If you have ever thought about starting a blog and looked up something on a search engine, you’ve likely read about being self-hosted.
A self-hosted blog means that you own all rights to your content.
If you choose to launch your blog on a free platform, or one that allows you upgrades by paying for them monthly, the platform owns all rights to your content and can shut it down at any time without any notice required.
I can see the appeal of choosing a free host when you’re a beginner because you’re unsure if you’ll enjoy it or be able to make money with it (if that’s the original intent). However, in the world of content creation, ownership is everything.
You Own Your Content
You invest a lot of time to create content for your blog. Imagine if all that hard work was taken away without asking for your permission?
Even if you’re notified, they still hold ownership of all of your content if they so choose to use it.
That’s beyond scary to me!
If you’re just getting started blogging, it’s still worth starting out on the right foot so that you can keep ownership of your content.
Unlimited Options for Customization
Have you noticed that each blog has its own brand identity?
Think about certain…
- Colors
- Fonts
- Symbols/Logos
It takes a well thought out strategy to create a combination of visual tools that bring your brand to life.
Without being self-hosted, you do not have all of the options at your disposal as if you were self-hosted. They have limited features for you to work with.
You may have seen some of these free platforms offer more customization options if you pay a fee each month – but it’s still not the same as having unlimited options with being self-hosted, and it’s not worth the money.
With the money you could spend on upgrading on a free platform, you could easily have paid for hosting and your domain and then some.
You Can Make Money Off Your Blog
By choosing to be on a self-hosted platform, you’re giving yourself the option to make money. Many bloggers who are just beginning their journey think that they can monetize their blog on a free platform, but unfortunately, that is not the case.
Whether it be that you’re looking to collaborate with brands for sponsored posts or marketing campaigns, or wanting to put ads on your site – they will require that you own your content.
I invested in my blog from the very beginning by being self-hosted after 6+ months of research. I’ve been blogging for two years now and I can tell you that I have never regretted that choice.
It has helped me to not only have peace of mind that my content is mine solely, but also that I’m able to choose how I want Make Life Marvelous to look at any time. Plus, I’ve been so fortunate to work with some wonderful brands so far!
I know there are a ton of options to choose from when it comes to hosting, but I love Bluehost! Their pricing is affordable and you can get awesome deals by choosing longer plans (I started out on the three-year plan). If you’re a heavy researcher like me, check out my walkthrough full of photos so you’ll know what to expect!
I’ve also had great experiences with their customer service, including when I thought I lost all of my blog posts once! Feel free to use my affiliate link to get started. 🙂
Wishing you all the brightest day, friends!
![Thoughts on 2020 & My Word for 2021 BEFORE READ-MORE Let’s be honest, 2020 was a tough year! I had a whole lot of beautifully-laid out plans that unfortunately just didn’t happen. Partly because of the pandemic, and partly because of my mindset. I found myself just sort of depressed and couldn’t really find the motivation I needed. Thankfully, ever since the holidays, I’ve felt like this universal shift is coming and things are going to be so much brighter this year. I’m definitely pouring all of my positive energy into making my goals happen this year, no matter what things look like with the pandemic. I have to realize that it’s not within my control what happens in the world. I just have control over myself. I wanted to share with you my biggest takeaways from last year. I want to stay mindful of these three things during 2021, and beyond. Plus, I’ll be sharing my word for this year at the bottom! Take Care of Your Loved Ones This past year tore us away from our family and friends. It was heartbreaking for so many, especially to those who are now grieving over some of them. As each year passes, it is almost always on my mind that some of my loved ones may not make it to see another year. That probably sounds very morbid and daunting, and is probably just a result of my life experiences. But it has opened my eyes to really pay special attention to those I love the most. I want to show them that I care while they are here. I want them to know without a doubt that I’m there for them and will do anything in my power to help them. I work very hard to not take anyone for granted because we never know when our time is up. Protect Your Peace I learned how important protecting my peace was last