WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
+
Tips on Choosing a Domain Name
and Hosting Provider

By Chris Burgess, @chrisburgess
(Slides will be posted on Meetup after the talk)
Who am I?
what my family thinks I do

what my clients think I do

what my friends think I do

what co-workers think I do

what society thinks I do

what I actually do

Image credit: http://twistedsifter.com
Chris Burgess
•  Worked in IT with a passion for
web technologies for almost 20
years.
•  Run my own business helping
clients tackle the web and run a
few of my own websites.
•  Run training workshops to help
keep me on my toes!
•  Regularly go to Meetups and comanage WordPress and
Melbourne SEO Meetups.

@chrisburgess
What am I
going to
cover?
I’ll cover…

•  What is WordPress?
•  What is WordPress.com?
•  What is WordPress.org?
•  WordPress.com VS WordPress.org
•  Domains
•  Hosting
What is
WordPress?
WordPress…
•  Started in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg
•  Single bit of code to enhance the typography of
everyday writing
•  Now grown to be the largest self-hosted CMS in the world
•  Used on millions of sites
•  Seen by tens of millions of people every day
•  Everything from the documentation to the code itself, was created by
and for the community.
•  WordPress is an Open Source project
–  hundreds of people all over the world working on it (more than
most commercial platforms)
–  free to use it without paying anyone a license fee and a number of
other important freedoms

Source:	
  h*ps://wordpress.org/about	
  
Image:	
  h*p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma*_Mullenweg	
  
There are LOADS of CMS platforms…
WordPress is the most popular by far…

Image:	
  h*p://trends.builtwith.com/cms	
  
How do I get WordPress?
There are 2 flavours …

images.goodfood.com.au/2013/10/18/4840227	
  
WordPress.com
and
WordPress.org
(commonly referred to as self-hosted)
WordPress.com
WordPress.com
Example of a WordPress.com site

Image:	
  h9p://tpvswp.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/blix.jpg	
  
WordPress.com

Get a free website. Some limitations.
• 

Commercial enterprise owned and run by Automattic a company that was
started by the founder of WordPress

• 

Shared hosting platform that uses WordPress

• 

Anyone can get a FREE hosted version of WordPress

• 

Uses the same WordPress software that you can download from
WordPress.org

• 

Great for people new to websites

• 

Easy to setup from many different themes available

• 

Spam protection, backups, security and upgrades are looked after for you

• 

There are ads with the free account

• 

You can upgrade to a paid account within WordPress.com if you outgrow your
free account

• 

You can migrate to self hosted site at any time
WordPress.com prices
vip.wordpress.com
What is
WordPress.org?
WordPress.org
WordPress.org…

Free download and DIY. No limits.
•  You’ll need a domain name and hosting (we’ll cover this
later).
•  Ability to use free (and paid) WordPress plugins (software
functionality) and WordPress themes (look and feel)
•  Support forums and the WordPress Codex
•  You have more flexibility with this option
•  You may need some technical knowledge (or help) to be
able to set up and run the website
•  You are responsible for backups, upgrades and security
of your site (although most hosts help with this)
WordPress.org typical pricing

•  It’s free to download a copy of WordPress
•  Pay around $10 per year for a domain
•  Pay around $100 per year for “basic” website hosting
•  With some technical knowledge you can learn to do
updates, backups, maintenance and monitoring
otherwise you may need to allocate some time or budget
to get professional help when needed
Which one should
I use?
WordPress.com

WordPress.org

“I just want to blog
– can’t someone
manage the hard
stuff for me?”

