Try wordpress.com before signing up?
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Hi,
I have a current website that I consider moving to wordpress.com. I want to try out the interface and service before buying. However, when I try to create a basic free site, it seems to force me to move my domain. I am not ready for that. Even if I was ready to buy, I am not ready to move the domain before I have actually built the site.
Please advise.BR
Thomas -
Hi Thomas,
However, when I try to create a basic free site, it seems to force me to move my domain.
That’s odd. What happens that leaves that impression? Your free WordPress.com account need not be connected to any other account, whether WordPress.com or otherwise.
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Do you have a self-hosted WordPress.org site connected to the free WordPress.com account?
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I only have one account.
Here is what I do:
Click: Create a site
Fill out the form with:
– What would you like to name your site?
– What will your site be about?and so on.
Click continue
Now I come to a form (step 2 of 3) titled: Give your site an address.
It says: Enter your site’s name or some keywords that describe it to get started.
I try and to this and I can only seem to end up buying or transferring my domain.
At this point: I can either:
– Enter a domain and then continue to buy this.
– Click “Already own a domain” and start the transfer of my domain to WP
– Click “Back” and thus not complete the process. -
I thought I would be given a temporary subdomain address or something like that on the free version so that I could try it out.
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It says: Enter your site’s name or some keywords that describe it to get started.
I try and to this and I can only seem to end up buying or transferring my domain.
There’s the problem. The only way to use your domain name as the address (URL) of a new WordPress.com site is to transfer map the domain to WordPress.com. Regular non-domain WordPress.com sites have “wordpress.com” at the end of the URLs, or as the Domains support page says:
Your WordPress.com blog comes with a free address, like example.wordpress.com. You can get rid of the .wordpress.com part and use a custom domain name instead, like example.com. Adding a domain is a paid upgrade…
So during your trial you may simply choose any available address with “wordpress.com” at the end of it. Or…
a temporary subdomain address or something like that on the free version so that I could try it out.
Perhaps the Map a Subdomain support page is what you need. I’m a little shaky on domains. You may add a “modlook” tag to the sidebar of this topic to call for staff attention if you like.
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Mapping a subdomain evidently requires purchase of one of the WordPress.com Plans. The Map a Subdomain support page says (in part):
If you own the domain yourgroovydomain.com where you’ve already placed your main content and you want to use the subdomain blog.yourgroovydomain.com to place the contents of example.wordpress.com, then you can map this subdomain to this site.
All WordPress.com plans come with a free domain credit that you can use to map a subdomain of a domain you already own. You can map additional subdomains to your site with only $13.00 per subdomain, per blog, per year.
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I’m not sure if I was correct to say that purchase of a plan is necessary in order to map a subdomain, so I’ve called for staff attention. Staff will respond here.
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There’s the problem. The only way to use your domain name as the address (URL) of a new WordPress.com site is to transfer map the domain to WordPress.com. Regular non-domain WordPress.com sites have “wordpress.com” at the end of the URLs, or as the Domains support page says:
No, this is exactly what I want. I want a wordpress.com subdomain. E.g. mysite.wordpress.com. How do I get that?
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I don’t know how WordPress.com would even know that you have a domain, if you didn’t enter it. I’m sure staff will be better able to assist you. Help is on it’s way. : -)
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What seems to work best to get a free site ending in wordpress.com is to skip step one entirely and type a random word or phrase in the box at step 2 rather than a full URL. You can experiment then until you find an address you’re happy with. Don’t just click through and create a free site with ten numbers after your chosen word or phrase though (unless you definitely intend to add a custom domain later when the underlying address won’t be so important).
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Hi. Thanks for that tip, buddy. I’d been unable to get any address with wordpress.com at the end without skipping the first page of the process. Hadn’t encountered that problem before.
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OK. Thanks for the help both of you. I now got a new temp site up. I want to add my own domain later when I am ready.
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Hi there,
If you did not see any free address option in the domains step, it means you entered a full domain, not only a key word.
If you enter only a key word in the domains step you will see the option for either a free *.wordpress.com address, or one of the free *.something.blog addresses we now also have available. The .blog options are shown depending on the options you selected in the first step, but they work exactly the same as a free WordPress.com address.
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This is how the create a site process has worked for me for the past two days:
Yesterday (actually early this morning)
1. When you click the “Get Started” button at the Create a Website with WordPress.com page, https://wordpress.com/website-builder-website/, the “Get Started” button, which is linked to the start page is redirected to the start/about page, https://wordpress.com/start/about.2. before @themagicrobot gave the warning about the first page of the process, I dutifully filled out the form on the start/about page, aka the “Let’s Create a Site” page, then pressed continue, which led to the another page. Let’s call it the odd domains page.
3. On the odd domains page, regardless of what keyword I entered, I was unable to create a site ending in “wordpress.com.” The choices of endings included only custom domain endings such as .com, .org., .net., .blog, etc. None of the suggested endings included “wordpress.com.”
4. I made several trials, closing and reopening the create a site page for each new trial, inserting various nonsense keywords at the domains page, and the same thing happened each time.
5. After reading @themagicrobot’s post above, I tried skipping the form on the start/about page, clicking the “Continue” without filling out the form. This led to the normal domains page, titled “Give your site an address,” at which I was able to easily create a site with a “wordpress.com” ending,
Today
1. same as yesterday
2. Filled out the form on the start/about page and clicked the “Continue” button at the bottom which led to the normal domains page.
3. By entering a keyword, I was able to easily create a site with a “wordpress.com” ending.So yesterday I had to skip the first page, the “start/about” page, but today I didn’t have to skip that page in order to create a WordPress.com site.
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It depends on the specific options you select on the first step. For some options you will still be suggested a WordPress.com address, but to guarantee you get a WordPress.com address rather than a .blog it’s simpler to just skip the first step.
This is still under testing. Once it’s officially launched we’ll likely provide public documentation about this so people will know how it works.
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You might want to consider changing the first step so that it is clear and transparent what the consequences are for the choices made in it.
It was utterly confusing to me. -
Hi there,
I’m sorry for the confusion. We’re already testing and adjusting this whole workflow and we’ll share more information when it’s officially launched.
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It depends on the specific options you select on the first step.
I think I entered “travel” for what the site will be about, and checked the box labeled “Share ideas, experiences, updates, reviews, stories, videos, or photos” in each test that failed that first night. On the following day I checked the same box but may have entered a different site topic.
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Got it. I just wanted to point out, even if you get a something.home.blog (or something.travel.blog, etc.) address, it’ll still be a free site.
You can treat it like you would a site ending in .wordpress.com, and still use a free plan.
I hope that helps.
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