? And yeah, no need to immediately host your blog. That said, it would be better if you could get your own domain. LostinFlavors.com is still available and you don't need to have a hosted blog to use it. It's only around $2 in GoDaddy or Namecheap. :)

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