Gathering Information – The Blogger to WordPress Transition (Advice Appreciated!)
Although I learned a ton of useful information at last week’s Haven Conference, one important tip continues to echo in my head…
I really should switch from Blogger to WordPress.
Now, I kind of knew this was important but I am a bit stubborn and stuck in my ways. I have been blogging for 5 years and don’t always adapt well to change…especially when it involves technology.
Since I am not sure where to begin (and even if I want to!), I thought I would ask you, my fellow bloggers about your experiences switching from Blogger to WordPress. (If you do not write a blog, I apologize for this extremely boring and technical post!)
Please feel free to answer any (or all) of the questions below:
- Do you use Blogger or WordPress.org?
- If you are still on Blogger, do you plan to stay on Blogger? Why or why not?
- Did you pay someone to make the transition from Blogger to WordPress or did you learn how to do it yourself?
- Can you recommend someone to transfer my blog? (If you want to keep the name private, please email me.)
- Why does there seem to be huge price variations for this transfer service?
- If you went through the transfer process, how long did it take and did it run smoothly?
- Would you recommend waiting until after the winter holidays to make the change or is it better to do it right away? (I am just thinking that January is kind of a slow-blogging time).
- Any other comments or tips are appreciated!
Thanks for taking the time to share your advice! Not only are you helping me, but I am sure you are helping all those other bloggers who share my same dilemma!
I will be sure to keep you updated with my decisions!
My two cents- and mind you I am not, nor do I aspire to be a professional blogger with sponsored/monetized posts…I see the benefits of migrating away from Blogger and over to WordPress or Squarespace. Right off the bat you can see that their templates are much cleaner and more modern that anything that is presented on Blogger. I use the standard templates on Blogger, and try to keep my blog as clean-lined as possible but there are times I really think about investing more in my blog because it is a legacy thing for me. I started my blog in 2007 just to document the kids happenings, but wish I could spend more on it.So, if I were going to really "do this" not only would I pay to have someone do the migration for me, I would have them develop an entirely new creative template for me at the same time. Anyone interested in monetizing their blog or just wants to grow their following should focus on the look and mechanics of their blog as much as the content.
I'm not sold on WordPress. I was on Blogger for years and then created a WordPress account just so I could play with it and see if I wanted to change over. I found WordPress to be much more difficult to learn, and also expensive since you don't get free Widgets as you do on Blogger. You pay for plug-ins instead. I think if you simply play with Blogger a bit more to change the look of your blog, which costs you nothing, you may find that you can keep it and not have to re-learn a new platform. Also, there are websites that will sell you a good looking blogger template if you are unhappy with the choices that Blogger offers. You can also just do a basic 'clean up' of your blog. Show less on the sidebar, less popular posts, less blogs you love, delete the list of labels at the bottom, less tabs at the top, and center the tabs, a more professional looking header. Use Blogger and make it work for you. As you can tell, I am just not sold on WordPress, but it's a personal choice. xo Good luck!!
Not on WordPress either. I had friends that switched and then finally came back to blogger. They found the expense and upkeep required was too much for them. I plan to stay with blogger. Just look for a professional template that you like and I agree, clean up the blog you have and you are good to go. They always try to tell you that people won't like your brand if you are on blogger, well I have to differ. I have been given all kinds of opportunities so I know that isn't true. You might want to buy your .com. That is so easy to do and costs so little. If you are a .com, how can anyone tell what platform you are on. Just my two cents worth.
I say go for it! I started on Weebly (nobody has ever heard of them), moved quickly to Blogger and then to WP. Now I am rebranding and changing names!
Hello dear Shelley… I am on blogger because I am old and you can't teach an old technically-challenged dog new tricks. Enjoy your week.
I agree with what Pepper Medley and Marty said. I have been on blogger for 12 years, and don't see myself moving over to WordPress. I haven't had any problems on blogger, so I'm happy with it. I don't really have a "professional" style blog though, so I'm not sure if WP would offer some benefits for that. Let us know how it goes with your decision!
Shelley! It was so good to hear from you in a comment the other day. I hope you're doing well! As for the word press issue, I should probably change too. But honestly, I have spent so many hundreds of hours learning blogger and coding tricks and things that I can't imagine starting over with a different platform. I think if I did it I would have to hire someone to design the site. Although if you do decide to change, I have seen a lot of templates on Etsy that are very appealing and supposedly easy. Good luck!Stacy
Hi Shelley, I just switched over and for the most part I love Word Press – I love my new blog and have started to get used to blogging on WordPress. The only real problem is that my blog seems to have been dropped from many blog rolls and doesn't update on Bloglovin anymore. I feel like I have lost a lot of regular readers. To be honest, I have been so busy, I haven't taken the time to try to reach out to those bloggers on whose blog rolls I am not updating OR to Bloglovin' to find out what happened. Email me and I will share all the details about my move. 🙂
Sandy, you probably just need to claim your new blog addy on Bloglovin to get it to update. I use WordPress and like it much better than Blogger for creating posts, editing in text gives you html options, it just is easier to me. But I also use the classic version, not the 'distraction free' version that seems harder to navigate.
I was on WP for one year. Moved myself, knew how to change themes, etc. But I hated it. I spent more time on the phone with my host than creating, it seemed. I got hacked quick on WP, and my blog was never the same. I've been back at Blogger for 3 years and I would not advise anyone to go to WP after my experience. If you do move, I sure hope you know a lot about code and tech stuff, because you're going to need it. And expect to shell out money for help when your blog goes down. If I moved anywhere it would be Squarespace. They host their blogs like Google hosts Blogger. Even though I knew what I was doing, WP was a nightmare that took up too much time on maintenance. I know many people who have moved there and regretted it. Expect to lose all your Blogger juice, thus pageviews.Brenda
Thank you all for your detailed and VERY helpful opinions! I must admit, I was quite surprised at how many of you actually prefer blogger! I am still thinking about what to do but in the meantime, you might have noticed I cleaned up my blog a little bit, enlarged my photo and moved a couple things around. Baby steps – but I am trying to focus on what will work best for me. Thanks again for your advice! I will keep you posted with my decision!Shelley
Well maybe I will stay put on blogger after hearing the responses!!
This is a great post. There are a lot of big bloggers that are still on Blogger. I remember Anne of White Lace Cottage when she switched over to WordPress and it sounded like a nightmare. That has scared me ever since. I am happy on Blogger. I have been blogging the same number of years that you have. I think one key is relationships. I'm glad I found your blog on the side bar of the Preppy Nester. Good luck.
You are brave to consider it. I'm too chicken to change and not techie at all! Good luck with your decision. Your office looks pretty, too!
hey shelly. let's talk one day this week and I will give you my experience from blogger to wordpress and any recommendations I have.
Shelley, I'm staying on blogger. Easy to use without having to pay for a hosting service and the headaches that come with it. Just ask Shirley at Houspitality Designs. She is switching to blogger next year. She has had enough with her blog going wonky too much this year.
I'm so intrigued by all of these comments Shelley! After going to Haven last year, I made the leap from Blogger to WordPress. Believe me, I'm resistant to change (ask anyone), so it was a giant leap of faith for me. I hired someone to do the transfer, and it went smoothly. That said, I miss Blogger – it was so easy to use and I felt comfortable with it. I am still learning how to work through WordPress, although there is a lot more flexibility in terms of things you can do with WordPress (or so I'm told). I'm getting ready to do a big rebrand/redesign, so I'll let you know how I feel about WordPress after that. 😉
Sorry Shelley – that "Unknown" comment was from me – I just realized my son was signed in on my computer, not me. 🙂