Should You Self-Host Your Blog or Website?

Recently I was asked why authors should self-host their own blog or website.

First, what does self-host mean?

It means that you don’t use a free service to run your blog or website. The most popular free services are Blogger and WordPress.com. What confuses a lot of people is that you can run a website or blog that is based on the WordPress system, but is self-hosted. (That describes THIS site.)

So what are the big reasons NOT to use a free service?

Free services limit the functionality and options for your site.
Free services limit how much you can customize the look and feel of the site.
Sometimes you are working on proprietary systems that could be abandoned at any time. They might not be supported in the way you need them to be.
Free services might not offer the kind of metrics and analytics you need to see what’s working.
It’s more difficult to make money from a free service (it can be impossible to add eCommerce/shopping cart functionality or to run ads)

When you’re self-hosted, you really own your website and have full control. And for serious, professional authors, who are building a longterm online presence, that’s what I recommend. (If you are doing a very short-lived site, or if you’re just “fooling around,” then yes, do use a free service!)

You can read more of my opinion at Roz Morris’s blog. You can also get advice from well-known writers who do NOT recommend self-hosting.