Hello there!

It’s been one month since I moved self-hosted and I thought it’s time for some reflection. If you are not familiar with my blog, here are some facts to share:

• I started my first blog BrushAndNeedle on 25th February 2017;
• for three months I got more than 500 followers;
• I also had almost 3,000 views for May;

Needless to say, I had no idea that my blog would bring me to the point where I am right now.

I was not expecting that there would be so many people who clicked the follow button absolutely voluntary so they could read my content.

I was not expecting to get so much support from super random and amazing people from all around the world.

I was not even planning to tell my friends about my ‘hobby‘.

Yet it all happened and although it might sound a bit stupid for you – my blog helped me grow. That’s why I decided to help it grow too. I finally got the courage to move self-hosted.

1. Picking a new blog name:

I had to pick a new name for my blog, as Brush and Needle wasn’t entirely matching my content any more. I think this decision was one of the toughest, because I’m incredibly indecisive!  Anyway, after asking everybody I know, including you guys, I picked Siyana Online and I love it so far. I think if I still use it 10 years from now, I won’t be embarrassed.

2. Choosing a hosting platform:

Although it’s called ‘self-hosted’, you still need a hosting platform to look after your site. There are quite a lot on the market, but my decision here was easy. I read a few articles here and there and decided that I’ll be using *Site Ground. I’m not going to give you tons of statistical information about how SG is better than anything else, but will share why I personally liked it.

First, I thought their prices were quite reasonable. I got a two years contract for £90 (including my domain purchase for £12), which is about £3 per month. I mean, it’s not that expensive, I can save those money by skipping a cup of coffee once a month.

Second, their live chat assistance was fab. I got to text with one guy, who also happened to be Bulgarian and it was so much fun! He was extremely helpful and managed to move all of my content from Brush and Needle to Siyana Online for a few minutes. I’ve read that a lot of people struggled with this migration and I’m grateful that it happened so easy for me.

Third, everything happened really fast. I decided that I wanted my blog at 9PM and had it all done by 1AM. I honestly believe that’s incredible.

*Now, I have a reference link if you want to use it and help me. I’m going to get a small commission in return, but that’s not going to affect the price you will be going to pay anyway.

3. Personalizing your theme:

I’m using a free theme now, but picking all the widgets and plug-ins was really exciting for me! You start from a scratch, because none of your layout can be moved, but I honestly very much liked that. I’ll most likely invest in a theme in the future, but I’m happy with mine at the moment.

4. Migrating all of your followers:

That was easy as well, there is an option in the WordPress panel to migrate followers. And to be honest, I still happen migrate followers from my old blog, as there are people who keep following it 😀

5. Anything has changed?

I can say that my views are fluctuating quite a lot, but my subscribers and comments rates fell significantly. I even start to think that people are afraid to engage with bloggers with their own domain. We are not that scary, I promise.

6. Anything I regret?

Blog wise – no, I very much like how my blog looks right now. However, I think that I should have moved self-hosted even earlier, as many people are confused by my change now.

That was my personal experience and I can say it was definitelt a positive one. Let me know if you would like me to write something more in depth, such as how to pick a blog name, how to choose a hosting platform, is it worth moving self-hosted, must-have widgets, or anything like that. I’ve read a lot on these topics, and I’d love to share my experience as well! Also, I’d love to read your stories!

Thank you for reading as always,