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Is WordPress for blogs only?
Although WordPress initially started as a CMS for blogs and bloggers, WordPress is not for blogs only.
WordPress has evolved and some of the biggest websites in the world are now built on WordPress.
Does WordPress have to be a blog only?
No, although WordPress is great for blogs and was originally created for blockers, it is so much more nowadays. You can:
- Have a fully fleshed out website that can handle millions of visitors.
- An ecommerce business.
- Create a fully functional and professional looking company website.
- Add a dropshipping store through WooCommerce.
Many individuals just like you are making great livings off their WordPress websites that had originally started out as simple blogs.
Dynamic individuals documenting their experience and expertise in one area or another who eventually developed a following.
These bloggers were able to build upon their WordPress blog’s strength and expand into other products and services to offer to their followers and readers.
You can not only blog about your experience and expertise in a certain area or niche, but you can monetize that on WordPress with affiliate products, display advertising as well as your own digital products and services.
So in short, WordPress isn’t just for blogs only.
Can a beginner use WordPress for a blog only?
If you are an absolute beginner and want to share your thoughts and passions to the world, then there’s no better place to blog about it than on WordPress.
You don’t need to have an ecommerce store or a huge WordPress website either.
WordPress has evolved so much over the years that it’s fairly easy for an absolute beginner to get a WordPress blog up and running on the internet in a single day.
Probably much less, since I am only speaking about my own personal experience in getting my first WordPress blog up on the internet over 10 years ago.
However, WordPress has evolved and has become that much easier for beginners, even for those who just want to use WordPress for their blogs only.
You may be tempted if you simply want a blog to go to Blogger, Wix or Weebly since they make it seem fairly easy to get a blog up on the internet.
However, with WordPress you will have complete freedom and control over your blog and what you can do with it. WIth those other closed platforms, you will be limited with what you can do with it and how it looks.
If they decide to change their terms, raise their prices or you simply want faster hosting, you will be stuck. Since they are not open source, you won’t be able to simply take your website and migrate it to another host.
If you want control over the design, functionality as well as the pricing, then there’s no better CMS than WordPress. Why?
Because WordPress is open source. You can take it and have it hosted on any hosting provider you choose. You can simply migrate your theme, it’s design, plugins and functionality all with you, whenever you want. Why?
Because you own your theme and plugins, everything you’ve designed and put together. Even if they were free.
Needless to say if you’re an absolute beginner but you see yourself blogging long into the future, then WordPress is the only CMS for you.
Which WordPress plan is best for blogging?
The best WordPress plan for blogging is probably WordPress.com’s free blog plan. WordPress.com does allow bloggers who simply want to blog, a free plan.
In WordPress.com’s free blog plan you can blog till your heart’s content without ever having to pay for hosting or themes, etc.
However, there are a few caveats that you should be aware of.
First, in order to pay and subsidize WordPress.com’s free blog plan, bloggers have to accept the fact that WordPress.com is going to put ads on their blogs. In addition, the blogger gets no share of the revenue generated from those ads as well.
You are also very limited and your own modization options too.
Although WordPress.com may allow some affiliate links on blogs in their free blog plan, these have to be used very sparingly.
You see, WordPress.com does not allow blogs with commercial content or content with commercial intent on their free blog plans.
There’s nothing wrong with putting in an affiliate link here or there where the content is not commercial in nature and the link is meant to benefit the reader. But that’s about the extent in which WordPress.com will allow affiliate links.
You are also not allowed to put any display ads, including Google Adsense, on WordPress.com’s free blogs as well.
There are other limitations, but the best way to go through them would be simply to check out WordPress.com plans.
Is a WordPress blog free?
Only the WordPress.com free blog plan will allow you to have a WordPress blog for free.
As I have mentioned above, there are quite a few limitations in the WordPress.com blog free plan though.
Other hosting plans, including those on WordPress.com, as well as other hosting providers are of course paid plans.
However, you can get some very good introductory deals, especially for your first year. I have seen hosting plans for as little as a dollar a month.
Some hosting providers even offer a free custom domain name with some of their hosting plans. Definitely worth checking into.
How much does a WordPress Blog cost?
As I’ve mentioned above, you can get a WordPress blog absolutely free on WordPress.com in their free blog plan.
However, if you want your own custom domain name that you can take with you anywhere you want to go, that will cost you approximately $10 more or less.
If you decide to self-host your WordPress blog and choose another hosting provider, some even include a free custom domain name, at least for your first year that is.
There are also many hosting providers that offer introductory first year web hosting plans for as little as $1 a month.
But on average I would expect to pay at least $10 a month for a Shared Hosting plan.
Those are the rough estimates of how much a WordPress blog can cost. As you can see, even starting out with a paid plan, it’s still very affordable.
Is Wix better than WordPress for blogs only?
No, Wix is not better than WordPress for blogs only or for any type of website. Why?
First, if you want a free WordPress blog, the only place you can get one is on WordPress.com. Wix does not offer free blogs.
In addition, even if you start out with a free WordPress blog on WordPress.com, you can migrate that free blog on to one of WordPress.com’s paid plans or even self-host it with another hosting provider. How?
Because WordPress, the software, otherwise known as CMS, Is open source. Wix is not open source.
You can’t simply migrate your Wix blog and have it self-hosted with another hosting provider.
These are just some of the drawbacks to having a blog with Wix, which makes WordPress far better for bloggers than Wix.
Do I need web hosting for a WordPress blog?
If you want your WordPress blog to be live on the internet, then you will definitely need some sort of web hosting.
Whether that hosting is with WordPress.com’s free hosting plan, one of their paid hosting plans or a self-hosted plan from another hosting provider.
WordPress is for more than blogs only. Summary.
There you have it. WordPress is far more than just for blogs only. You can create large websites that can handle millions of visitors a month on a site built with WordPress as well.
However, if you are simply interested and using WordPress for a blog that’s also possible. You can even start out with a free WordPress blog.
