Sharing The Love

How I Upgraded My Blog With Lyrical Host

6th December 2017

It takes me a while to make a decision, but once I do, I go for it.

I’d been debating getting my own domain around here for ages, read up on other people’s experiences, but y’know, didn’t push the button.

Because I was comfortable with WordPress.com, liked them (still do), appreciated the community, (still do) and saw no reason to change the habits of a blogging lifetime  seven years. (Edit: I’ve been blogging 8 years now.)

And yet.

When I started writing this blog I was looking for work in Edinburgh.  Back then this blog actually helped me get a job that I loved, attempting to make the world a more accessible place.

I went to my office during the day, and blogged at night.

It was a groovy set up.

And now.

I’m at home with Isla losing freelance opportunities due to distance and travel expenses.  I hope to create some new opportunities with the new .com

I’ve wanted to invest in my writing and this blog for a long time, and I’d been hearing that going self-hosted is a way to do that.  And after 7 years, my original web address was actually giving me writer’s cramp, and it never fit on one line.

I’ve also been looking into ways I can make an income from the blog, (while still remaining true to myself and all of you groovy readers) and again a way to do that was to get my own domain.

And so, my ‘why?’ switched to ‘OK how?’

Two things helped me decide to make a decision:

1.  Lyrical Host ticked all the boxes on the list I wrote down in my blogging notebook, a UK -based, independent company, that offered managed hosting (which basically means non-technical people don’t have to stress about the technical side of things) that was more about people than numbers.

b. It was Black Friday.  And the fact that they offer free resources every month doesn’t hurt, either.

On Saturday, I picked my domain name.  Bonus was it was actually available.

Then I booked a (free) migration for the next day.

Lyrical Host support transferred my content from one place to another and even installed my (now, previous) theme, all as part of the process.  They transferred my subscribers and connected me to Jetpack, so I could get WordPress.com features on the self-hosted site.

Now there were some technical issues, but the support is very, um, supportive.  And also patient with excitable bloggers (like me) who don’t know much about technical issues (also me).  After some emails that were answered really quickly, it was discovered that the issues were mine, and not theirs.  That happens sometimes.

More about Lyrical Host and their plans and services can be found here.

There’s even a quick video highlighting what makes Lyrical Host different (and also fun!)

Lyrical Host did not ask me to write this post, but if you do sign up and use GIN10 at checkout, I get a small commission, so there’s that.  More on my disclosure can be read here.

I’m genuinely happy with this new chapter and I’m glad I found Lyrical Host for this part of my blogging journey.  I would recommend them to anyone looking to refresh your corner of the web.

How are you going to boost your blog today?

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Also published on Medium.

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51 Comments

  • Reply Bookstooge 6th December 2017 at 4:00 pm

    Excellent!
    Thankyou for taking the time to talk a little bit about moving to a dotcom. I know I’ve been pointing out issues and I hope I am not coming across as criticizing or anything. That is not my intent. I am trying to be helpful but I know that sometimes I don’t come across that way. So be assured, I am trying to be helpful, not a jerkwad ๐Ÿ™‚

    Seeing you go through this and the issues that have arisen has given me a much more realistic thought process of about going dotcom myself. I do hope you can use this place to further your goals and not just have it be a hobby.

    • Reply Lorna 6th December 2017 at 4:10 pm

      No, I’ve appreciated it. If you went .com, you wouldn’t necessarily have my (minor) issues. I also hit ‘post’ at interesting times sometimes, and being distracted is all me.

  • Reply Simon 6th December 2017 at 5:30 pm

    This sounds really good, how much did it cost for the domain name? Do you get email addresses with the domain too?

    • Reply Lorna 6th December 2017 at 7:51 pm

      It depends on the plan you choose, I think. Mine is 11.99 a month with 3 email boxes and one site.

  • Reply Book Club Mom 6th December 2017 at 6:35 pm

    Sounds like you made the right blogging choice – thanks for the recommendation! Best wishes for a successful new site!

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 4:32 pm

      Thanks, Barbara! It doesn’t feel like a new site, in a way. And I guess that’s why I appreciate that the hosting is so easy.

