Migrating from WordPress.com to WordPress.org with surprising results

Wow! I must say, I’m impressed.

I’d put off migrating my blog from WordPress.com to my self-hosted site as I was concerned traffic would drop as a result of not being directly connected to the WordPress community.

The time had come, so I migrated on Friday. I published one post yesterday (Tuesday) and have already eclipsed the best-ever traffic day I had on WordPress.com.

So there you go, you think you’re taking a risk and it turns out to be a much better option for your business!

It’s taken a long time and a lot of (wo)man hours but it’s done and I’m happy with the result. It still needs tweaking but I’d rather have it out there than not.

So what steps did I take to migrate my blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?

I found a decent, local host that allows a one-click WordPress install. One-click is a lot easier than trying to set up a testing site on your desktop (take it from me, I tried and failed at the mySQL database privilegesstage).
I set up a “testing” sub-domain via cPanel and installed WordPress there, the equivalent of a sandbox environment where I could “play” with my new site.
I built my (responsive) site. There were a few hiccups along the way, including being hacked and having to start from scratch! But here it is, using WordPress as a CMS. I know a lot more now than I ever thought I would about the mysterious workings of WordPress. Happily I know code and was able to customise the visual to my liking.
I exported my old blog from WordPress.com to my WordPress.org (self-hosted) site following the instructions here. I was tempted to purchase a “guided” transfer but the transfer staff “weren’t there that day” according to the message. Was I up for the challenge? Why yes, yes I was and it was easier than I had
I purchased a re-direct from WordPress.com for USD$13 for 12 months. Invaluable, in my mind, as anyone who has bookmarked your blog will still be able to find you.
I installed “Velvet Blues Update URLs” plug in which updates all your internal links to point to the posts within your new site.
I migrated my testing site to my main domain and, like magic, the JMC website had a major transformation from the old, image-based, non-SEOed one I whipped up one evening and was meant to be temporary, to a slicker, more visual site which is a breeze to update.

Things to remember:

Update your image upload link, etc. in your media settings.
Update your feed on your RSS subscription services (Triberr, etc.).
Update your blog listing in any blog directories your registered with.

I’ll update this post if I remember any other key points in my “journey”.

Is there any helpful advice you can provide to the bloggers about to go out on there own? Please add it below.

Your blog is not your showroom

promo Obviously I am a believer in blogging as a marketing tool.

In this crazy mixed up world of penguins and pandas, blogging stands out as a gift from the SEO gods.

What frustrates me, however, is the distinction between editorial and advertorial in the blogging world.

Most of the bloggers I read have a background in professional writing and marketing.

Blogging, content production, article writing is what they do to earn a crust; they are spruiking their wares simply by writing.

I believe that blatant self-promotion has no place in blogging.

Find your niche, carve it out and sit there, using your words to prove your worth.

By all means use real-life examples and case studies to demonstrate how you helped solve a client’s problem with your mad skillz or insanely brilliant product but please do not hit me over the head with flagrant self-promotion.

If I wanted that I’d listen to commercial radio and be shouted at for 30 seconds of every 3 minutes.

To me, business blogging and content marketing is about demonstrating a solution to a customer’s problem, positioning yourself as an expert in your field and benefitting from the SEO goodness that comes from writing high-quality articles that are relevant to your market.

Not to mention building your brand (to an international audience), developing customer loyalty and respect and opening the door to real-life conversations with current/past/potential customers.

Simply producing content that is relevant to your chosen field will mean you’re writing about areas you’re passionate about, you (should) know a thing or two about and, therefore, can provide solutions to others looking for assistance.

I understand that the point of a blog is to promote your business but there needs to be a balance between self-promotion and editorial commentary.

As Joe Pulizzi (Content Marketing Institute) puts it, “Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent.”

So please, lay off the hyperbolic language, save that for your marketing collateral. Just talk to me, as if we were having a conversation in a café, not a showroom.