The self-hosted WordPress.org site wins by providing users with a free tool to build and develop a website the way they want. There is a small learning curve, but you can't put a price on its flexibility that allows you to design, optimize, and monetize your site the way you want. With WordPress.com, you sacrifice the same flexibility for a free website that takes care of itself. While this takes the guesswork out of creating websites, WordPress.com has limitations that appeal more to beginners with limited technical knowledge.
WordPress.com or WordPress.org: which is better?
WordPress.com is a free platform perfect for beginners who want to play with a basic website. Its simplicity is second to none, so you can focus more on creating great content without worrying about technicalities.
WordPress.org is best for bloggers and businesses who want to take full control of their websites. You can integrate it with custom themes, plugins, and tools, so your website looks, works, and reports exactly the way you want it.
The importance of a website builders
A website builder should help you create a website in minutes without touching any code. I have created countless websites over the years. So I know first-hand what essential features to look for.
Spoiler alert: WordPress is one of the best, but you can find other alternatives that may better meet your needs.
WordPress.com wins
Easy to Use: WordPress.com is a free managed hosting platform, so starting your website is as easy as creating an account. The team behind WordPress.com takes care of everything so you don't have to download software, pay for a hosting plan, or manage a server. This practical style of website building is ideal for those who want to focus more on their content and launch as many free websites as they want.
100% Free for Basic Users: It's free to create a website with WordPress.com. Paid plans are also available if you want to remove the ads, have a custom domain (like techdailymag.com) instead of the default subdomain (techdailymag.wordpress.com), and get more storage space. The cost of upgrading to paid plans can range from $ 48 per year for staff to $ 540 per year for an e-commerce plan.
Maintenance Free: Having a WordPress.com website is like renting an apartment minus the rental costs. You enjoy the room while the owner takes care of the maintenance. You don't have to worry about backups, updates, and other daunting tech stuff - it's all handled by the developers and support engineers at WordPress.com.
Multiple Customer Support Channels: Support forums are available to answer all technical questions, whether you are using a free or premium plan. Depending on the paid plan you have signed up for, you can also access more personalized support, 24 hours a day, via live chat or email.
Basic Customization Options: Although it's free, WordPress.com offers you enough space to customize your website to your liking. There are hundreds of free themes to choose from, so you can pick something that reflects your style and personality. Free WordPress.com websites also come with built-in features like social share buttons, polls, comments, image galleries, SEO, and contact forms, so there's no need to install third-party plugins.
Built-in security features: WordPress.com is a closed ecosystem that is already secure by default. You won't have to install any security features or monitor your website 24/7 to detect potential malware attacks. Everything is taken care of so that you can focus your attention where you need it most: creating content.
Painless Migration Option: If you decide it's time to let your website become a self-hosted platform, WordPress.com won't stop you from doing it. Free WordPress.com has a built-in export tool that will bundle your entire website into one downloadable file. You can choose to do the transfer yourself for free, or let WordPress.com take you by the hand for a small fee. Completing the transfer is as easy as clicking the import tool button on your new self-hosted WordPress dashboard to move your files to your new home.
WordPress.com losses
Unreliable Traffic Monitoring Tool: All users can view a statistics page to see how much traffic their websites are getting at any given time and where their visitors are coming from. However, it has many limitations, such as new visitors not reflecting on the total number of visits until two hours later. If the visitor is viewing the home page while reading an article, the view will count towards the total number of views, but not the individual article. Google Analytics presents more accurate data, but you can't integrate it with WordPress.com unless you have a Premium subscription or higher.
Limited ability to monetize: Free WordPress.com is not designed or licensed to generate revenue. You can try your luck with WordAds, WordPress.com's own ad network, but you need a custom domain and thousands of traffic per month to qualify. And even if you are accepted, you will only share your earnings with WordPress.com. Google Adsense and eCommerce features are only available if you upgrade to a business plan or higher.
Not good for the brand: WordPress.com handles everything for free at the expense of flexibility. While the free themes and built-in features are good enough if you're just blogging for fun, they leave a lot to be desired for most users. Also, WordPress.com's default subdomain and ads won't help you build a strong brand in the long run. You have the flexibility to customize your website with third-party themes and plugins, but it's a luxury that only business plan users can enjoy.
Restricted Property: Creating a free website with WordPress.com means you have no say in most things about your website. Your platform, your rules. First, your website address will use a generic subdomain (i.e. your site.wordpress.com) instead of a more professional looking custom domain name. You also have no control over the number and types of ads your readers will see, unless you decide to upgrade your plan. Since your ownership is restricted, WordPress.com may remove your website if they find that it violates their terms and conditions.
