Transferring my blog to a self-hosted domain name
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I want to export my existing free wordpress blog to a self-hosted domain. I have an existing blog that I want to expand into a fully customizable website. I have read the export help but I am quite confused about some things. I want to make sure I get my posts, comments, tags, categories, stats and everything else over to a new domain. If for example I use HostGator which has the WordPress tool, will I see the dashboard as I used to see it on my free account or do I have to start over?
The blog I am currently using is digitallyepic.wordpress.com. If I choose to register digitallyepic.com, do I have to register it on HostGator or do I have to get it from WordPress then transfer it?
Any help on the topic would be appreciated as I do not know much about it.
Thanks!
The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)
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I have the same question so I am tagging on to your question, in the hopes that we will get an answer to this.
Andrea -
I have the same question so I am tagging on to your question, in the hopes that we will get an answer to this.
Andrea -
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Well, the question is somewhat garbled. A domain name is not the same as hosting. You can use a custom domain with a blog hosted at wordpress.com easily by following this guide: http://en.support.wordpress.com/add-a-domain/
It is not necessary to actually transfer anything.
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Hi raincoaster,
Thanks for your reply. I agree with that however my concern is actually leaving to a self-hosted domain and to have my own website. I know that I can permanently create my domain from WordPress and have it hosted here, but what I really want to do is to create a full website but taking my already existing data from my blog here.
To clarify, my blog is digtiallyepic.wordpress.com so if I want to transfer to another host, do I have to add the domain “digitallyepic.com” then go to another host (meaning I’d be paying here on wordpress for the domain and then paying on the new host) or can I go to the new host and register digtiallyepic.com there but can still retain all of my data?
I know that this is possibly done through the Guided Transfer, but I’d like to explore if I can do it myself for the moment.
I hope that clarifies things.
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http://en.support.wordpress.com/domains/move-domain/ Does this help?
You can choose any domain registrar you want, but this one is reliable and cheap.
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An update to the top.
I understand that I can download an XML file that has all the content so I can then import it, which means that I have to register the new domain name on the new host. That’s the instructions on the http://en.support.wordpress.com/export/ site, however it doesn’t say if stats, followers, drafts etc will be transferred.
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Thanks raincoaster,
It does help but I think it requires my domain name to actually be digitallyepic.com not digitallyepic.wordpress.com. The latter is what I want to transfer to a new host and there is where I want it to be digitallyepic.com.
The link you sent means that I have to first register the domain here on wordpress then transfer it, but can’t I transfer the free account and then drop the “.wordpress” on the new host?
Really appreciate your help on this.
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Oh, you cannot use a whatever.wordpress.com URL on any blog not hosted at WordPress.com, period. It cannot be done. You cannot use digitallyepic.wordpress.com on a blog not hosted here at all.
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Yes I know, I think you misunderstood me when I said to drop the .wordpress. I meant drop it as in not have it. I only want the new site to be digitallyepic.com.
This then goes back to my initial query, do I first have to make it digtallyepic.com on wordpress then transfer to a new host or can I just register digitallyepic.com on the new host and continue the blog there will all of my previous data via exporting from WordPress as the export support site instructs?
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You can do either. You can even transfer your contents to webspace that doesn’t have a domain yet, then buy one later.
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Thanks for your reply raincoaster. I appreciate your patience as I’m not really good at this.
In that case, I would most definitely register the domain on the new host, and import the XML file over there. I do not want to pay twice for the domain name here on wordpress and on the new host.
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You wouldn’t do that in any case. You’d pay for it at one place, point it to the other place.
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