When I started my WordPress blogs in 2010, they were all hosted for free on a server of a fellow blogger. My blogs were all working smoothly ’til last April. The issues were too much to handle, mostly because we didn’t really have any contracts or agreements on SLA management and how technical support will be provided, unlike when you are on a paid hosting.  This is why I decided to move all my WordPress blogs to a new paid hosting.

It’s hard not knowing right away what exactly is the problem with my old server.  The only technical support I get is directly from the generous blogger who gave me the free hosting. Don’t get me wrong, he was VERY helpful and accommodating, and I’m so grateful for that. But, it already came to a point when I was too ashamed to always badger him for questions or my concerns about my blogs. I know he’s too busy with his countless blogs and sites that are earning way more than I do. So, even though I enjoyed the luxury of not worrying about annual fees, I just had to move to a paid hosting.

Though I am working full-time as a Social Media Manager / Marketer, my blogs have been a very good source of income too. The advertisements and the sponsorships that I get are helping me with finances at home (I pay all the bills and also shell out money for groceries, etc). Even if my earnings from blogging isn’t as remarkable as most popular bloggers I know, downtime or issues with my hosting still affect my earnings and I just had to know what’s wrong on my end. And since paid hosting means you get technical support from the hosting company, problems with my sites are resolved faster without that guilt feeling after.

Since most of my blogs already have a following, it does affect viewers’, especially the new ones, first impressions of me and my site. And you know what they say about first impressions.

This year, I’m planning on opening a new blog / website which I think would require me to move to a dedicated hosting or sign up for a company who offers effective cloud performance management. For now, I’m focusing on making the most out of my current blogs and monitor to see if I can handle the pressure of another blog / website that might get more traffic than the ones I currently manage.