The Problem With WordPress.com & How To Fix It!
If you are hosting your blog at WordPress.com, you will not be able to properly install your Special Moms badge. But the problem runs deeper than that. If WordPress.com is hosting your blog, you’re not allowed to run any paid or sponsored content from anyone other than WordPress! YIKES!
So if this sound weird or strange or confusing, we understand. We’ve tried to outline everything you need to know below.
First: Is WordPress actually HOSTING your blog?
WordPress is both a free blogging platform AND a free blogging host. It’s the HOST part that gets tricky. If WordPress is hosting your blog then you are not allowed to run ads, badges, or paid content of any kind on your blog (other than the WordPress-provided WordAds). That means you’re in violation of the Terms Of Service if you ever participate in a sponsored opportunity from Special Moms or anywhere else…and we don’t want that!
In fact, WordPress has strict regulations on all types of code that you can run on your blog. In addition to not allowing sponsored content, they don’t allow the use of JavaScript at all. You can read more about their reasoning here.
What if you’re not sure?
Some of you have your own domain names on WordPress.com, which can make this extra confusing. There is a difference between purchasing a unique URL and hosting your URL.
As you can see below, you can purchase a unique domain name from WordPress, but your site will still be hosted by WordPress.com and be restricted to their “no ads” rules and regulations:
How to tell if you’re using the “no ads” version of WordPress.com
It’s a good bet you’re using the free, no-sponsored-content-allowed version of WordPress if any or all of the following are true:
- Your blog address is http://yourblog.wordpress.com
- You have never paid a third party HOSTING company (such as Bluehost or Dreamhost) to host your URL
- Your blog says “Blog at WordPress.com” at the bottom
- You can’t install Javascript properly on your blog
- When you try to install the Special Moms badge, nothing shows up
Additional information about the difference between a WordPress-hosted site and a self-hosted site can be found here.
Ready to switch from a WordPress.com-hosted blog? Here’s what you need to do.
First, you have to pick a hosting provider. There are a bunch, but we highly recommend using Bluehost.
Next, you have to actually migrate your blog to your new host. You can do this in three ways:
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For free, by doing it yourself! Here is our user-friendly tutorial for switching to Bluehost.
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You can enlist our services to transfer it for you.
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You could pay WordPress $120 for a “Guided Transfer.”
Installation of your badge once hosted anywhere OTHER than WordPress.com
Once you’re sure that your site is properly hosted by a third-party hosting solution, you can install the badge by following the steps below.
- Select your badge style and color
- Copy the generated snippet
- Log in to your WordPress admin
- On your Menu to the left, select “Appearance,” then “Widgets”
- This will bring you to a page that looks like this:
- From this page you can control all sorts of functions on your blog, including your sidebar. By default, you will have a section on the right side called “Main Sidebar.” This contains all of the elements in your sidebar. You can completely customize the content by dragging different types of widgets directly into the “Main Sidebar.” The example below has all of the default widgets.
- To install the snippet, you will want to drag a “Text” widget from the widget menu on the left side of the screen into the “Main Sidebar.”
- Then, click the drop down arrow and you will be presented with a text box. Now, paste your badge snippet into this text box and click save.
- That’s it. Go back to your blog and your badge should appear on your sidebar. Hooray!
