by Paula Neal Mooney"When are you moving to your own domain and hosting?"
That's what Vin over at Dummies Guide to Google Blogger Beta asked me yesterday.
It's a question I ask myself nearly every day, especially since Wordpress 2.2 has come out with a new version that claims to make importing Blogger/Blogspot posts a breeze.
However, having worked in the technology department of a major corporation over the years, I've seen the kind of pressure developers are put under firsthand to get upgrades out to the public without sufficient time to test some of them.
Heck, as a software quality assurance tester, I liked to call the users that we rolled new upgrades out to my "beta testers."
So I'm not one to easily follow the crowd, jumping on new bandwagons only to regret it later. But being a Taurean, I know I can be slow to change at times, and I'm weighing my options.
My New Dot Coms
I've even bought a couple of dot com names from Cheap Names, a site I learned about from BlogPaul.
But the PaulaNealMooney.com one is merely redirected back here for now, till I resolve the following issues in my head about ditching the blogspot URL and either switching to a custom domain hosted on Blogger, or the new Wordpress 2.2:
Pros to Keeping the Blogspot Domain and Blogger Platform
- Domain Name Age. The http://paulamooney.blogspot.com will be a 2-year-old come this December 2007, and domain name age is important. Google looks at the age of your domain name to determine when to get it out of the sandbox.
- My Pagerank is Growing. Google Pagerank is an important thing when it comes to getting good advertisers and paid blogging opportunities. The more quality sites link to you, the better your pagerank. As of this writing, my pagerank is 5, and although some people claim that all your backlinks and pagerank will follow you to a new domain, I hear it can take a long time. Either way, I'd really love to keep my backlinks from Darrew Rowse, John Chow and others...
- Technorati Doesn't Consolidate the Ranking of Both Sites. Technorati ranking is another important factor when it comes to figuring out the importance of a blog. Blessedly, my blog now sits around a rank of 2,000 out of 77 million blogs. Say I did switch all my blog posts over to PaulaNealMooney.com, and people started linking to that URL. Right now, as Jason Neuman once discovered, the links to my old URL and new links to my new URL would be counted separately on Technorati. This would do me no good.
- Good Google Juice on Blogger.Okay, this point is mere blogosphere speculation, but it makes sense to assume that Blogger, owned by Google, would get the best Google Juice and search-engine listings. Besides, I just love the way my Google Blogger stuff is all nice and neat under the same spot as my Gmail, Adsense, Webmaster and all my other Google accounts.
- Blogspot Blogs Can Grow in Popularity. Just look at Frank Warren's Post Secret, sitting proudly at #8, right beneath Arrianna Huffington, whom I've thankfully got another link coming from. True, Frank admirably doesn't run any ads on his Blogspot blog, nor does the Official Google Blog sitting on a blogspot URL, but that giant doesn't need to.
- But popular Singapore blogger Wendy Cheng, who writes Xiaxue (on a blogspot URL!), gets around 10,000 - 20,000 visitors a day and blogs full-time, living off advertising revenue from her blog and other writings. Wendy runs ads on that site, and sells pixels for $18.75 USD per square. Not too shabby for a "blogspot" blog...
- The Import from Blogger/Blogspot to Wordpress 2.2 has problems. Like any new release, the new import from blogger to WP 2.2 sounds fraught with issues. Judging from the comments at the end of blog posts like this asking for feedback, people are having problems with the import. I'll stay out of the fray and let the beta testers -- I mean, general public -- work them out.
- I Know the Blogger Platform In and Out.I just love Google's Blogger. I know the software in and out. I'm used to it. I played around with Wordpress a bit, but came running back to Blogger like a sure and faithful husband waiting at home. I really don't want to spend my nights learning another platform inside and out right now. I want to braid my hair. I want to watch The View and Oprah.
Cons Against Keeping the Blogspot URL and Blogger Platform
Happily Stuck...For Now
So, that's mostly it. My reasons for happily staying on my blogspot URL for the time being, until that day that in a surge of techie delight, I get up in the middle of the night and transfer the whole "Schmeil, schmazel, hossenfeifer incorporated..." to a dot com that's not hosted for free.
Tell me what you all think:
1 - Were you a blogspot blogger with a PR of at least 5 that transferred to WP 2.2?
2- How long did it take your pagerank to update?
3 - What was your Technorati ranking before and now?
4 - Did all your backlinks follow you?
5 - Are your advertising opportunities better now?
Inquiring blogspot bloggers want to know!
Comments
--C8j
You know that I can't help about the question you raised, but at least I can give you the advice to test some stuff. For example you can try to install Wordpress somewhere and try to import all your data. You can do that privately ( you know I can help you). You can even do it on your computer (with wampserver). About your links..well..blogger doesn't allow you to create 301 redirect unfortunately. I think you should decide what's better on the long run. You can lose some "website links", but you can easily rewrite your old post to send people to your new site. I am also sure that you can write to JC and the other to update the links..
