Do you want to know how to convert blog to website and what is the difference between the two? If so, this post is for you.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of taking your blog from a WordPress site to a self-hosted site. We’ll also discuss some pros and cons of doing so. Let’s get started!
How to convert blog to website?
If you are wondering how to convert a blog into a website, you will need to decide what type of site you will be creating (e-commerce or informational), buy a domain name, sign up with a hosting provider, and choose a free or a paid theme for your website.
This post will show you the exact steps you need to take to convert your WordPress blog into an online business.
What is the difference between a blog and a website?
Don’t get us wrong – there is nothing wrong with blogging.
In fact, it has never been more popular.
But there is a difference between an amateur blog and a blog that can become an income-earner.
Blogs that are hosted by wordpress.com or blogger.com usually have a URL that is typically difficult to remember.
Furthermore, blogs don’t always have that professional website look. They tend to be more basic-looking, with limited customization options.
A website is self-hosted. Having your website self-hosted means you host the website on a server that is under your full control. The common scenario for having a website is to purchase a premium hosting package from a web hosting company, such as Bluehost.
Websites are typically hosted with your own domain name. This makes the URL easy to remember for your audience and looks more professional.
With a website, you get to choose the look and feel of it (from an array of free or paid themes). Getting a good theme can help you establish your brand. I recommend Envato Market Themeforest for beautiful and high-performing blog themes!
Also, it allows you to customize the site to your specific needs, from placement of the sidebar and font options to homepage layout and any other preferences you may have.
Why would I want to change my blog into a website?
Here are some reasons you may want to change your blog into a website:
- You have outgrown the blogging platform that you’re using. You can’t seem to upload images or videos or move things around on your page.
- Other common limitations include no e-commerce options or not being able to customize your pages to how you want them to look.
- You’re thinking about blog monetization.
- You want more search engine visibility for your blog posts. It’s much easier to boost SEO on a self-hosted site than on a WordPress blog.
- You want to make your blog posts look more professional and stick out from the crowd. Blogs tend to be very uniformed looking. Websites can come in many different looks and designs. They tend to be more sleek and stylish than blogs. A website is like a blog on steroids!
If these pain points sound familiar, it is time to convert your WordPress blog into a website.
How to turn your blog into a website?
It’s easy – here are 4 simple steps you can take to convert your WordPress blog into a website:
Choose a domain & hosting provider
Web hosting companies provide servers that host your site online. They also offer email services and domain name registration (if you don’t already have a domain name).
We recommend Bluehost – It’s the largest and most trusted hosting company out there. It offers a range of plans – the cheapest cost less than your daily cup of coffee!
When you sign up for hosting with Bluehost it also allows you to choose a domain name for 1 year free of charge. This is great as you don’t need to buy a domain name from a separate provider.
Just choose a hosting plan that you like and follow the on-screen prompts to sign up.
Install WordPress on your hosting service panel
The next step is to install and set up WordPress on your hosting panel.
Strictly speaking, you don’t need to install WordPress on your server as you can use this self-hosted version of the software instead – or at least until you have more time or knowledge about how web hosting works.
However, we recommend using WordPress to simplify the process.
Using your browser, navigate to Bluehost’s cPanel. This is where you configure your website settings.
Scroll down to the ‘Website section’ and look out for ‘Install WordPress’.
Choose the domain for which you want to install WordPress and follow the process to complete the installation.
Install a theme
Now that you have WordPress installed, it’s time to install a theme.
A theme has various styling options (colors, logo, fonts, etc.) These can create different looks and designs for your site.
You can find free themes or purchase paid themes from numerous providers online.
There are 3 simple steps to install a theme:
Find a free or paid theme that you like and download it to your computer. We recommend Themeforest – it has an extensive library of affordable themes to choose from.
Once you have chosen and paid for your theme (or found a free one), you will have access to a zip file containing the theme that you can download to your computer.
Go to WordPress admin section, select Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme
Choose the file that you downloaded earlier.
Follow the instructions to upload and activate your theme.
