WordPress.com and Google Apps

Updated June 1, 2022

Many Functions, One Dashboard

WordPress.com and Google Apps have teamed up. That’s good news for those micro-businesses who don’t already have a website on WordPress. It’s a way to manage a business from one dashboard. Yet, there are trade-offs to consider.

What WordPress.com Hosting Means

First, let’s explain the difference between using WordPress.com and self hosting. With WordPress.com your website is a contained within their ecosystem. That means you don’t download software and tinker with the technical aspects of a website. You pay $50 a year for the WordPress subscription and then all you need to worry about is content.

It does have it downside, however. It means that your website’s name is nestled within WordPress.com. You don’t have an autonomous URL or identity. It also means you aren’t growing online visibility (SEO equity) for your growing business venture.

When you self-host, it means that your website has a separate URL; you pay an annual fee with a domain registrar as well as for hosting the site on a server. With self hosting, there’s more coordination — WordPress maintenance as well as updates to your content — involved.

The Power of Google Apps

Google launched Google For Work as a way for small and large businesses move essential elements — like email, calendars, document storage, video meetings — to the cloud. Google Apps is an alternative to Microsoft’s Outlook and product suite; it can make collaborating with others easier. To date, over 5 million business have switched to Google Apps for Work. Big names like Union Pacific Railroad, World Bank, HP, Crate & Barrel, and the U.S. Army power their email with Apps. Disclosure: we are a certified Google Apps reseller. That means we help business migrate onto Google Apps to power their business’ infrastructure.

Pairing WordPress.com and Google Apps

Now that we’ve explained WordPress.com and Google Apps individually, let’s get to the good part. Imagine logging into your website (via WordPress.com) and managing your email and calendar right from the dashboard. It’s all integrated.

It is important to note that the pairing between WordPress.com and Google Apps is only available for new domains. If you already have a domain with WordPress.com, you can’t upgrade… yet. They are working on making Apps available for existing domains.

For those business owners who are looking to make their work life a bit easier, this dynamic pairing is worth a look. If you’re interested in self-hosting your WordPress site and want Google Apps, that’s possible too as we can help with both.

How can we help?

Need help in moving your website onto WordPress? Or, are you looking to transition from Outlook to Google Apps?

We are the spectrum group online, and we offer strategic and tactical consulting so you can monetize your online presence. Call us for a complimentary 30-minute consultation to discuss your website’s user experience and translate that into sales.