Making the Switch: How to Easily Move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org

Hi there! If you‘re reading this, you‘re probably considering moving your blog over from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

It‘s a common transition many bloggers make due to the increased flexibility and ownership that WordPress.org provides.

I‘ve helped over a hundred people make this switch smoothly, so let me walk you through the process step-by-step.

Why Go From WordPress.com to WordPress.org?

Before we get into the how, let‘s look at why you may want to graduate from WordPress.com to the self-hosted WordPress.org:

WordPress.com

• Free and easy to setup
• Hosted on WordPress.com‘s servers
• Limited customization and control
• Can only use WordPress.com themes and plugins
• Ads may be displayed
• No access to site files and database

WordPress.org

• Requires web hosting (starts around $5/month)
• Self-hosted on your own servers
• Full control over site, plugins, themes, files
• 25,000+ free themes and plugins to choose from
• No random ads unless you want them
• Complete ownership and flexibility

Here are a few more advantages of switching over to WordPress.org:

• Enhanced functionality: Install premium plugins like WooCommerce to build an online store. Add membership plugins, forums, job boards, and more.

• Improved SEO: Use SEO plugins like Yoast to optimize your site. Control robots.txt and XML sitemaps.

• Site monetization: Run ads like Google AdSense, sell products, add affiliate links, etc.

• Modern hosting: Faster page speeds, free SSL, managed WordPress hosting.

• Data portability: Freely export your data at any time. No vendor lock-in.

Over 40% of sites that start on WordPress.com eventually move to WordPress.org for these reasons. It‘s a natural progression as your site grows.

Alright, now that you know why you should consider the switch, let‘s dive into how to actually make it happen smoothly.

Step 1: Export Your Site From WordPress.com

The first step is to get all your existing content out of WordPress.com. Here‘s how:

1. Login and go to your site‘s dashboard on WordPress.com.

2. Click on Tools > Export in the left menu.

3. On the next screen, click the Export All button.

4. WordPress.com will now create an export file containing your posts, pages, comments, custom fields, and other data.

Once the export file is ready, you will get an email from WordPress.com with a download link.

Pro Tip: Make sure to download this XML file and save it on your computer. We‘ll need it later.

Step 2: Sign Up for Web Hosting

Since WordPress.org is self-hosted, you need to sign up for web hosting to run WordPress:

What to Look for in a WordPress Host

Your WordPress host needs to have:

• Managed WordPress hosting for optimal performance
• Free domain name registration
• SSD storage for faster speeds
• Free SSL certificate for security

Some top affordable options are:

• Bluehost – $2.75/month
• SiteGround – $3.95/month
• A2 Hosting – $2.99/month

I personally recommend going with SiteGround or Bluehost. Both check all the right boxes.

Register a Domain (Optional)

When signing up for hosting, you can register a new domain or use your existing WordPress.com domain.

If using your own domain, make sure you have access to modify the nameserver records.

Already using a custom domain? Just register it on your new host.

Step 3: Install WordPress on Your Web Host

Once you have your hosting account, it‘s time to install WordPress:

1. Login to your hosting cPanel dashboard.

2. Look for the WordPress installer tool (often called Mojo Installer or Softaculous).

3. Enter your domain name, admin credentials, and hit install.

And voila! WordPress will be downloaded and installed automatically within a few minutes.

Too easy, right? With just a few clicks, your site is ready.

Step 4: Import Your WordPress.com Content

Now the fun part – let‘s pull in all your old posts, pages, comments, etc from WordPress.com:

1. Login to your new self-hosted site‘s WordPress dashboard.

2. Go to Tools > Import in the left sidebar.

3. Install the WordPress Importer plugin if needed.

4. Run the importer. Upload the XML file you exported from WordPress.com.

5. Click import to pull your data into the new site.

The WordPress importer will download your images and files from WordPress.com and update all the URLs within your content to now link to your new self-hosted site.

Just like that, your WordPress.com data is migrated over!

Step 5: Redirect Your Old URLs

To ensure a smooth transition for visitors, you need to redirect traffic from your old WordPress.com URLs to your new site.

Here are two ways to do this:

Option 1) Use WordPress.com‘s Site Redirect

This is a paid add-on that lets you permanently redirect an entire domain with 301 status code. This preserves your SEO when moving sites.

Option 2) Set up URL Redirects on New Host

Add 301 redirect rules on your new host either through .htaccess or hosting control panel. More work but costs nothing.

I recommend Option 1 for worry-free redirects. Just point your domain to the new site, and traffic flows there automatically.

Step 6: Transfer Your Domain (Optional)

If you registered your domain on WordPress.com instead of externally, you‘ll need to:

1. Point your domain to the new hosting account.
2. Set up email forwarding if needed.
3. Cancel the domain registration on WordPress.com.
4. Once expired, re-register it on your new host.

This allows you to keep the same domain name when moving from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

You‘re All Set! What Now?

And that‘s it – you have successfully moved from WordPress.com over to WordPress.org! Pat yourself on the back.

With your blog now on a self-hosted platform, you have unlimited options for customization, growth and monetization.

Here are my top tips for your newly migrated site:

• Install must-have plugins like a security tool, SEO tool, backup tool, contact form, and caching tool.

• Pick a professional theme to give your site a facelift. The possibilities are endless.

• Set up search engine optimization basics like meta tags, XML sitemap and social media integration.

• Consider a managed hosting plan for enhanced speed, security and support.

• Enable automatic backups to safeguard your site from disasters.

And most importantly, create awesome content! You‘re now unstoppable.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I‘m always happy to help out or get you set up worry-free.

Congratulations on the new site and good luck!