I am sure in the long run a .com is better. And you can start with a PR5 link already! :-)
The only thing I can tell you is that my less-than-90-days-old blog has a low PR3 but I have some pages that rank well (google for "firefox network pipelining")..
Well..all this long message just to hope that some of your reader will have a look at my site :-)
1. Yes, I was a PR5 at time of switching, i dropped down to a PR3, but back up to a PR4, with a PR5 when Google Next Update.
2. It took me about 3-4 months.
3. It was around 150, but it dropped to 60 on swapping, I am now back upto 210.
4. Most of them. People who were actually readers did, people who linkwhored of me obviously didn't, but that's okay.
5. Much better. Made a lot more money of TLA and the entire structure of Wordpress is better.
It's entirely upto you though, and every case is unique. You're getting a hell of a lot of traffic for your "Blogging Salaries" post, may want to cool it for a while.
You have such a great following on blogspot. I think the quality of your content is what keeps your readers coming back. I don't think having your own domain name is as important anymore.
I can hardly wait to read the comments for this post.
I learned that when I moved my plus size fashion blog two years ago. But I recovered and can't even look at blogspot the same anymore. Honestly if you didn't have good content I wouldn't come at all because I just don't care for blogger anymore.
Having a hosted blog is just more professional in my opinion, not to mention all the splogs that are on blogger making it less attractive to the mass markets.
You have a popular enough blog that you should recover within 90days but during that time you will be treated like a brand new blog as far as search engines are concerned.
Wendy's Blog is boring, why is she so popular?
I added you to mine. I love your blog!
Gotta love typing that name. Yes, looks like I've got some good comments below from people who konw!
Hi Maurizio!
I so appreciate your offers of help, I know you like the seriously techie stuff. And you're probably right about the dot com being better in the long run.
Oh! I think I might work on building a dot com separately and get that PR up, but always keep this URL for the blog part of life.
We shall see as the blind man says...
Thanks, Jiang,
I'm thinking that too. It just doesn't feel like time to move yet.
Hey Beer Money Rhys from Across the Pond
About point #3, do you mean you're back to 210,000? I don't see those rankings here.
And you're right, I'm so blessed with the blogger salary backlinks I'm gonna ride that wave!
And about #5, since you'll be on my next Paula's blogger salary list, I'll get to see how good those Text Link Ads are treating you and how much imported beer they're buying. Burp.
Yes, Vanessa
I'm grateful people come back. And your blog is so pretty I keep thinking it's WordPress, but then I remember it's one of those newer Blogger templates. How the SEO on that one?
Thanks for the truth, Glen -
It's good to hear from someone who's really experienced this.
I guess I just don't want to go thru the change right now, but I'll pray hard about it because God has been repositioning me with Bishop Jakes' latest teachings, and this might just be my next big change.
Thanks all for the great feedback!
Keep it coming all you guys who've imported from Blogspot/Blogger to Wordpress 2.2..and those who haven't.
And that's funny that you ask about Wendy, because somewhere on her right side she says, "Read why I'm so popular!"
But I think she writes about her sex life somewhere. I don't know.
I just made sure to scan a few posts, and I didn't see any naked pics, so I linked to her.
Go figure.
I fear that I will have to do everything all over again (build backlinks, PR, get traffic).
For me, I don't think the move is worth it, so I am sticking with Blogspot. Sometimes it looks unprofessional, but that doesn't mean you can't be popular. I know some very high trafficed Blogspot blogs.
In retrospect, it probably is better to start with your own domain from day one. But only if you are serious about blogging. I do have other sites and consider my blog to be "secondary" as it doesn't get as much traffic from my primary site.
As for Vin, I know him well...he's a troll, don't listen to him!
PS...I got my DSL! Wheeeeee!
After importing your posts you can redirect your blogger to your new blog under Settings---->Publishing--->Custom Domains without going into that CNAME business.
I did look at a blog which had done that. The Google Page Rank was retained and the Technorati Rank was brand new. But the Google backlinks had been dropped!! I suppose Google adds the PR but starts counting the new backlinks only, after redirecting.
What I can tell you for sure is that Wordpress is like an SEO magnet when it comes to google searches. I get way more people coming to my site via google searches than when I was with Blogger. Go figure! But it's true.
I say do it. Wait til you have a solid week to devote to getting your whole site really humming. The basics of setting it up and moving your stuff over can be done in a day or two depending on whether you have tech difficulties or if everything runs smooth.
Also pick out a theme (Wordpress for Template) ahead of time. There are Sooooooooooooo many to choose from.
Here's a post I wrote about switching:
http://lifelearningtoday.com/2007/03/13/moving-from-blogger-to-wordpress-is-it-worth-it/
And here's one about importing from Blogger to WP:
http://lifelearningtoday.com/2007/03/11/clean-import-from-blogger-to-wordpress/
Either way I wish you luck!
