Lessons learned in moving from Blogger to WordPress [Opinion]
| By Alok Saboo on April 3rd, 2009 |
I don’t know what was “it” that motivated me to move to WordPress. I guess the how-to’s on the internet fooled me into believing that it would be a really simple process (may be it is a simple process for php/css/html experts). To be fair, I probably was looking for too much and hence the transition proved to be a little difficult for me. Instead of providing you with all the gory details of my experiences over the last two weeks, I will summarize the lessons learnt during the process so that you can be more efficient when you decide to take the plunge.
- Theme selection: This is probably the most important decision, as you will have to live with it for a long time (if not forever). There are several free as well as paid themes available for WordPress. Most paid themes offer some very nice features and customization capabilities, but depending on your use that may not be the optimal decision. If you decide to go the paid route, one theme that is definitely worth considering is Thesis. But if you do not want to spend money (like me) then there are tons of free themes (just do a google search). Few things to keep in mind: number of sidebars, adsense readiness, widget readiness, etc. Most importantly, play around with your selection before zeroing on any theme.
- Determine customizations: Next, you should determined what features are missing and need to be added in the theme. This could range from simple color co-ordination to little more involved requiring php programming.
- Hire a professional: I fortunately got help from a friend of mine, Neeraj Thakur, who was kind enough to help me in this project. But, if you are not versed with the technicalities, it would be worth to hire a professional to help you with the transition. You can float your requirements on any of the free lancing sites (e.g. Guru) and you should get quotes from vendors. Talk to them and finalize the one, who you fits your criteria.
- Go with a decent host: Your website is not going to serve your purpose if it is not available to the readers. Go with a decent host (not necessarily expensive). Ensure that they have some level of support (trust me you will need this). There are several decent hosts available for less than $5 per month (depending on your requirements).
- Plan a transition: It is very important to plan the transition well. Before pulling the plug on your blogger blog, ensure that the site is working well. Let things stabilize before you redirect your readers to your new site.
- Test, Test and Test again: Resist the urge to show off your baby to the world. Test your side thoroughly before you make it public. Let your friends evaluate your site, use different browsers, etc. Amit has a nice post on testing your website.
- Be prepared for surprises: Much as we would all hope for things to work out perfectly, things will go wrong (more often than not). So have a backup plan ready for such scenario.
The idea is not to scare you, but to prepare you to handle the transition well.
Having said that, I am extremely happy with my decision to move to WordPress. There were occasional hiccups, but the end result is more than worth the efforts. Now that the site is up and running, I can concentrate a little more on helping you make free international calls.
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