  • Reply Gabi Coatsworth 6th December 2017 at 11:58 pm

    The links in the email version aren’t showing here…

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 12:45 am

      They are there. I’ll change link text colours, but I’m on my phone at the moment.

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 1:23 am

      P.S. Thanks for having a look.

  • Reply Noelia 7th December 2017 at 2:57 am

    Iโ€™ve been thinking about moving my blog to .com a lot but Iโ€™m not sure if I should do it, at least for now, since I donโ€™t have so many visitors yet. Hopefully in 2018 my blog would grow (or not) and guide me to make my choice. If I decide to move Iโ€™d definitely come and read your post again, itโ€™s complete and understandable.

    Thanks for sharing your experience, itโ€™s very helpful!
    XO, Noelia

  • Reply Liesbet 7th December 2017 at 3:45 am

    Sounds like you are in good hands! Iโ€™d love to boost my blog in 2018, but donโ€™t have the time to commit to that quite yet. At some point, when my memoir is written and life gets more boring. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 4:09 pm

      I feel I should say you can have a .com and an exciting life at the same time, ha!

  • Reply The Culinary Jumble 7th December 2017 at 11:04 am

    Wow, I wish I’d read this before switching from WordPress com to org! What a serious headache! Would have loved someone to have transferred it all over for me, as like you, I am not the most tech savvy (I usually get there in the end but that end is usually a LONG way off!)! Good luck with your new venture in blogging!

    • Reply Lorna 8th December 2017 at 11:16 am

      It is great, and the learning curve is fun! And I’m sitting here hungry again because I’m looking at your recipes! x

  • Reply Laura 7th December 2017 at 11:34 am

    I know nothing about all the technical stuff. I really should pay more attention. I’m lucky I have a friend that just deals with it all for me.

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 4:21 pm

      My husband is a software geek, but doesn’t want to work for me, ha! I like this because either I can have the stuff done, or can learn to to do it myself. The learning part is cool.

  • Reply Sonali Dabade 7th December 2017 at 12:09 pm

    Congratulations! ๐Ÿ™‚ I’ll try to do this soon, too. ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 4:11 pm

      Cool beans. I look forward to following your bookish adventures!

  • Reply Little Steps/Dean B (@LittleStepsTwit) 7th December 2017 at 12:36 pm

    I haven’t thought of how to boost my blog for next year. I guess my only resolution is to publish more posts, I’ve been a bit slow lately. Hopefully I’ll be able to do more ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 4:16 pm

      I aim for three or four posts week. But everyone is different. Have fun with it!

  • Reply mammasschool 7th December 2017 at 12:43 pm

    I’m so lucky I had some good advice when I started out blogging, as I think if I changed everything I’d be one big panic!!

  • Reply Helen 7th December 2017 at 2:26 pm

    I’ve never heard of Lyrical Host before, but it is always good when customer service is supportive ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Reply Lorna 7th December 2017 at 4:24 pm

      Good CS tips the balance for me every time, in anything I look for.

  • Reply Emma 7th December 2017 at 8:44 pm

    It’s amazing how helpful they were when migrating your site. I had a complete nightmare with mine, ended up getting a refund and then paid a developer to do it all for me. It all worked out in the end though and I got to mess about with different elements of my site and add bits in. I think being completely self hosted give so much freedom.

    • Reply Lorna 8th December 2017 at 11:28 am

      I’m glad it worked out because your site is wonderful!

  • Reply Claire justine 7th December 2017 at 8:59 pm

    I had not heard of these before. They sound really good. I keep thinking about changing hosts but them i worry about what if I make the wrong decision. I think I am going to try and boost my blogs by not posting as much next year and more quality posts as sometimes I do rush posts.

    • Reply Lorna 8th December 2017 at 11:26 am

      I seriously debated for ages and then I found the right place, I’m so much more relaxed now! I’ve found that writing stuff ahead of time, reading it over and waiting a day to post helps me with my quality control, such as it is.

  • Reply Kara 8th December 2017 at 8:11 am

    I am looking at moving my hosting so will look into this. Have not heard of them before

    • Reply Lorna 8th December 2017 at 8:24 am

      Cool beans. Hope it works out for you! I know they transfer existing domains as well.