IMO it is definitely worth it to move over. It's a little harder at first but that's the trade-off for having way more flexibility.
I loaded Wordpress and MySQL on my Mac to do a test run and see what it would be like to move to Wordpress and I was like, what, who, huh? I'm an ASP.NET developer at my 9-5 job so I'm no stranger to tech but it seems like a steep learning curve.
Another option that I'm looking into is the Blogger Custom Domain. Same Blogger interface but with your own domain and Blogger will still host it for you. Plus they'll do 301 redirects from your blogspot blog to your new domain (that's what I hear but I haven't tried it yet).
But most likely I will follow your lead and keep my PR5 blogger blog as is and just start a new one. There are plenty of other niches to explore out there.
you know i have NO advice on what to do. i can tell you i LOVE wordpresses comments features. they're so cool but, that's all i know~:)
wow. i had no idea blogging was this serious. i almost passed out from fear when blogger turned to beta and we had to switch our older version. i'm serious, i waited until the last minute to switch to the new version. like blogging about poopie diapers is that serious to blogger i know :)
i have no idea what backlinks are. i'm not even sure how to figure out how ppl found my blog.
geez, i'm just happy to be able to post, receive a few comments and not embarrass my family in the process. :)
good luck paula and if you decide to move your domain, let me know :)
The trickery comes in getting your template right. A good template isn't necessarily preview-able in blogger, but looks fine on your site (as blogger can't run cgi).
Looks like the jury is mixed on whether the backlinks will truly follow us or not...
KennyM
I think I'm really going to use Courtney Tuttle's excellent and plain English advice on how to start a blog and make money with it to start an additional dot com that's a niche blog.
I'll keep this one anyway. I love the pagerank 5, already I see an offer on PayPerPost for PR5 and above blogs that pays 70 bucks.
Bonnie -
Thanks for your email and happy DSLing!
Lisa
You never know, as more and more feel this way, some motivated DOT COMer can come up with some kind of better fix that will immediately ensure backlinks are followed.
I love optimists!
Vin
Thanks for the advice, and thank for your email telling me how to solve my "Saving........" issues. I still gotta read your post.
Sully
Thanks for the info; your blog is good. And I like that post that lead me to Courtney Tuttle's post.
Anthony
"But most likely I will follow your lead and keep my PR5 blogger blog as is and just start a new one. There are plenty of other niches to explore out there."
You're right on the money with that quote! That's win/win situation -- I can keep building this blog AND start new WP dot coms for niche blog ideas I have anyway...
Hi Kimberly!
Yup, as I learn from others, I'll pass on my experiences.
Michael
Ah...scary but fun.
tAnYeTTa
Thanks for always reading. Don't worry, you'll always be able to find this blog...Lord willing that I'll always do the redirects right.
Jerome
Okay, I know what FTP means, and I saw that option on Blogger but never used it.
Gotta look up CGI -- and your site!
I would definitely hesitate right now, while you've got things goin' on from the success with blog salaries.
Live, Love & Laugh,
Sherri
Ultimate Blogger Wordpress Comparison Guide
E.g., I actually purchased Vista and am now SO happy I returned it before opening it and stayed with XP! lol The complaints about Vista are unreal and way over my skill set / time available to learn such new stuff.
Other thing is this... You seem to have the potential of making as much money as the others you mentioned just by being where you are and keeping up the excellent content! Sure, you want into that other ad revenue stream that doesn't accept blogs, but how long will it take for you to re-boost your PR and start making big money thru them?
Also, the Geocities comparison doesn't quite hold for me. I love that our blogs are associated with Google, one of the most prestigious and innovative brands in the world.
BTW: I've gotta look again into attending the BlogHer Conference here in Chicago. Hope to see you! ;-)
...does that mean we should do it too? Was that what you were going to say?
Vin
I really liked your comparison guide. It let me know stuff that I didn't know about WP....and Blogger for that matter. Thank you.
Kween,
Yeah I don't even want to think about Vista for a while to come.
And I'm more excited now about just creating a niche dot com(s) and build those up and keep all the pageranks rising.
Yea, the FTP option is nice, as it allows me to use blogger purely for storing posts (as backup). Everything else is handled by my machine.
I used "CGI" only to encompass the many web-scripting languages that exist. For example, I use php extensively. Much of my blogger template, in fact, is in php. Since blogger doesn't run php, however, there's no way to "preview" my template using their website.
This still doesn't offer a solution to your URL problem. I wonder if you could get blogger to do some sort of DNS forwarding. All of the big name sites do this so that if you misspell their name, you'll still get, say, yahoo.com. This is a rather trivial thing to do if you own the top-level domain. I'm guessing your don't own 'blogger.com' though :) so you'd have to convince those that do to turn this DNS feature on.
It started with my post here:http://www.adamok.net/2007/07/dont-ignore-blogspot-blogs.html
yeah i envy those WP plugins but Blogger is getting better all the time.