Learning Curve of Going Self Hosted

I instantly thought I got way in over my head just from the hosting site. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing nor how to fill out information they wanted from me. Luckily SiteGround transferred my content over from my previous website which only took a couple of hours. But once i got to the wordpressorg dashboard I was more in my comfort zone.

Things still looked kinda different and I’m still getting used to figuring out my Plug ins. I probably wouldn’t have known to add in any without the help of fellow bloggers writing posts about helpful tools. Other helpful tips I wouldn’t have known otherwise were claiming your website on Google and Pinterest and migrating your followers from dotcom to your new site.

One thing I definitely miss is the calendar display while scheduling future posts. I installed a calendar plug in to help keep me organized but I have to go to a different page to see it and that leaves me guessing and making mistakes while picking dates.

Along with the calendar I also miss how easy it was to link your older posts in dotcom. In org I have to open another tab for my site and search for every post I want to link back to.

There’s also been some confusion since I use JetPack to keep track of my Stats. When asking for more detailed Stats I get redirected to my WordPress.com dashboard. If I use the WordPress app will I be following and commenting as my dotcom site or my new site?

It’s also a bit disheartening to see your stats start from scratch. You worked so hard to build it up the first time and now you have to go through the process all over again. It will hopefully help that your regular followers have been migrated over and continue their support.

Figuring out how plug ins work has also been a challenge. I installed some that were highly recommended and don’t really feel like I use them or I guess just don’t know how. Similarly, I don’t fully understand how to properly set up monetization just as Google Adsense.

It’s a learning process for sure and you have to be willing to dedicate a lot of extra time in the beginning in order to get yourself up and running efficiently.