Most bloggers start out blogging on a free hosting option, one of the most popular options is Blogger.com. Over time, you might find that your objectives of blogging have changed or you find that free hosting options do not allow you as much flexibility and features to customize your website. Paid hosting options offer better control over your blog's look, a better reputation by having your own domain name and better technical support around the clock.
There is also the opportunity to make money from advertising and from selling your domain name besides WordPress being very SEO-friendly. Those advantages are sufficient in prompting bloggers to switch from their free host to a paid one while retaining their previous posts, so how do you do so?
Here, we will use WordPress as an example of the blogging software of the paid hosting site where bloggers migrate to.
Steps
1
Announce your new blog. Do this on your old site before you even migrate. You can create a blog post to let everyone know that you intend to shift to a new site and of course, provide the link to your new blog. Also let your readers know of the tentative date that you are migrating and do not shut down your old blog at least until a much later time down the road.
2
Find the right paid hosting site. Look around for the paid hosting site that fulfills your blogging criteria. Paid hosting sites that you might want to keep a look out for are those that offer Fantastico or Simple Scripts installers so that you can easily install most popular applications easily. Also, keep a look out for extra features such as free domain names and free advertising credits. And of course, compare the price and the memory space offered.
3
Sign up, pay and install WordPress. You need to install WordPress on your new server. Make use of installers such as Fantastico or Simple Scripts on your web host's control panel. Click on it and follow the steps to setup WordPress.
4
Remove the "Hello World" default post on your WordPress blog. To do this, you first need to login to WordPress admin panel at www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/. Click on "Posts" from the left navigation panel. Click on the "trash" link immediately below the "Hello World" default post.
5
Import your posts from Blogger.com using the Blogger importer tool.
Select Tools from the left navigation panel, click on Import and select Blogger from the list.
Click on "Install Now" in the popup window.
Activate the plugin. You will be prompted for access to your Blogger account. Once access is provided, you will be redirected back to WordPress where you will be able to see your blog name or a list of them if you have a few.
Click on the Magic Import Button beside the blog that you want to import to WordPress. Complete the steps as instructed.
6
Change your WordPress blog permalinks settings. The final but most important step is to do this, which will redirect all traffic from the old blog to the new one. In the admin panel, go to Settings and choose Permalinks. Click on "Custom Structure" and paste the following in the text box.
/%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%.html
7
Once done, save the settings.
8
Switch Blogger back to custom domain. At your Blogger blog, set the custom domain by selecting Settings, then Publishing and click "Custom domain". Key in your URL and save the settings. Failure to do this step will result in an error message on your Blogger blog if it is accessed; readers will not be directed to your new URL.
There is also the opportunity to make money from advertising and from selling your domain name besides WordPress being very SEO-friendly. Those advantages are sufficient in prompting bloggers to switch from their free host to a paid one while retaining their previous posts, so how do you do so?
Here, we will use WordPress as an example of the blogging software of the paid hosting site where bloggers migrate to.
Steps
1
Announce your new blog. Do this on your old site before you even migrate. You can create a blog post to let everyone know that you intend to shift to a new site and of course, provide the link to your new blog. Also let your readers know of the tentative date that you are migrating and do not shut down your old blog at least until a much later time down the road.
2
Find the right paid hosting site. Look around for the paid hosting site that fulfills your blogging criteria. Paid hosting sites that you might want to keep a look out for are those that offer Fantastico or Simple Scripts installers so that you can easily install most popular applications easily. Also, keep a look out for extra features such as free domain names and free advertising credits. And of course, compare the price and the memory space offered.
3
Sign up, pay and install WordPress. You need to install WordPress on your new server. Make use of installers such as Fantastico or Simple Scripts on your web host's control panel. Click on it and follow the steps to setup WordPress.
4
Remove the "Hello World" default post on your WordPress blog. To do this, you first need to login to WordPress admin panel at www.yoursite.com/wp-admin/. Click on "Posts" from the left navigation panel. Click on the "trash" link immediately below the "Hello World" default post.
5
Import your posts from Blogger.com using the Blogger importer tool.
Select Tools from the left navigation panel, click on Import and select Blogger from the list.
Click on "Install Now" in the popup window.
Activate the plugin. You will be prompted for access to your Blogger account. Once access is provided, you will be redirected back to WordPress where you will be able to see your blog name or a list of them if you have a few.
Click on the Magic Import Button beside the blog that you want to import to WordPress. Complete the steps as instructed.
6
Change your WordPress blog permalinks settings. The final but most important step is to do this, which will redirect all traffic from the old blog to the new one. In the admin panel, go to Settings and choose Permalinks. Click on "Custom Structure" and paste the following in the text box.
/%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%.html
7
Once done, save the settings.
8
Switch Blogger back to custom domain. At your Blogger blog, set the custom domain by selecting Settings, then Publishing and click "Custom domain". Key in your URL and save the settings. Failure to do this step will result in an error message on your Blogger blog if it is accessed; readers will not be directed to your new URL.
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