After a two month hiatus, welcome to the second edition of Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition! About 1.5 years ago I started Run Jenny Run on Tumblr. Why Tumblr? At that time it was newly acquired by Yahoo and I wanted to keep up with the latest social media trend…plus it was billed as easy to use (it is).
Image: Tumblr
I signed up for an account without researching other options such as Blogger or WordPress. After a few months of blogging I started to learn more about the other blog publishing services. Through the blogging community I learned the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org (here is an explanation by WordPress), what self-hosted meant, and what plugins were. While I had no issues with Tumblr, I wanted to own my content + incorporate features that were available on WordPress. Today I am going to share my planning process that went into selecting my domain name, web-hosting service, and theme.
Domain Name
When I first started my blog, I knew I wanted to purchase my own domain name, Run Jenny Run (I could have linked to Tumblr). I checked if runjennyrun.com was available and it was! I did not purchase the domain right away thinking I would get to it later (MISTAKE). Fast forward to Fall 2014 and I learned that the domain name was purchased in July 2014…NOOOOOO!! I started looking into my options:
- Purchase the website from the current owner
- Hope the domain expires and purchase it then
- Choose a new domain name
I started with option #1. I would email the other Jenny and ask if I could purchase the site from her (she was fundraising for another marathon at the time and I thought maybe she would be willing to sell it after she completed her 26.2). Unfortunately there was no contact information on her page. After some research, I learned you could look up domain owners through the Better Who Is website. I emailed the domain owner (it was her father) and he politely declined my offer…bummer. I did not want to go with option #2 since there was no guarantee that it would expire + I did not want to wait that long. Option #3 it was – coming up with another domain name. Surprisingly, runjenniferrun.com was available and knew I would need to move along in the process or risk losing this domain as well.
Image: Bluehost
After deciding on a domain name I chose Bluehost for my web hosting service (that was an easy decision since several bloggers recommended them). I referenced two of Courtney’s posts on self hosting:
I selected the three year package (lower monthly cost) and chose my domain name – it was an easy peasy process.
Theme
I signed up for Bluehost in January, but did not build my new blog right away. Why? I wanted to choose the perfect Theme (I know I know… no such thing as perfect). Themes provide the front end look and feel to a blog. Why was it so difficult to choose? There were thousands of Themes available (free and premium), how would I start?
Image: WordPress Theme Directory
I knew I wanted to use a Theme that was mobile responsive…so many people (myself included) read blogs on their smartphones or tablets. I decided to narrow my options by researching the “Best Mobile Responsive Themes for WordPress”. Here were some sites that I referenced:
- Best Mobile Responsive Blog WordPress Themes
- 45+ Best Free WordPress Themes for Mobile Friendly Websites
- 50 “Hand-picked” Beautiful Premium Responsive WordPress Themes
After a few weeks of research I selected Yosemite (Genesis was a runner-up). I liked the look and feel of the Theme (the layout was similar to my Tumblr site). If I wasn’t happy with it, I could always change the Theme in the future.
Image: My Theme Shop
Jill
April 15, 2015Oh Jenny this is so useful! I’m bookmarking. I’ve been wanting to switch over and self host but I have no idea where to start. Looking forward to the next installments. Thanks for sharing!
Jill recently posted…Step by Step
Run Jenny Run
April 20, 2015Your welcome, Jill! If you have any questions feel free to email me 🙂
Mindy @ Road Runner Girl
April 15, 2015Love the new changes to your blog! I was wondering why you went to Run Jennifer Run! Sorry the original domain name you wanted wasn’t available. But the new one works!
Run Jenny Run
April 20, 2015Thanks Mindy! I was surprised Run Jennifer Run wasn’t already taken.
Tara @ Running 'N' Reading
April 15, 2015Jenny, I think your blog changes/updates are wonderful; it has such a nice, clean feel to it and you’ve done a great job! I can only imagine how much work this was for you; I remember setting mine up for the first time and thinking why did I decide to do this? HA! Thankfully, my first choice for a domain name was available; are there not many people running and reading? 😉
Tara @ Running ‘N’ Reading recently posted…Blueberry Muffins
Run Jenny Run
April 20, 2015Haha exactly! It took awhile for me to realize…it is not going to be perfect! I still have some housecleaning to do (tidy up old posts, find a font plugin). Glad you got the domain you wanted 🙂
Sharon
April 16, 2015I also like the clean look of your blog! Sorry that that domain name you wanted wasn’t available. My first choice of runhikeplay.com wasn’t available either so I had to go with run-hike-play.com with the dashes. I actually like that I went with the dashes now. It all works out in the end. 🙂
Sharon recently posted…Shenandoah National Park Day 3: Little Stony Man and Luray Caverns in Luray
Run Jenny Run
April 20, 2015I didn’t even think of the dashes (funny since I see it in your URL whenever I type in your address) haha.. good to know!
Coco (@Got2Run4Me)
April 16, 2015I was lucky to be able to get a similar address for all of my social media accounts. I know some people collect urls for those other blogs they might start one day!
Coco (@Got2Run4Me) recently posted…Healthy Individual Meatloaf Recipe
Run Jenny Run
April 20, 2015Glad you were able to get similar addresses for all of your social media accounts. There are a couple of URLs I am thinking of purchasing, but haven’t done it yet. Perhaps I should get a move on it before it is taken.
Ali @ Hit the Ground Running
April 21, 2015Switching from blogger to word press seem so overwhelming to me! I know that eventually I should switch because it’s more professional looking, but blogger does seem to be working for me for now. Your blog looks so clean and nice! The changes are definitely for the best!
Ali @ Hit the Ground Running recently posted…A Happy Camper
Run Jenny Run
April 21, 2015Thanks Ali! If it works for you, great 🙂 Let me know if you ever have any questions.