Things I Wish I Knew While Building My Website
Why Are There Two WordPress Websites?
Real lessons from rebuilding my website – so hopefully you don’t have to learn everything the hard way. When I decided to rebuild my website, I thought I was finally ready. I had my domain name. I had a vision. I was excited to create a place that truly felt like me.
Then I searched for WordPress…
…and discovered there were two different websites.
WordPress.com
and
WordPress.org
I honestly thought I’d clicked on the wrong link. How could two websites have almost the exact same name? If you’re asking yourself that same question, don’t worry—I was just as confused.
Looking back, I wish someone had explained this to me right from the beginning.
Key Notes
WordPress.com
✔️ Hosted for you
✔️ Easy to get started
✔️ Great for hobby blogs and personal websites
✔️ Less responsibility
✔️ Fewer customization options
WordPress.org
✔️ You own your website
✔️ Choose your own hosting company
✔️ Install any theme or plugin you want
✔️ More flexibility
✔️ Better for growing a business or brand
💬 Cleo’s Plain English – Here’s how I finally made sense of it.
Imagine you want a place to live.
WordPress.com is like renting an apartment. Someone else owns the building. They take care of the maintenance. You can decorate… but there are rules.
WordPress.org is like owning your own house. You decide where to build. You pick the paint colors. You remodel whenever you want. You have more freedom because it’s yours.
That’s the version I chose because I wanted to build something that could grow with me.
📖 From My Journal
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that confusion usually isn’t because we’re incapable. It’s because nobody explained it in a way that made sense.
I remember staring at those two websites thinking, “Am I already doing this wrong?”
Now I laugh about it.
But at the time, it felt overwhelming. Sometimes all we need is someone to say,
“Nope… you’re not crazy. Here’s the difference.”
If you’re thinking about creating a website, don’t feel like you have to learn everything today.
Just understand this one thing:
WordPress.com and WordPress.org are two completely different tools.
Once I understood that, the rest of the learning started falling into place.
One lesson at a time.
❤️ Final Thoughts
Rebuilding my website wasn’t just about creating pages. It was about learning a whole new language. There were plenty of moments when I felt overwhelmed, but every confusing term eventually became another piece of the puzzle. If you’re just getting started, give yourself permission to be a beginner.
We all start somewhere.
➡️ Coming Next
Lesson 3
What’s the Difference Between a Theme, a Template, and a Pattern?
Because trust me…
That one confused me even more. 😂