You’re done! Now you have a fully working website/blog platform.
Customize the look
There are so many options available to customize your website – you can even add features that allow readers to interact with each other.
On your WP admin area, go to Appearance > Customize.
Here you can perform a variety of customizations.
For example, you can add a logo and change the site colors.
You can create menus to help visitors find what they are looking for on your site.
After making changes in the Customize section, make sure you click ‘Save & Publish’ otherwise it won’t take effect!
You may adjust the appearance and feel of your site until you are satisfied.
Now your new website is all set up! But if you want to be a successful blogger, you need a good strategy.
How to make your website successful?
When you turn your blog into a website, you are taking a big step towards blogging success.
But there is a lot more work to be done.
You need to know how to attract visitors, generate traffic, and convert them into customers or subscribers.
It can be challenging but with the right strategy, you will increase the chances of success.
Here’s how you can turn your website into a profitable business:
Produce original and high-quality content
Hands down, this is the most important tip.
Providing valuable information to your readers can help you build a loyal following.
However, blogging is hard work – producing content consistently will take time.
So make sure the topic is of interest to you, and stick to it. By producing high-quality content regularly you will be able to attract visitors who link back to you.
This may help bring more search engine traffic and boost your blog’s rank.
Share your posts on social media
Use your social media profiles to share your content with the wider online community.
But don’t overdo it – post too much or irrelevant updates and you may lose followers instead of gaining new visitors.
Post when your fans are most likely to see them for maximum effect.
You can also try paid advertising on social media platforms which may help you get more views and increase your bounce rate.
P.S. come say hello on Instagram!
Learn SEO basics
SEO is one of the major factors that contribute to having a successful blog.
Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most difficult aspects to master.
But don’t be intimidated – it does not have to take years before you see compelling results.
Learn about SEO basics and why they are important for your website.
Remember the golden rule – content is king.
Make sure all your blog posts contain helpful, unique, and informative content.
Focus on keywords that people are using to search for topics related to your blog.
Include images in your posts
Visual content is the future of blogging.
You may have a great post that covers all the points you want to make, but if no one wants to read it, it’s pointless.
Including images in your posts can significantly increase views and engagement from visitors.
Make sure your posts are well-designed, attractive, and easy to view on any device. Use Canva PRO to design amazing images even if you’re a newbie!
Create an About page
People want to know who you are, what you do, and why they should care.
Create an About page that contains all the information people may need to find out more about your blog and your credibility as a blogger.
The best place to include it is within your site menu, sidebar, or footer sections.
Make your website easy to navigate
The easier it is for visitors to navigate your site, the more likely they are to spend time browsing.
Make sure all your pages have a clear hierarchy and visual cues that lead visitors back up to the main navigation menus.
Offer clear, obvious page titles that describe their content.
This will help search engine crawlers to find your site and index your pages more easily.
Make sure your legal pages are in place
Blogging is a business, and just like any other type of business you need to have legal terms and privacy statements in place.
You don’t want to give visitors the impression that your blog is not trustworthy or legitimate.
So make sure all your legal pages such as your contact page, privacy policy, and affiliate disclosure pages are easy to find and navigate.
Make it clear that you do not intend to mislead anyone, and state clearly how your visitors can get in touch with you if they have any questions or concerns.
Comment on other blog posts relevant to your niche
Commenting on popular or relevant blog posts within your niche is a great way to build relationships and get exposure.
Don’t just comment for the sake of it – make sure you add value whenever you post.
Don’t leave promotional messages such as “great post!” or “I loved this article, I’m going to tweet it out!”
Look for comments that answer questions, provide advice, or share any information that the author may find useful.
The more helpful your contribution is, the more likely others will be to click through and visit your site.
Write guest content for blogs/websites in your niche
Guest posting on other blogs and websites is a great way to build relationships and get more exposure.
Look for opportunities where the blog is complementary to your overall content offering.
Write quality content that will engage visitors and be of value to the host website’s audience.
If you can, complete a guest post for a popular industry blog to establish your blogging credibility.