“I need more
functionality,
control and a
professional site”

Beginners
Hobbyists
Limited Budget

Businesses
eCommerce
Community
Applications
WordPress.com
•  Free
•  Free hosting (limited
storage)
•  Free wordpress.com
domain
•  Looks after all the
updates, backups and
security
•  Paid upgrades available

WordPress.org
•  Free to download,
but…
•  Pay for hosting
•  Pay for domain name
•  You need to look after
the updates, backups,
maintenance,
monitoring and security
WordPress.com
•  Easy to setup and
maintain

WordPress.org
•  Harder to setup and
maintain (although not that
hard if you come along to these
meetups!)
•  Need some technical
knowledge
•  Need to have access to your
cPanel and/or FTP to be able
to install
•  Some hosting providers do
offer a one click install
WordPress.com
•  Generally free account not
seen as very professional
•  Displays ads on your site
(could be your competitor)
•  A subdomain doesn’t look very
professional e.g
example.wordpress.com
•  There are premium upgrades
you can use to achieve some
customisation e.g own domain
and remove ads

WordPress.org
•  Looks more
professional
•  Complete control of how
your website appears
•  Remove footer links
•  No ads (unless you want
your own)
•  Complete control to
extend and integrate
with other systems
WordPress.com
•  Harder to modify
•  You can’t modify the
source code
•  You can’t use plugins
•  Restriction on themes

WordPress.org
•  Easier to modify
•  You can modify the PHP
source code
•  You can use/buy a theme
and upload it or build your
own (using PHP, CSS etc.)
•  You can use plugins to
extend the functionality of
your site (in my view the
most important feature!)
In summary, it comes down to your
specific needs.
For more help on using WordPress visit:
http://wordpress.org/support
http://codex.wordpress.org
http://easywpguide.com
Domain Names
and Hosting
Jargon Buster!
What is…
• 

Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

• 

World Wide Web (www)

• 

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

• 

Web Server

• 

Web Browser

• 

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

• 

Domain Registrar

• 

Domain Registry

• 

Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)

• 

PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP)

• 

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

• 

IP Address (192.168.1.212)

• 

Domain Name (example.com.au)

• 

Web Host

• 

Content Management System (CMS)
Think of it like a house…

Image:	
  h9p://dodynamic.com/latest-­‐news/a-­‐website-­‐is-­‐like-­‐a-­‐house/	
  
Domain Names
The address the
internet uses to find a
website
Common domain name extensions…

.com.au

.asn.au

.id.au
.net

.com

.org
.io

.info
.co

.org.au

.net.au

.tv

.me

Soon you can get .anything
Examples of good domain names
•  Here’s a list from DNTrade of the Top 10 domain sales
over the last few years in Australia:
1.  CarLoan.com.au $200,000+
2.  Cruises.com.au $110,000
3.  HomeLoan.com.au - $100,000+
4.  Hobart.com.au - $65,000
5.  HomeLoanCalculator.com.au - $33,001
6.  CarInsurance.net.au - $30,001
7.  MySuper.com.au $28,001
8.  CreditReport.com.au - $27,500
9.  CurrencyConverter.com.au - $27,500
10.  CreditCards.net.au - $22,002
How to choose a domain name
•  Keep it short
•  Clear business use
•  Easy to spell
•  Easy to remember
•  Passes the radio test
•  Usually best to try avoid using numbers and hyphens
•  Unique
•  Generally most prefer a .com for an international business and .com.au
for an Australian business
•  Check the domain is available. Type it in to your browser or check
availability at your registrar
•  Check out local marketplaces for ideas or to make an offer on an
existing domain
Some popular domain name registrars and
prices for an available .com.au

