Is the typical blog post dead?
Thoughts on moving from WordPress to Substack.
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE #190
Six months ago, I bid farewell to WordPress.
I understand that dyed-in-the-wool WordPress fans will think this was a mistake.
After all, WordPress powers 860+ million websites, which is 43% of all the websites online.
However, for me as a non-technical person, WordPress was a bear.
As much as I wanted to like WordPress and as much as it’s touted as the de facto platform for any serious content creator, I found it to be needlessly complex and endlessly irksome.
Between early 2010 and September of 2024, I viewed my personal website as a WordPress stronghold.
I’ll be the first to admit that as much as WordPress intrigued and thrilled me, it also baffled, annoyed, and perplexed me, often to the point of outright frustration.
I slugged it out with plugins. I waged war with themes, page layouts, and templates, and I spent countless (and endlessly frustrating) days trying to figure out HMTL.
I knew nothing about coding and stayed away from CSS, which probably didn’t help.
Through a series of happy accidents and after relentless tweaking I finally figured out how to set up and publish pages, and after various forays into template hell, I managed to carve out little corner of the internet for myself.
But Jesus Christ, was it tiresome!
As a result, by the time I’d got things figured out, my heart simply wasn’t in it. This dragged on for five years or so. In that time I managed to write and publish 12 articles (yes, I know: not good for someone wanting to become a content creator). And so my site languished in a sort of SEO never-never land.
Then, at some point in 2022, I signed up for a platform called Substack that claimed to offer an easier road to online publishing greatness.
“Cool!” I thought. “I’m in!”
Except I wasn’t.
Not really.
It took me almost a year to get serious with Substack and another year until I managed to write and publish something (anything), then, towards the end of August of 2024, with the annual renewal of the hosting for my WordPress fast approaching, I switched my domain and my hosting to Substack.
Despite a few technical delays, I’ve been fully Substack based now for six months and I could not be happier.
The experience of leaving WordPress and fully committing to Substack as a publishing platform has helped:
solidify my feelings about my modest online presence,
hone my creative focus, and it’s helped me finally get my ducks in a row to write and publish two posts each week.
For me, now, the typical WordPress-style blog post is a thing of the past. if WordPress still works for you, great: I’m genuinely happy for you. But for me, switching to Substack was the right thing to do.
My initial attachment to WordPress stemmed from a desire for complete control.
I loved the granular customization, the sheer potential for expansion.
I could build anything! Or so I thought.
For me though, the reality of WordPress was akin to digital game of whack-a-mole, with one issue after another cropping up to slow me down, or to befuddle me, or to confound the life out of me: a annoyingly broken plugin here, a vexing theme conflict there, again and again until I felt I was spending more time troubleshooting and figuring things out than I was spending creating.
My website, which was meant to be a showcase for my writing, became a second job.
Substack, on the other hand, is simplicity itself.
The interface is clean, the focus is sharp and single0minded: writing and connecting with readers.
There are fewer bells and whistles, yes, but that’s precisely the point.
I LIKE that Substack is easier to use.
Stripped of the endless customization options, I’ve found myself actually writing more. And, shockingly, I’ve also found myself ENJOYING the process, both of writing and of scheduling.
Imagine that!
Substack’s built-in newsletter functionality has a another game-changer for me because I no longer have to deal with a third party email platform.
Instead of struggling with mailing list integrations and complex email marketing platforms, I could effortlessly connect with my audience directly from my website.
Bliss.
So, lesssons?
Hmmm …
Lesson one: Sometimes, less is more. My WordPress site, bloated as it had become with plugins and overly designed elements, had become a distraction. Substack’s minimalist approach forced me to prioritize content over code, which, after all, is the primary reason I wanted a website in the first place.
Lesson two: Community matters. Substack’s emphasis on community building is undeniable.
The comment sections are lively, the ability to directly engage with readers is seamless, and the potential for paid subscriptions creates a closer connection with your most dedicated audience.
WordPress, while offering comment functionality, requires more effort to cultivate a true sense of community.
I found myself craving the direct interaction that Substack facilitated.
Lesson three: The web is a living thing. My move to Substack reflects a broader trend towards platforms that prioritize ease of use and community engagement.
The digital landscape is constantly evolving, and clinging to outdated models can hinder growth.
While WordPress remains a powerful tool, it’s not always the best fit for every purpose. Being open to new platforms and approaches is essential for any online creator.
This isn’t to say WordPress is obsolete.
For complex websites with specific needs, WordPress remains a fantastic option. If you have the tech skills or the resources to farm that side of things, out, good for you.
But for me, as a writer/designer in search of a simple, effective platform to share my work and connect with readers, Substack has been a breath of fresh air.
Using Substack as the main home of my website in terms of hosting has taught me that sometimes, the best way to build your online presence is to let go of control and embrace a more streamlined approach. That, and I’m no longer paying an annual hosting fee: with Substack, the transfer of an existing domain name incurs a one-time fee of $50 USD, and you’re done. Now, all I pay for is the cost of my domain registration, which sets me back less than $20 a year.
And most importantly, moving to Substack has reminded me that at the heart of any successful website is the content itself.
Everything else—the plugins, the templates, the add-ons, and the coding—it’s all just window dressing.
For me, now, the blog post as I knew it isn’t exactly, dead, but man alive, it’s changed beyond all recognition, and for that, I’m thankful.
As always, thanks for reading.
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P.S. Next time on Shaking the Tree … In praise of the Oxford comma.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.