  • Reply Actually Mummy 8th December 2017 at 2:22 pm

    Congratulations! Always good to give your blog an overhaul

    • Reply Lorna 12th December 2017 at 10:12 am

      Feels like a fresh coat of paint, ha!

  • Reply katykicker 8th December 2017 at 8:56 pm

    What I’m going to do to get my blog ready for 2018 is finish updating old posts and creating images on Pinterest for old posts!

  • Reply MELANIE EDJOURIAN 9th December 2017 at 9:45 pm

    I changed mine part way too as well to .cm and wish I had done it to start with. Having your own domain can really help with opportunities.

    • Reply Lorna 12th December 2017 at 10:10 am

      There are advantages to starting on a hosted site, and I don’t knock it.

  • Reply Kerry Norris 9th December 2017 at 10:10 pm

    Sounds like you made the right decision. Good to hear that they are supportive with the techy stuff

    • Reply Lorna 12th December 2017 at 10:08 am

      That’s the best part for me!

  • Reply fromjesstoyouservices 27th December 2017 at 10:50 pm

    How cool! Glad to hear it works for you and I completely understand having long urls which is never fun. I hope it’ll work out well for you in the long-run!

  • Reply rachaelstray 1st August 2018 at 3:13 pm

    Lorna did you pay for your domain separately or all through Lyrical Host? How much has it cost you? I’m getting itchy feet to get self-hosted. Thank you ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Reply Lorna 1st August 2018 at 4:36 pm

      Mine is 11.99 a month domain and hosting. And you can choose monthly or up front. If you want quote GIN10 for a ten percent discount.

      • Reply rachaelstray 1st August 2018 at 4:57 pm

        So for both that’s really good I thought it was two payments of ยฃ11.99 thank you

        • Reply Lorna 1st August 2018 at 6:01 pm

          Just checked my stuff and domain is 11.49 with hosting at 11.99. It’s the SSL cert and migration that’s free. Sorry for confusion, I paid a year ahead when I finally did it, so. However, if you’re transferring a domain the transfer fee renews it for a year. x

          • rachaelstray 1st August 2018 at 6:02 pm

            Ah great thanks Lorna thatโ€™s really helpful. Thereโ€™s just so much to think about!

    • Reply Lorna 1st August 2018 at 4:40 pm

      Sorry you knew that, didnโ€™t notice which one you replied to on the phone, ha!

  • Reply Bec - views from my garden bench 21st August 2018 at 10:59 pm

    thanks for the info lorna about lyrical in this post – I’ve just gone .com with them (inc your 10% discount). V pleased to find your blog too and will be reading more. Love Scotland – went to uni in Stirling in the 80s. Looking forward to reading more. Love Bec x

    • Reply Lorna 21st August 2018 at 11:08 pm

      Hey, Bec! Thanks, and glad I could help! And you’ll love Lyrical Host. I went to Stirling Uni, too. Dundee as well, but yeah. Anyway, thanks for reading me. Welcome to the rambles. x

      • Reply Bec - views from my garden bench 23rd August 2018 at 12:02 am

        Ah brill ๐Ÿ™‚ what did you study at Stirling and Dundee? I used to go to Dundee often as we had mates there ๐Ÿ™‚ always freezing cold though. Looking forward to reading more ๐Ÿ™‚ love bec xx loving lyrical so far ๐Ÿ™‚

        • Reply Lorna 23rd August 2018 at 8:54 am

          Psych and English. I s’pose I still use it some. Ha. What about you?

          • Bec - views from my garden bench 30th August 2018 at 3:09 pm

            ah cool ๐Ÿ™‚ I studied History at Stirling (it was really Modern History 1789 french revolution onwards) – Loved my time in Stirling/Scotland – would definitely move back sometime – been 25 years in manchester.

          • Bec - views from my garden bench 30th August 2018 at 3:11 pm

            I studied History at Stirling (it was modern history 1789/french rev onwards) Loved Stirling/Scotland ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Reply Ellen Hawley 2nd December 2019 at 2:46 pm

    Thanks for this. I tried self-hosting for one day and fled back to the safety of WP, having managed not to migrate my followers. Your process sounds simpler and saner than mine was.

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