Moving from Blogger to Wordpress

Welcome! If you're new to The (Un)Experienced Mom, make sure you don't miss a thing! You can subscribe for free updates via RSS feed or via email to have new posts delivered directly to your inbox. Thanks for visiting!

So many people are packing up and moving out. If you haven’t already noticed, there’s a trend in the blogging world: switching from Blogger to Wordpress. As someone who recently jumped on the bandwagon, I promised I’d share my reasons for doing so and offer some information on this topic. In my opinion, the Blogger versus Wordpress debate is similar in many ways to the PC versus MAC debate.

I initially wanted to switch to Wordpress (WP) because I thought that blogs hosted by WP looked much more professional and polished. For me, it was more aesthetically-pleasing to the eye. But after doing more research on the topic and talking to others about it, it was more than just the look that helped me make my final decision. Moving to Wordpress is not for everyone of course, so below are the pros and cons, which may help you decide if moving is right for you.

Blogger or Wordpress? Which is right for you?

Pros of Moving To/Using Wordpress

• Most WP themes are very SEO-friendly. SEO stands for ’search engine optimization’ and essentially is about maximizing the chances that your blog will be found by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, etc. Why is this important? The easier your blog is to be found, the more traffic it receives, which helps you grow. You don’t have to know more than the basics to make your blog more SEO-friendly either, so don’t panic!
• WP allows you to make navigation bars (i.e. tabs to various pages) that function more like those on a website. You can have a drop-down menu, just as I do on some of my navigation tabs. You can also have dedicated pages for those listed in the navigation bar. Whereas on Blogger, your navigation pages look exactly the same as your posts, you can customize your navigation pages to look different or block comments.
• As soon as I decided I was moving to WP I knew I wanted a specific theme called Thesis. Why? I loved the ability to have post summaries at the bottom of my blog. Instead of showing the last 10 posts in full, I have the option of showing a certain number of full posts and a certain number of post summaries. While this is the theme I used, there are TONS of Wordpress themes out there, some of which are free. Do a search for “Wordpress themes” and you’ll see what I mean.
• WP also has a lot more plugins (which in Blogger speak means widgets). You’ve probably seen things like “Comment Luv” in some comment section, which allows your last post to be listed under your comment. Another popular WP plugin is the “contact form” like I have under the “Contact” or “Advertising” tabs. This helps reduce spam and keeps you from having to publicize your email address.
• Wordpress allows you to back-up all of the content on your blog. Since I usually write my posts directly on my blog rather than writing them in Word, if something happened to my blog, I would have nothing! This in itself made the switch worth it.
• You know how annoying it is to upload your pictures to websites like Photobucket, then take that code and paste it into your post? WP has a “media library” on its dashboard, which eliminates that whole step. You can house your images on the dashboard and just click a button to add them in your post.
• Ever get a spammer or reader who is less than pleasant visiting your blog? On Wordpress, you can see each visitor’s IP address and can block them individually if need be. In addition, WP has a great program that catches much of the spam that arrives on your blog rather than having to delete those posts manually like you do on Blogger.

There are many other reasons that I think Wordpress is superior to Blogger, but these are on the top of my list.

Cons/Things to Consider Before Deciding:

• If you are moving from Blogger to Wordpress, it is possible that you may lose some subscribers by switching. While that doesn’t always happen, I feel I need to be honest and up front about that aspect. @atlmomguide on Twitter asked, “Can you keep your Google Connect Followers when you switch?” The answer is yes or most likely. My Google Friend Connect subscribers moved with me successfully. However, I did lost 200 subscribers who subscribe via my Feedburner feed. A bit depressing? Yes. Still worth making the move to Wordpress? Absolutely!
• Wordpress actually has two different platforms. Wordpress.com is essentially Wordpress’ version of Blogger; there are rules about what you can/can’t do and you don’t have total freedom. I’ve even heard that you are not able to advertise on WP.com. Wordpress.org is a self-hosted platform, which means just like a website, you buy hosting space and a domain name. WP.org is not free like Blogger/WP.com, but the freedom you have on it is worth the small price you pay to host it.
• If you started with Blogger and have been using it for awhile, the switch to Wordpress will have you in shock for a bit. The terminology is different, the dashboard is very different, and overall, it’s like learning a new program. While I have some tech skills and used to run a mom’s website (and by some, I mean only a bit above novice), it took me a couple of days to learn my way around. Two weeks later, I feel pretty good with my ability to navigate the dashboard. So don’t be intimidated if you are not a HTML or techie guru!

Many people asked what the pros and cons of moving were. Here are some other questions my readers asked about moving from Blogger to Wordpress:

1. Shandal asked, “Is it really complicated to switch? Where did you find your web designer? Do they charge you?” I won’t lie; the switch can be a bit complicated and do your head in, or so I’ve heard. I used a website designer to facilitate the move and get me set up and I urge all of you to do the same if you plan on switching. I found my designer (their names/links can be found at the bottom of my blog) through references after asking around. I inquired with a couple to compare rates and services, and I am thrilled with my choice! Yes it did cost money, and a move like that is not super cheap, but it won’t break the bank either.
2. Arizona Mamma asked, “Do you feel that WP is for serious bloggers?” I don’t know that I would word it that way, but I personally feel that WP blogs look more refined and professional. Many big companies, including some Fortune 500, use WP for their blogs, and I think that speaks volumes.

With all of that said, I am still thrilled about moving to the Wordpress neighborhood. I feel much more comfortable with this platform than I thought I would. I find it much more intuitive and easy to navigate and I’ve had lots of compliments on the new look.

If you’re still unsure where you stand on the debate, here are a couple more resources to check out.

Mommy Snacks: Blogging Platforms

Mommy Snacks: Blogging Platform Transfers

My 3 Boybarians: Why is Everyone Moving to WP? Should I?

Hope this post has helped shed some light on the topic. Let me know your thoughts after reading it! Do you plan on switching to Wordpress and why/why not?

Tagged as: blog, blogger vs wordpress