ears	
  
$19.95	
  2	
  y

ars	
  
.95	
  2	
  ye
$49

ars	
  
19.98	
  2	
  ye
$

ars	
  
95	
  2	
  ye
$49.
Some popular .au domain name
marketplaces…
How do I register a domain name?
•  Get an account with one of auDA’s accredited registrars
•  Check the registrar offers the domain extension that you want and the
price for registration
•  For an Australian country code top level domain (ccTLD) like a
a .com.au or .net.au you need to:
–  Be an Australian resident with an ABN or ACN
–  For .org.au you must be a non-commercial organisation (e.g charity)
–  Domain must have a close and substantial connection with your
business
–  Visit the auDA domain name eligibility and allocation policy rules for
more information
•  No restrictions for registering Top Level Domains (TLDs) like .com, .net
or .org
How much does a domain name cost?
•  If it’s not currently registered typically around $10 per
year
•  If it is currently registered you have a couple of
options:
–  Choose different extension or domain
–  If the domain is not being used yet you could approach
the owner to buy it (you can do a WHOIS search at
AusRegistry to get the contact details)
For more help and info on domains visit:
http://ausregistry.com.au/
http://www.auda.org.au/
https://www.dntrade.com.au/
Hosting
Image:	
  h9p://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/3712908/burnt+bitch/31#31	
  
How to choose a hosting provider
•  Server location: Australian vs International
•  Features: What storage, bandwidth, email and other
quotas do you get? Does it offer cPanel?

•  Price: How much do they charge? (Expect to pay around
$100 per year to get basic hosting)

•  Support: What support do they provide and how? Tip:
Test it out before you buy to see how they respond to you.

•  Feedback: Check out the online customer reviews and
feedback (talk to the people at this Meetup!)

•  Platform: Recommend Linux/Unix platform.
Popular Hosting Providers

Check	
  out	
  my	
  blog	
  post	
  on	
  Australian	
  hosPng	
  providers:	
  h9p://chrisburgess.com.au/australian-­‐web-­‐hosPng-­‐providers/	
  
Monitoring
•  Free uptime monitoring for 1 website with Pingdom
For more help on Aussie hosting visit:
http://www.webhostingtalk.com.au
https://www.dntrade.com.au/hosting
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/116
Recap time!
•  What is WordPress
•  What is WordPress.com
•  What is WordPress.org
•  WordPress.com VS WordPress.org
•  Tips on choosing a domain name
•  Tips on choosing a hosting provider
The end…

Hey Chris!
I want more!
Get
yourself
along to the
WordPress
Meetups
☺
Question Time!
Other	
  Sources:	
  
h*p://en.support.wordpress.com/com-­‐vs-­‐org/	
  
h*p://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/com-­‐or-­‐org/	
  
h*ps://wordpress.org	
  
h*p://wordpress.com	
  	
  