Poor SEO: WordPress.com has SEO features built in, but they are barely enough to ensure a good user experience and maximum search visibility. Free accounts only have access to a limited number of free themes. Therefore, it is impossible to download a custom theme that offers better site navigation. You also can't install popular SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or All-in-One SEO. Therefore, it is impossible to add unique titles and meta descriptions to your posts unless you upgrade to a premium plan. Finally, users of free plans cannot use a redirect plugin, so pages that should have been redirected to another page will simply stay and fill the website.
WordPress.org wins
A mine of resources for DIY troubleshooting: WordPress.org is open source software, so there are plenty of volunteers and experts ready to help out. If you need to troubleshoot a technical problem affecting WordPress, you can find help with some research on the WordPress.org support forums.
Free Traffic Reports and Tracking: Get real-time traffic reports through Google Analytics, a free tool that you can install in WordPress by pasting some code to the back-end of your website or by activating a plugin that can do the same without all hassle. Regardless of your hosting plan, you can use Google Analytics to gain valuable, granular information about your visitors, and then use the data to guide you in making important business decisions.
Unlimited Earning Potential: If you have a self-hosted website with WordPress.org software, the sky is the limit when it comes to making money. You can run ads on your own without sharing the revenue with anyone. You can also explore other methods of monetization, such as affiliate marketing, publishing sponsored content, or creating membership sites that sell premium content or courses. Also, if you want to create an online store, a WordPress.org website has the most robust e-commerce functionality.
Impressive flexibility: With WordPress.org, you can have a self-hosted website and the freedom to do whatever you want with it. Do you want to change the subject? You can install one of the many custom themes online or create one from scratch with PHP and CSS. There is also an endless list of third-party plugins that you can install to improve the look and functionality of your website. From SEO tools to ecommerce extensions, there are no restrictions on how powerful you want your website to be.
Simple security setup: Keeping your site safe is as easy as installing a few plugins and letting your hosting provider do the rest. It's not completely seamless, but making sure your website is secure doesn't require a steep learning curve either. After all, you can easily contact your web host or one of the WordPress.org support forums if you are having trouble implementing security measures.
Full ownership and control: Building a website with WordPress.org means that you have full ownership of your website property. There is no higher power that can banish your website at the first opportunity. As long as you don't get into mischief, you can get a good night's rest, thinking that you are in full control of your website's fate.
Freedom to exploit SEO: Full control also allows you to directly influence the ranking of your content in search engines. A self-hosted website gives you the freedom to play with different SEO tools that can optimize your images, titles, meta description, sitemaps, and internal links. Google Analytics is also easy to set up to quantify the effectiveness of your SEO strategies and identify areas for improvement. If user experience is a priority, you can also install and modify your favorite custom theme to help improve your readers' navigation on your website.
WordPress.org losses
Lack of simplicity for non-tech savvy users: WordPress.org is an open source content management system, not a full website. To launch your website, you must first purchase a domain name and pay for a hosting plan. After downloading the WordPress.org software, install it on your web server. Some hosts have also made this step easier by offering one-click WordPress installation. While there is no need to touch any code, beginners may initially find the whole process intimidating.
Building and running a website isn't completely free: WordPress.org itself is free. However, it cannot work on its own unless you have a domain name and web server. A domain name is the address of your website (for example, techdailymag.com) and will cost a minimum of $ 10 per year for a standard ".com" domain. On the other hand, a web server is where you will store your website files, including WordPress.org, and it should cost you a minimum of $ 3 to $ 10 per month. And don't forget the cost of premium themes and plugins that will hurt you even more, unless you already have a site that pays for itself.
Routine Maintenance: Running a self-hosted site is like owning your own home. You are free to do anything with it, but you have to fix it yourself if it breaks. As a website owner, you are responsible for keeping the WordPress software and plugins you have installed up to date. Although web servers offer backups, they are rarely complete and guaranteed, so you should also back up your files.
Comparison of the best website builders
Whether you're a clueless newbie or a tech-savvy web entrepreneur, my in-depth review of the top website builders will help you choose the platform that best suits your goals.
Wix is the "jack of all trades" where you can build any website that doesn't need bells and whistles. If you're looking for fewer features and a more beginner-friendly platform, Weebly won't disappoint with its drag-and-drop interface. Are you building an online store? Look no further than Shopify, which is specially designed for this purpose.
However, if you want to put your content front and center, nothing compares to the functionality of WordPress. As a content management system, it powers 39% of the Internet’s top 10 million websites. And for a compelling reason: It has everything you need to scale, optimize, and get the most out of your content.
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