Darren over at ProBlogger is sponsoring a group writing project. The idea is to bring tons of bloggers together by writing about one similar subject. In the end a prize will be awarded to one blogger, $1001 to be exact thanks to Chitika. I have decided to give you the Top 5 reasons why I chose to move away from free blog hosting.

  1. More Control Over Layout- Blogger offers users the option to use their own layout, but a lot of other hosts like Wordpress will make you stick to one of their free layouts. I want the ability to change my layout to whatever I want whenever I feel like it.
  2. Control Over Blog Content- How many of us have heard about people losing their Wordpress blog due to issues with their content? Most free host have a TOS with sections that can be interpreted in many different ways. What I might consider objectionable might completely offend someone else. I don’t like the fact that with a free blog host, someone could report me for anything at anytime, and I could kiss my blog goodbye. No one wants to lose their blog after working so hard to build it.
  3. Paid Content- Whether you agree with advertising on blogs or not, pretty much everyone wants the ability to choose for themselves to have paid content. If I want text links on my sidebar, that’s my decision. If I want to write a few paid blog posts, that’s my decision. If I want to use Google Adsense, I don’t want to split the profits with my free host. That’s my money that I want to keep. Many free hosts these days won’t allow any type of advertising where as others split the profits with you. A few hosts don’t care what you advertise, but if you want to write content for paid blogging companies, most won’t accept blogs on a free host any longer.
  4. Reliable Hosting- There have been many many times with both my Wordpress and Blogger accounts where I couldn’t login. I really wanted to write something, but I couldn’t access my blog. Other times I would have content just disappear. I’ve lost quite a few posts on my Wordpress blog. They just vanished into thin air. When I decided to buy my own hosting package, I consulted with a close friend of mine who specializes in hosting blogs. He gave me a great package for a great price, and hosting with a smaller private company, I’m not competing with all those other free hosted blogs to get to tech support when something goes wrong. I can send a quick email and everything is resolved within minutes. Not once have I been locked out of my account or have my hosting crash. If something does happen, I know I have daily backups to keep me going.
  5. Blog Platform of Choice- I chose to use the Wordpress platform, but with free hosting, you are limited to that one service. With paid hosting, you may use any blog platform you choose. I like the ability to decide for myself which platform I like. If I get fed up with one, I can change to another within minutes.