Private domain back to Free domain

  • Unknown's avatar
    cshorter2399 · Member ·

    I have realized I am not enjoying blogging as much as I originally did. I would like to keep what I have put on WordPress site but change it to the free instead of the paid account.
    Can you help me?
    Thank you,

    WP.com: Unknown
    Jetpack: Yes
    Correct account: Yes

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • Unknown's avatar
    amiteshg93 · Member ·

    Hello there,

    thestylesalt.com is a site hosted with Hostgator and uses open-source WordPress software (from WordPress.org), whereas this forum deals with sites hosted through WordPress.com.

    The WordPress.com and WordPress.org sites are completely different: https://wordpress.com/support/com-vs-org

    Your hosting provider should be able to help you if you’re on a plan with them since WordPress.com cannot control sites hosted elsewhere.

    I hope this clarifies and is helpful. :)

  • supernovia · Staff ·

    Hi @cshorter2399, sorry to hear that! I took a look at your site. We wouldn’t be able to host it here for free in its exact state because it’s using a third party theme, and possible third party plugins as well.

    Our free sites don’t allow outside themes. They also won’t support your custom domain without upgrades.

    But if you want to import just the content and images to save it for later, here’s what I’d recommend:
    https://wordpress.com/support/import/import-a-sites-content/

    In fact, I’d recommend doing that before you fully decide to take your paid site down, just so you can see how it looks here and make an informed decision & make sure your images all fit, etc.

    Just some other things to consider, too:

    – I’d recommend connecting your domain, or at the very least redirecting it. If you’ll connect it here even for the first year, you can make it redirect to your free address, which could help preserve existing links and SEO. That type of redirect also sends search engines a signal so they know to update to the new links.
    https://wordpress.com/support/domains/connect-existing-domain/

    – I’d also recommend making a full backup at your host and downloading that. That way if you want to go back to paid hosting here or with another provider, you’ll have a better shot at restoring everything.

    I hope this helps!

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