Build an email list
By creating a mailing list, you can promote the content of your blog to existing subscribers.
You can also use it to create more opportunities for engagement with your readers.
Start growing your email list by offering something in return for people’s contact details – give them exclusive content or access to an online membership area.
Publish content consistently
Blogging is all about consistency.
Your readers will need to know when they can expect new content from you before subscribing or following your site.
Set a publishing schedule and stick to it.
Even if you’re busy, you need to find the time to write one or two posts each week.
Having more content on your site means more opportunities for people to find your blog, which means more growth and faster success.
Invest in blogging courses
The truth is, it takes time and effort to establish your blog and grow your audience.
If you want to be successful with blogging, you will need to invest money in courses and resources that will help you to write better content and market your blog more effectively.
Yes, you can learn everything you need to know for free over time and with a lot of trial and error.
But this means wasting A LOT of time to learn lessons that somebody else has already learned, and they are happy to teach you.
Investing in a good blogging course can help you speed up your success with blogging by tenfold (if not more).
If you want a no-nonsense, easy-to-follow blogging course, try Traffic Transformation – it covers all the important aspects of blogging. This is the course that changed everything for me and turned my website from a blog to a business with a focus.
Install Google Analytics
All sites need traffic, and you will need to know where your site visitors are coming from.
Install this free tool developed by Google so you can track your blog traffic and find out what works for you and what doesn’t work.
Google Analytics can track how much traffic your site is getting, how much time people spend on your articles, and where your visitors are coming from.
It can also help you to find out which keywords people use to find your site, and what they click on when they get there.
Monetize
Once you have a steady audience, it’s a good idea to start making money from your website.
There are many ways to monetize your blog, but the most effective methods will depend on what kind of content you publish and how it performs for visitors.
Your options include paid advertising (such as Google AdSense), affiliate marketing, and sponsorships.
Start small in terms of monetization, so you can see which methods work for your site in the long term.
Once you’re making money, this will help to fuel your motivation to keep up with consistent posting and grow your audience even more.
Consider creating a product or offering a service
Once your blog becomes successful, you might want to consider turning it into something bigger.
A great way to monetize a popular site is by selling your product or service – this can be an e-book, a course, printables, and so on.
It does take patience and time to create a good product to sell, but eventually, it can become a passive income stream.
Start by blogging about topics you are passionate about that relate to the product or service you want to promote and give people great reasons to buy from you instead of competitors.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way, but always learn from them.
Once you start earning money, you can reinvest some of it back into your blog.
List of tools for converting a WordPress blog into a website
We’ve listed steps you need to take to convert your blog into a website, including some of the best tools in the industry.
However, if you need more options to choose from, we’ve got you covered.
Hosting services
Bluehost – Favorite choice for many bloggers and they offer a free domain and specialized tools for bloggers.
Hostgator – Another great hosting service that offers your first month for $0.01.
SiteGround – An affordable and reliable host I’ve used in the past with no issues.
Domain name websites
Namecheap – One of the most affordable domain registration sites.
Godaddy – One of the biggest players in domain names, and blogging tools.
WordPress themes
Theme Forest – Our personal choice. Great theme selection and support.
Studio Press – Good all-around themes that are completely customizable.
Thrive Themes – great themes for conversion-optimized websites.
Elegant Themes – Home of Divi, a very popular and powerful theme.
The Theme Foundry – Another popular choice.
Summary: how to convert a blog to a website?
Can I turn my WordPress blog into a website?
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to hire someone or spend big bucks on tech tools to convert your WordPress Blog into a Website.
All it takes is the right knowledge and some time investment upfront.
Whether you’re a brand new blogger looking for help with how to start turning visitors into sales, or an experienced blogger who wants insight about what’s next – this article has something for everyone!
We hope that our insights have been helpful, but if there are any questions left unanswered feel free to reach out.
Don’t let another day go by without converting your WordPress blog to a self-hosted website.
In the long run, it will pay off.
What are your reasons for wanting to convert a blog to a website? Leave a comment below!
