How do you know when you are ready to take it to the next level?

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Permalink Reply by Working Mama Julia on March 24, 2010 at 2:41pm

i have no idea!! I didn't realize that being on wordpress is what made you automatically "big time". Now, i do know this... lots of people say that wordpress gets you more hits via googles searches and is better for SEO as such. I thought about making the switch when i re-did my blog in january (new name and new design) but i heard if you have someone do the switch for you, it's like $500. i don't have that kind of money laying around.

You can stay on blogger and just buy the $10 domain name, which is what i did. looks more professional but probably not AS prof as wordpress.

i think you are ready to make the switch whenever you want!!! most people do when they realize that they are getting lots of traffic, advertising and sponsors.

sorry i don't have more advice.

Julia
www.workwifemomlife.com

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Permalink Reply by Dalia (Generation X Mom) on March 24, 2010 at 3:13pm

That is exactly what I have been finding...very pricey. I was kind of wondering if I am the only one finding that because it seems so many people are switching over. Your blog doesn't even look like a "blogger" blog. What theme are you using? My big complaint with blogger is the commenting system. I really want a commenting system where people can reply to others and where I can reply to everyone who comments. I also want to be able to put a "tweet this" on my posts. I assume this is possible in some way with blogger but I have no idea how to do it.

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Permalink Reply by This Mama Works It! on March 25, 2010 at 8:01am

I switched my blog to wordpress in December. It did not cost me $500 that is a myth. I signed my domain through go daddy wordpress hosting and they set up my word press account. Then I use the Thesis Theme which is AWESOME. That was like $80 but it was worth every penny. And I set that up myself. I was going to pay someone to do it and she wanted $150. Which I did not think was too bad but I did not have that money so I researched and did it myself. I was soooo proud of myself actually. I did not have a lot of posts on my blogger site so I did not have to move those over. But there are commands within wordpress to help you with that.

The reason why I moved to my own domain and wordpress is because I wanted to own my content. When you are on blogger they own your content and can pretty much shut you down whenever they want. Just because you have your own domain while still on blogger only means you own your domain. You have to get your blogger address forward to your domain.

Hope this helps.

www.thismamaworksit.com

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Permalink Reply by Amy @ The Q Family on March 29, 2010 at 6:24pm

I moved my blog from Blogger to Wordpress last year. The reason for me wasn't about taking it to the next level but I just want more control over my blog regarding design and template.

I did the whole move myself so it doesn't cost me a thing. Well, except to pay for web hosting and domain name.

It took a while for me to do it because I have to do all the research and try it out. But over it's worth it. I have more choices on template and my blog is easier to update than when I was with blogger.

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Permalink Reply by Dalia (Generation X Mom) on March 29, 2010 at 6:39pm

Did you run into any problems transferring everything over?

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Permalink Reply by Amy @ The Q Family on March 29, 2010 at 6:43pm

There are a few things I have to take care of like update the permalink but that's pretty much it. But I also don't have a big subscribers. But I don't think I have lost any.. I think I just update it in Feedburner **I think**.. :) Not so sure about that part.

If you search online, there are pretty much solution for everything you need. Try searching for 'migrate blogger to wordpress'. I found a few articles with detail steps that I used as a starting point. If you decide to go that route, let me know. Might be able to dig it out for you.

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Permalink Reply by Linda on April 2, 2010 at 3:59pm

Well being "ready to take it to the next level" is often used as an expression when the blogger wants more than the free platforms, such as Blogger, can offer. It also gives a more professional and serious impression for those bloggers who want to make money with their blogs.

How do you know you are ready? Good question, I would say it depends on what your goals with your blog is and how your current blog is helping you achieve that.

There are plugins that can help you with the redirect for permalinks etc.

One thing to keep in mind though: if you do not have your blog on your own host you are not in control of whether or not it stays up. Blog*er blogs have been know to be deleted. I saw it happen just a few weeks ago to someone with an online business.

As for what it costs, we help our clients transfer their content from $60.

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Permalink Reply by Tesa Nicolanti on April 8, 2010 at 11:55am

I just moved to Wordpress in December and did it all myself. The only thing I paid for was my domain and the hosting. I transferred everything myself and while it was scary, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I found some wonderful sites that walked me through everything step-by-step and I didn't lose a thing. It all transferred. It was time consuming though so be sure to keep that in mind.

I made the move because I wanted to own my own content as well. I was hearing more and more stories about Google shutting blogs down in error and then the blog was unable to be restored. I also was tired of Blogger's comment system as well and enjoy the threaded comments on Wordpress.

Good luck!

Tésa
2 Wired 2 Tired

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