WordPress, Domain Names and Web Hosting Basics

  • 1.
    WordPress.com vs WordPress.org + Tipson Choosing a Domain Name and Hosting Provider By Chris Burgess, @chrisburgess (Slides will be posted on Meetup after the talk)
  • 2.
  • 3.
    what my familythinks I do what my clients think I do what my friends think I do what co-workers think I do what society thinks I do what I actually do Image credit: http://twistedsifter.com
  • 4.
    Chris Burgess •  Workedin IT with a passion for web technologies for almost 20 years. •  Run my own business helping clients tackle the web and run a few of my own websites. •  Run training workshops to help keep me on my toes! •  Regularly go to Meetups and comanage WordPress and Melbourne SEO Meetups. @chrisburgess
  • 5.
    What am I goingto cover?
  • 6.
    I’ll cover… •  Whatis WordPress? •  What is WordPress.com? •  What is WordPress.org? •  WordPress.com VS WordPress.org •  Domains •  Hosting
  • 7.
  • 8.
    WordPress… •  Started in2003 by Matt Mullenweg •  Single bit of code to enhance the typography of everyday writing •  Now grown to be the largest self-hosted CMS in the world •  Used on millions of sites •  Seen by tens of millions of people every day •  Everything from the documentation to the code itself, was created by and for the community. •  WordPress is an Open Source project –  hundreds of people all over the world working on it (more than most commercial platforms) –  free to use it without paying anyone a license fee and a number of other important freedoms Source:  h*ps://wordpress.org/about   Image:  h*p://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma*_Mullenweg  
  • 9.
    There are LOADSof CMS platforms…
  • 10.
    WordPress is themost popular by far… Image:  h*p://trends.builtwith.com/cms  
  • 11.
    How do Iget WordPress? There are 2 flavours … images.goodfood.com.au/2013/10/18/4840227  
  • 12.
  • 13.
  • 14.
  • 15.
    Example of aWordPress.com site Image:  h9p://tpvswp.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/blix.jpg  
  • 16.
    WordPress.com Get a freewebsite. Some limitations. •  Commercial enterprise owned and run by Automattic a company that was started by the founder of WordPress •  Shared hosting platform that uses WordPress •  Anyone can get a FREE hosted version of WordPress •  Uses the same WordPress software that you can download from WordPress.org •  Great for people new to websites •  Easy to setup from many different themes available •  Spam protection, backups, security and upgrades are looked after for you •  There are ads with the free account •  You can upgrade to a paid account within WordPress.com if you outgrow your free account •  You can migrate to self hosted site at any time
  • 17.
  • 18.
  • 19.
  • 20.
  • 22.
    WordPress.org… Free download andDIY. No limits. •  You’ll need a domain name and hosting (we’ll cover this later). •  Ability to use free (and paid) WordPress plugins (software functionality) and WordPress themes (look and feel) •  Support forums and the WordPress Codex •  You have more flexibility with this option •  You may need some technical knowledge (or help) to be able to set up and run the website •  You are responsible for backups, upgrades and security of your site (although most hosts help with this)
  • 23.
    WordPress.org typical pricing • It’s free to download a copy of WordPress •  Pay around $10 per year for a domain •  Pay around $100 per year for “basic” website hosting •  With some technical knowledge you can learn to do updates, backups, maintenance and monitoring otherwise you may need to allocate some time or budget to get professional help when needed
  • 24.
  • 26.
    WordPress.com WordPress.org “I just wantto blog – can’t someone manage the hard stuff for me?” “I need more functionality, control and a professional site” Beginners Hobbyists Limited Budget Businesses eCommerce Community Applications
  • 27.
    WordPress.com •  Free •  Freehosting (limited storage) •  Free wordpress.com domain •  Looks after all the updates, backups and security •  Paid upgrades available WordPress.org •  Free to download, but… •  Pay for hosting •  Pay for domain name •  You need to look after the updates, backups, maintenance, monitoring and security
  • 28.
    WordPress.com •  Easy tosetup and maintain WordPress.org •  Harder to setup and maintain (although not that hard if you come along to these meetups!) •  Need some technical knowledge •  Need to have access to your cPanel and/or FTP to be able to install •  Some hosting providers do offer a one click install
  • 29.
    WordPress.com •  Generally freeaccount not seen as very professional •  Displays ads on your site (could be your competitor) •  A subdomain doesn’t look very professional e.g example.wordpress.com •  There are premium upgrades you can use to achieve some customisation e.g own domain and remove ads WordPress.org •  Looks more professional •  Complete control of how your website appears •  Remove footer links •  No ads (unless you want your own) •  Complete control to extend and integrate with other systems
  • 30.
