Freedom! How to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

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How to Transfer WordPress.com to WordPress.org

Everyone’s doing it. Blogging that is. And WordPress has become the go-to option for people entering the world of blogging. There is simply no better way to get started.

Once you’ve had a taste of the blogging world you may decide that you love it and want to take it to another level. That’s when you’ll need to make a change and go from wordpress.com to wordpress.org.

Why?

Why change when you’ve got everything set up the way you want it on wordpress.com. Changing will provide you with more control and freedom. It will give you the ability to customize and take your blog from really good to amazing.

While premium themes are available for WordPress.com, you’re limited to what plugins you can use and how much customization can be done regarding the design and overall site structure.

That’s why many WordPress.com users move to the self-hosted WordPress.org software.

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

WordPress.com was created to make publishing online accessible for essentially everyone.

  • There’s no software to download
  • Hosting is free
  • There’s no need to manage a web server
  • You have hundreds of themes to choose from
  • The functionality of may plugins is available
  • But…you can’t upload your own plugins or themes

WordPress.org is also free, but is a bit more involved and requires more of your attention.

  • Software is free and available for you to install on a web server
  • It enables you to:
  • Upload and install themes and plugins
  • Run ads
  • Edit the database

In other words, you have much more freedom regarding the care and feeding of your blog.

Learn more about these two options at www.wordpress.org

The Big Move

There are options. There’s the really easy way and the not really hard way.

We recommend this option. Check it out. www.youtube.com

Guided Transfer

WordPress as always is very accommodating and helpful. If you’re using the WordPress.org software you’re given an option to purchase a Guided Transfer for the one time price of $129.

Apparently at WordPress there’s a crew of Happiness Engineers who will:

  • Transfer all your content
  • Install and configure plugins to support feature you have on WordPress.com
  • Switch your domain(s) over
  • Provide support for two weeks on your new WordPress.org install

Keep in mind if you’re using the WordPress.org software first obtain appropriate web hosing and have your WordPress.org blog up and running before your content is transferred.

The Not Really Hard Way

A number of WordPress web hosts offer a one-click installation of the software.

The content transfer process is relatively straightforward.

Old Blog

New Blog

  • Go to Tools → Import → WordPress and upload the file you downloaded in step
  • Make sure that you choose the option to Download & import file attachments.
  • This option will be available after you upload the file.
  • Note that the above assumes that you are using the latest version of the WordPress software.

 Don’t Worry

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If this whole process is making you nervous. Relax. If you’re worried that people won’t know to go to your new site. We’ve got you covered.

If you had a custom domain at WordPress.com all your blog traffic will be redirected to your new site. If you don’t your old URL can be redirected using the Site Redirect Upgrade.

You’re done. You’re in control. Enjoy your new and improved site.

About the author

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

WPUniversity Contributors help us make WordPress more approachable for non-developers. Want to get involved? Get all the details here.