Make Money with your Blog using WordPress.org
For some new bloggers and blogger’s to be, the issue about WordPress.com and WordPress.org can be quite confusing. Many people have started a blog using WordPress only to find they cannot monetize their blogs with ads because they are using WordPress.com and not WordPress.org. I’ve gotten some e-mails from a few bloggers who used MCB’s tutorial and went to WordPress.com for help and received the wrong information. Luckily I knew what the problem was because I did the same thing when I first started. So I’ll explain the two versions as best I can.
WordPress is an open source blogging software that is used by most blogs and a lot of websites on the internet. Open source means the software is “open” or free to anyone who wants to use it to run a blog or website. It’s a blogging software that is easy to use because it takes care of the HTML coding for you. However, if you’re into coding, that’s even better because you can use coding as little or as much as you like. There are two versions of WordPress (three, if you count the MultiUser version but that’s used by the larger websites who host blogs under them). The software works pretty much the same in both versions, but there are some differences in how you use your blog.
WordPress.com is “hosted by WordPress” and it is completely free. You do not need to find hosting. If you sign up with WordPress.com you will be in a WordPress Blog Community under the umbrella of WordPress.com. This is mainly used by serious “web loggers” and you can make your blog private to only your friends and family if you wish. Since WordPress.com is hosted by WordPress, you cannot really monetize your blog. There is a limited choice of ads you can put on a WordPress.com blog and you cannot have Google ads at all. It cannot be used for affiliate marketing.
WordPress.org is the “self-hosting” version. The WordPress software is free with this also, but you must find and pay for your own hosting. With WordPress.org you can place ads on your blog. There are no restrictions of what kinds of ads you use on your blog with this version because it is self-hosted. (Unless you choose to have a porn site…in that case you can’t have Google ads and some Affiliate ads, but that’s the advertisers policy and not WordPress.org’s policy.) WordPress.org is the version that you would use if you want to make money with your blog and it’ what you would be using if you use MomsCashBlog’s Free Blog Tutorial.
When I first came to MCB, I went to the forum and there were loads of people asking how to place ads in WordPress. (I was at WordPress.com) NO ONE in the forum mentioned the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org…all they said was ” You cannot place ads on WordPress.” and then some fights broke out. (chairs were flying everywhere, so I got out fast!! LOL) It confused me totally because I knew MomsCashBlog had WordPress and it had ads! I did figure out the differences between the two versions, but I am surprised it doesn’t explain this anywhere on the WordPress sites or in their forums.
Hope this helps some new bloggers or anyone who is planning to start a blog with WordPress. If you want to monetize your blog, you must use WordPress.org…and you must find hosting for your blog which can cost up to $15 a month, or maybe more, depending on who you choose. MCB’s Free Tutorial uses HostGator. ($4.95 or $7.95 a month.) You will be using WordPress.org if you use this tutorial to start your blog.
Comments
This is news to me and I am having problems with wordpress. How do I know if I got the right one? Can I e-mail you?
@beth – if you have your own domain.com site, downloaded a copy of wordpress and installed it on your own hosted server along with some pluging/widgets, then you are running the version JJ refers to as wordpress.org
if you do not have your own domain.com site, registered for a free account/sub-domain like yourtopic.wordpress.com and did not have to install wordpress, then you are running the wordpress.com variety.
Hostgator? Nooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
By the way when are you gonna be doing some video posts ??
What do you mean “I had the same problem when I first started”?
You bought this blog from Krysti. You never had to install anything.
Thank you Anthony Dinh, for answering my question. JJ already e-mailed me and it seems I have the wrong one. Wish I had known this before I started but at least it was free. Now I need to think up a new name. Nice people here.
Beth>glad you got my e-mail. Sorry you got the wrong hosting for your blog, but at least you now know.
Anthony> thanks for answering Beth’s question
Stak> Hey, hey, Stak, just because you like that 1&1 or whatever, don’t dis Hostgator. It works great for a lot of us. Not sure if I will do videos, but YOU should do nude videos on Your blog!
Sarrah>Not sure where the Hostility is coming from but I will answer your question nonetheless..I never said I installed anything did I? Yes, I bought the blog but I went to WordPress.com for some tech help,they said in the forum “You cannot place Google Adsense ads on a WordPress blog”. Hope that answered your question..
Lol I’ll do it if you do it
Hi JJ, this is interesting. I have a journal before but I can’t seem to generate any money from it. I’ve tried it on blogger but I honestly have no idea how it works.
Thanks for sharing this. I’m gonna visit here every now and then for more updates about this.
WordPress is the best blogging platform ever.
This info is useful for me. I didn’t knew about there being two WordPress. I always knew that wordpress cannot have ads on blog. Now I can use WordPress.
Interesting.
I love wordpress! If you do end up getting your own self-hosted blog, you could check out sites like New WordPress Themes, which has a great collection of free wordpress themes to choose from.
WordPress.com
“…and you cannot have Google ads at all” this is what you said?
why there is a google ads at the top right hand corner of your blog!
bajet… I have the WordPress that CAN have Google ads. My blog is using the WordPress.org version… if you sign up thru WordPress.com then you can’t have Google ads. Hope that helps you.
WordPress.org = self hosted… you can have ads but you need to pay for a server.
WordPress.com = hosted by WordPress… it is free, but you can’t really make money with ads.
hello friend,
it was nice to stop by your website.
it’s wonderful work.
good luck.
i wish you visit me:
http://allinone5.blogspot.com
keep in touch
Hi JJ I found this site about a week ago! This is my very first blog post to any site. I love the site already and wish you the best of luck. I do have a question though…
I originally found these great step by step instructions on how to set up your own site using wordpress. I can’t seem to find them anymore. I may just be lost! Can anyone point me in the right direction? Good to know about the .com .org thing though. Thanks
Nevermind I found it right at the top of the page. In my defense I think the text links to the free tutorial instructions are pointing to other pages. Thanks though!
Welcome Jackie! And thank you for letting me know about the problem with the link. That is a pop up link that should not be popping up there. I will fix that. If you have any questions just drop a line in a comment or e-mail.
Hey JJ,
I haven’t seen much going on with the site. Just a few words of encouragement. I have been searching the internet looking for information on how to set up a video blog. This site has some great information! Hang in there. Also if you have any questions I can write some HTML code, mostly though I’m pretty good at researching answers to quesitons. Plus I’m trying to learn this blogging thing so I set up a free account with wordpress.com
Jackie, don’t worry your site will do fine. Just don’t let others distract you from your goals.
Good post. Most of new Internet Marketers think that wordpress.com and wordpress.org are the same. As you said they are completely different. You can download blog plug-ins from wordpress.org and install them on your own web hosting service. This is more successful than having a blog in wordpress.com
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Thanks for the tips.
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