What's Next for My Blog After Stopping Payments?

I have a blog that used to do well and attracted a lot of visitors. Over the years, I’ve posted less and finally stopped completely. The traffic is still decent but gradually declining. This situation has me thinking… I won’t be paying for hosting forever if I’m not updating the site. Closing it seems sad because people still leave nice comments about how useful my posts are. I don’t make any money from it now since my affiliate links are no longer active, and I didn’t bother to change that. It makes me wonder if free platforms like Blogspot have their advantages… If I’m gone, a Blogspot blog would still be around! I’m unsure what to do next. I want to start a new blog on a different site. Should I consider a free platform for ease and zero fees? Maybe Substack, or does anyone still use Blogspot or Wordpress.com? What other options are there? Thoughts?

Yes, many people still use Blogspot. I have a couple of good-sized blogs on that platform.

My only expenses are for my domain and newsletter services. Monetizing is simple since there’s an option to turn on AdSense. Most folks won’t even realize you’re using Blogger unless you use one of the basic templates. I’ve never had anyone ask about my platform. Neither Mediavine nor Adthrive cared.

Choose what works best for you.

@Lilly
I can have a Blogspot blog without anyone knowing? Things must have changed. Thanks, I’ll do some research.

I want to start a new one on a new site

About your old content… Most hosting plans allow multiple sites unless you go for the cheapest options. Pricing is usually based on storage and bandwidth. If you’re starting a new site and paying for hosting anyway, you might be able to host both sites under the same account.

Have you thought about hiring someone to write for you or selling the blog to a writer? They could take over and use it.

Lucia said:
Have you thought about hiring someone to write for you or selling the blog to a writer? They could take over and use it.

Selling it would be tough. It’s my name, my brand, my writing.

@PostPioneer1
I think that suggestion feels a bit off.

LyamGenesis said:
@PostPioneer1
I think that suggestion feels a bit off.

Many blogs get sold! If it’s not too personal, why not? I wouldn’t know how to sell it, though. I suppose there’s a marketplace for it somewhere.

@PostPioneer1
I didn’t say it was too personal. I just find it odd to sell a blog with everything you created.

You could keep the same domain and link it to Blogger, which is free. You would only need to pay for domain renewal.

Steve said:
You could keep the same domain and link it to Blogger, which is free. You would only need to pay for domain renewal.

I’m going to look up how that works. Thanks.

PostPioneer1 said:

Steve said:
You could keep the same domain and link it to Blogger, which is free. You would only need to pay for domain renewal.

I’m going to look up how that works. Thanks.

Switching to Blogger might require some effort to transfer all your content.

@Tosh
That’s true! But if it’s the right path, it’ll be worth the effort.

PostPioneer1 said:

Steve said:
You could keep the same domain and link it to Blogger, which is free. You would only need to pay for domain renewal.

I’m going to look up how that works. Thanks.

Can you clarify? Are you asking about linking your domain to Google Blogger? Let me know if you need help.

I use Blogspot since it’s straightforward to set up and free. I don’t really care about customizations or extra features, so it suits my needs just fine.

Have you thought about moving your posts to Medium? It’s pretty easy. You just pass each URL and use the editor, which works well with most blog post elements.

madisonwilson said:
Have you thought about moving your posts to Medium? It’s pretty easy. You just pass each URL and use the editor, which works well with most blog post elements.

Thanks! I’ve never checked out Medium. It seems a bit exclusive, though, with many articles behind paywalls. I’ll figure out how it works. Thanks!

You can post your content on Medium and keep your profile active there. People on Medium don’t expect regular updates. Plus, your content is secure.

SHEE said:
You can post your content on Medium and keep your profile active there. People on Medium don’t expect regular updates. Plus, your content is secure.

Thanks for the suggestion! Medium feels a bit exclusive to me since you need an account and some content is behind paywalls. I should explore it further. I assume you can have open and public articles?

@PostPioneer1
You’re welcome. I’m using a free Medium account to share my content. There are no posting restrictions.