    WordPress.com •  Harder tomodify •  You can’t modify the source code •  You can’t use plugins •  Restriction on themes WordPress.org •  Easier to modify •  You can modify the PHP source code •  You can use/buy a theme and upload it or build your own (using PHP, CSS etc.) •  You can use plugins to extend the functionality of your site (in my view the most important feature!)
  • 31.
    In summary, itcomes down to your specific needs. For more help on using WordPress visit: http://wordpress.org/support http://codex.wordpress.org http://easywpguide.com
  • 32.
  • 33.
  • 34.
    What is… •  Hyper TextTransfer Protocol (HTTP) •  World Wide Web (www) •  Uniform Resource Locator (URL) •  Web Server •  Web Browser •  Internet Service Provider (ISP) •  Domain Registrar •  Domain Registry •  Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) •  PHP Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) •  Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) •  IP Address (192.168.1.212) •  Domain Name (example.com.au) •  Web Host •  Content Management System (CMS)
  • 35.
    Think of itlike a house… Image:  h9p://dodynamic.com/latest-­‐news/a-­‐website-­‐is-­‐like-­‐a-­‐house/  
  • 36.
  • 37.
    The address the internetuses to find a website
  • 38.
    Common domain nameextensions… .com.au .asn.au .id.au .net .com .org .io .info .co .org.au .net.au .tv .me Soon you can get .anything
  • 39.
    Examples of gooddomain names •  Here’s a list from DNTrade of the Top 10 domain sales over the last few years in Australia: 1.  CarLoan.com.au $200,000+ 2.  Cruises.com.au $110,000 3.  HomeLoan.com.au - $100,000+ 4.  Hobart.com.au - $65,000 5.  HomeLoanCalculator.com.au - $33,001 6.  CarInsurance.net.au - $30,001 7.  MySuper.com.au $28,001 8.  CreditReport.com.au - $27,500 9.  CurrencyConverter.com.au - $27,500 10.  CreditCards.net.au - $22,002
  • 40.
    How to choosea domain name •  Keep it short •  Clear business use •  Easy to spell •  Easy to remember •  Passes the radio test •  Usually best to try avoid using numbers and hyphens •  Unique •  Generally most prefer a .com for an international business and .com.au for an Australian business •  Check the domain is available. Type it in to your browser or check availability at your registrar •  Check out local marketplaces for ideas or to make an offer on an existing domain
  • 41.
    Some popular domainname registrars and prices for an available .com.au ears   $19.95  2  y ars   .95  2  ye $49 ars   19.98  2  ye $ ars   95  2  ye $49.
  • 42.
    Some popular .audomain name marketplaces…
  • 43.
    How do Iregister a domain name? •  Get an account with one of auDA’s accredited registrars •  Check the registrar offers the domain extension that you want and the price for registration •  For an Australian country code top level domain (ccTLD) like a a .com.au or .net.au you need to: –  Be an Australian resident with an ABN or ACN –  For .org.au you must be a non-commercial organisation (e.g charity) –  Domain must have a close and substantial connection with your business –  Visit the auDA domain name eligibility and allocation policy rules for more information •  No restrictions for registering Top Level Domains (TLDs) like .com, .net or .org
  • 44.
    How much doesa domain name cost? •  If it’s not currently registered typically around $10 per year •  If it is currently registered you have a couple of options: –  Choose different extension or domain –  If the domain is not being used yet you could approach the owner to buy it (you can do a WHOIS search at AusRegistry to get the contact details)
  • 45.
    For more helpand info on domains visit: http://ausregistry.com.au/ http://www.auda.org.au/ https://www.dntrade.com.au/
  • 46.
  • 47.
  • 48.
    How to choosea hosting provider •  Server location: Australian vs International •  Features: What storage, bandwidth, email and other quotas do you get? Does it offer cPanel? •  Price: How much do they charge? (Expect to pay around $100 per year to get basic hosting) •  Support: What support do they provide and how? Tip: Test it out before you buy to see how they respond to you. •  Feedback: Check out the online customer reviews and feedback (talk to the people at this Meetup!) •  Platform: Recommend Linux/Unix platform.
  • 49.
    Popular Hosting Providers Check  out  my  blog  post  on  Australian  hosPng  providers:  h9p://chrisburgess.com.au/australian-­‐web-­‐hosPng-­‐providers/  
  • 50.
    Monitoring •  Free uptimemonitoring for 1 website with Pingdom
  • 54.
    For more helpon Aussie hosting visit: http://www.webhostingtalk.com.au https://www.dntrade.com.au/hosting http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/116
  • 55.
    Recap time! •  Whatis WordPress •  What is WordPress.com •  What is WordPress.org •  WordPress.com VS WordPress.org •  Tips on choosing a domain name •  Tips on choosing a hosting provider
  • 56.
  • 57.
  • 58.
    Question Time! Other  Sources:   h*p://en.support.wordpress.com/com-­‐vs-­‐org/   h*p://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/11/14/com-­‐or-­‐org/   h*ps://wordpress.org   h*p://wordpress.com