year. I felt like I was going through a multitude of things. Some of the things that were bothering me the most, I couldn’t even control and didn’t directly involve me. They involved loved ones. I’m sure many of you have had similar situations where you have family members that can sometimes play a toxic role in your life. As a result, I really needed to rely on creating healthy boundaries and sticking to those. It’s an ongoing difficult situation for me, but I have truly handled it better than I ever have before. I hope to continue to grow in this area and get better with those healthy boundaries. Try to Control What You Can Control (Not What You Can’t) This one is pretty much directly tied to what I just mentioned about protecting my peace. I’ve spent so much time (that I can never get back) stressing myself out over things I can’t control. Mostly in regard to loved ones, but also the world as a whole. While I choose not to talk politics in this space, I think we all can agree that things have just been a mess in the United States for the past year and even right now. The pandemic, the mud-slinging, all of the sad news that’s plastered all over the tv or our social media...it’s just exhausting. I just had to cut out most of the news because it was so depressing. Short of voting and praying for things to get better, that’s really all I can control. The rest of it will be what it will be, and I’m really trying to remind myself that each day. My Word for 2021 is Growth I’ve been flip-flopping between ‘change’ and ‘growth’ for my word this year. I realized what I wanted for this year was way more like ‘growth’ than ‘change.’ My thought process on using ‘change’ was that I was creating these new habits that were going to be life-changing and help really boost me to achieving my goals. When I thought about it a little more, I realized ‘growth’ really summarizes what I want to embody this year the best. It still requires change to happen, but it just seems like a better fit to choose ‘growth.’ [PIN] I hope you’ve gained a little something from reading this post, friend. I’m wishing you an amazing week filled with lots of joy. ust on a fun side note, I’m looking forward to watching The Bachelor and WandaVision this week. Do you have any fun shows/things in general you’re looking forward to? Let’s Chat! Do you identify with any of these takeaways from 2020? Have you chosen a word for this year? Fun question: Have you been watching The Bachelor this season?](https://i0.wp.com/www.makelifemarvelous.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Thoughts-on-2020-and-Word-for-2021.png?fit=150%2C126&ssl=1)
These are great reasons why to be self-hosted! I use Blue Host as well and have been very happy.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
That’s awesome, friend! Thank you SO much! 🙂
100% agree on this!!
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
Thanks so much, Jennifer! 🙂
Moving over to self-hosted was one of the best decisions I made as a blogger!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
So happy you made the move, Ashley! It truly does make a difference.
Oh great tips darling
Thank you SO much!
This is good advice! I remember once back in the early days of blogging I couldn’t log into my blog and I was so scared it had gone away – it was just a google issue and it was fixed quickly but it was about 30 minutes of panic there, haha! I do back it up regularly in case it does fall over, but I’ve never thought about moving to self hosting as it’s just a hobby so if it does go away I’d just start a different blog. Not very professional I know, haha!
Hope you are having a nice weekend 🙂 Busy Sunday here, after 3 parties yesterday we have another one to go to today!
Oh my goodness, that would definitely make me panic too! So happy it was a Google issue and a quick fix for you. And that definitely makes sense, friend, it’s all about what works best for you! 🙂
Thank you so much! 🙂 It sounds like you were having a super busy weekend, hope you can decompress and have some time to relax this weekend!
These are all great reasons to be self hosted. I also use Bluehost and am very pleased with it. Their customer support is really helpful!
Julia x
https://www.thevelvetrunway.com/
That’s wonderful, Julia! I completely agree, they’ve been great with me too. 🙂
I couldn’t agree more with ya my friend. It was a great choice for me too.
How was your weekend? Wishing you a blessed week. 🙂
https://www.missymayification.co.uk
Thank you bunches, Missy! My weekend went well, and I hope yours did too. 🙂 Wishing you an amazing upcoming weekend!!
It is nice to make money off your own blog! I went to a blog conference a few years ago (Haven in Charleston) and one of the best things I got out of it was networking with Mediavine there! I use them for ads now and make a lot more than I did when I used Google. I’m not sure who my foster is, because my husband takes care of all of the technical stuff for me (thank goodness!).
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
That’s fantastic! I would love to go to a blogging conference someday. I definitely want to join Mediavine at some point! Haha, that’s awesome, I’m so happy he takes care of it for you. It is a lot to deal with for sure, on the tech note.
Thanks for your tips ❤
Awww, thanks for reading, Kinga! 🙂
This is SO TRUE. My blog is self-hosted. Everyone who is rushing to be on social media does not realized that they do not own any of their content.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Exactly!! I know social media really helps grow blogs, but you’re absolutely right – IG owns all of that, not us.
Wow, I didn’t even know this was a thing. Thank you for sharing, I really need to look into this!!
xo Vicky
http://www.letsgetlostblog.com
You are very welcome, Vicky! It’s definitely worth taking a look into and seeing if it’s right for you. 🙂 Wishing you the brightest week ahead!
This was really interesting.
Thanks you so much for sharing this.
I need to look more into Bluehost.
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
Aww, thanks for reading, Margot! 🙂 I hope you love them as much as I do if you decide to try their service, and I hope you have an amazing week!
I completely agree that being self hosted is so important! When I started blogging 3 years ago, I debated using a free platform to get started but I ended up splurging to self host and I’ve never regretted it! This is a great post!
Jill
https://jilliancecilia.com/
So happy you took the leap right away and that you didn’t regret it! 🙂 Thanks so much, Jill!
I couldn’t agree more! These are amazing reasons to go self-hosted.
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thanks so much, Lovely! Have a fantastic day!
Interesting post – didn’t know there were all these benefits to self hosting!
http://skylish.co.uk
So happy I could share some of them with you, Kemi! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
This is a great post! Being self hosted is definitely a great business move for bloggers x
mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/
Aww, thank you Mia! I completely agree. Hope you have a wonderful day!
Thank you so much for your self-hosted blog tips. These are so amazing! 🌼
Miki from Reikami,
REIKAMI.com
You are more than welcome, Miki! Thank you SO much!
Great post! I agree–this is how i started out.
https://www.comfycozyup.com
Thank you so much! 🙂
What a great post! I 100% agree. Have a great day!
-Nina
http://www.stylingwithnina.com/2021/09/navy-ruffle-dress.html
Thank you bunches, Nina! I hope you have a fantastic day!
These are all great reasons to self-host! It took me a long time but I finally made the switch a year ago and wish I had done it sooner. I use Bluehost too!
Jill – Doused in Pink
So happy you made the switch, Jill! It’s definitely a lot to take in immediately, but it really helps long term. Hope you have an amazing day! 🙂
I love the idea actually and I agree with you as well. You shared some really good reasons!
Lots of Love: Mariann Yip
https://www.mariannyc.com/best-places-to-catch-fall-foliage-in-usa/
Aww, thanks so much, Mariann!
Some great advice here! I should check out bluehost!
https://www.aproposh.com
Thank you, Yvonne! I hope you love them as much as I do! 🙂
I couldn’t agree more! Great tips! Wonderful Post! Have a great day!
Rampdiary | Fineartandyou | Beautyandfashionfreaks
Thank you bunches, Jyoti! 🙂 I hope you have the best day!
These are all great reasons to continue my blog. Ive been lagging on content because Instagram is so much easier to post, but you’re absolutely correct. Thanks for the motivation!
Xoxo,
Christine
https://dailykongfidence.com/
I can relate, Christine! Life can definitely creep in and make it more difficult to get blog content out there too (that’s my case!). Hope you have an amazing day!
Have a nice day ❤
Aww, thank you Kinga! Hope you have a fantastic one! 🙂
Yes! I totally agree to this!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
Thanks so much, Rach!
Love all these positives for being self hosted. It gives a lot of freedom we bloggers enjoy having.
http://www.fashionradi.com
It truly does, Radi! Hope you have a wonderful day!
Thank you for sharing all of these positive sides about self hosted blog. I need to check Bluehost that you recommend.
I hope you love them as much as I do, friend! And thanks so much for reading! 🙂
This is so beautiful. I love and agree with the idea.
Thanks, Mariann!
Such great tips! I agree 1000%
http://www.christinacenci.com
Thanks so much, Christina!