Does WordPress.com Delete Inactive Blogs? (Explained)

WordPress.com blogs are an excellent way to get your ideas out into the world, as they are free and easy to use.

However, sometimes life gets in the way of updating your blog, or you simply no longer wish to add new content to your blog. You may wonder if your blog will stay online even when you haven’t logged in for a few months—or years.

Here’s What You Need to Know about WordPress.com’s Policy on Inactive Blogs:

WordPress.com does not delete blogs due to inactivity, no longer how long it has been inactive. Only a password holder to the blog can delete the site. Unless you delete your blog, your blog is found to be in violation of WordPress’s terms of service, or they change their policies in the future, your blog will always be online.

What Happens if You Abandon Your Blog on WordPress.com?

Your blog will stay on WordPress.com even if you abandon it.

If you decide you no longer want to update your blog, your blog will still appear in Google searches and the blog’s URL link will still work. However, if you decide you no longer want a blog at all, you can delete it entirely.

Depending on what you want from your inactive blog, there are a few options and things to consider.

Will WordPress.com Keep the Content Up Forever?

A WordPress.com blog will stay online forever unless the blog owner deletes it, your blog is in violation of WordPress.com’s terms of service, or WordPress.com changes its policies in the future.

Can You Ask WordPress.com to Delete Your Blog?

While you cannot ask WordPress.com to delete your blog for you, anyone with the ability to log into the blog with the password can delete the blog.

Can You Delete Your WordPress.com Blog Permanently?

You can delete your WordPress.com blog permanently. It will not appear in Google searches, you will no longer have access to it, and it will not be accessible through its site link any longer. You cannot undo a blog deletion.

To delete your WordPress.com blog, follow these steps:

Go to Settings
Scroll down and click “Delete your site permanently”
WordPress.com will offer to export your content to a .zip file before deletion. If you think you may want any of your blog content for later use, be sure to utilize this function or back up your content in another manner.
WordPress.com will ask you to confirm the address of the site you wish to delete.
Click “Delete this site”

It may take a few weeks for Google’s cache to catch up with your site’s deletion. However, within a month, your site will be deleted permanently, and it will no longer appear in any Google search. Anyone attempting to reach your site will see a message stating that the site is unavailable.

Be aware that if you delete your blog, you will never be able to use that WordPress.com address again. For example, if you delete the site “myniceblog.wordpress.com,” you won’t be able to re-use that site address for any future WordPress.com blogs.

Keep an eye on our article which explains about Can You Lose Your Content When Changing WordPress Theme?

Will I Still Own the Content After Years of No Activity?

You own your content on WordPress.com even if you have abandoned your blog.

They do not hold copyrights to the content you post on WordPress.com; you have the copyright on your content. However, WordPress.com does have royalty-free access to your content in order to promote and display your blog until you delete it.

Do People Typically Leave Their Blog Up if They Stop Blogging?

There are many reasons for keeping or deleting a blog, and it is a personal decision. For example, if you no longer wish to be associated with your blog, you may choose to delete your blog.

However, if you would like to continue linking to your blog, you may decide to keep your blog up on WordPress.com. Numerous WordPress.com blogs remain up many, many years after they have been abandoned.

Are Old Blogs on WordPress.com Still Accessible from Google Search?

Unless your blog is deleted, your blog will still be accessible from Google search no matter how old your blog is.

Why Can’t I Find My Blog on WordPress.com Anymore?

If you cannot find your blog anymore, there could be a few reasons.

If you are searching your blog name on Google and are having a difficult time finding it, understand that the Internet is a big place! If your blog only has a few posts, it will not be prominent on Google, and you will need to use the direct URL address to access your page.
If your site is not showing up when you are using the site’s URL address, make sure you’ve typed it correctly.
If you are certain that you are typing the URL correctly and are still not able to find your blog, external plug-ins or themes you may have downloaded could be the source of the issue. You will need to reach out to their support team to resolve the issue.
If you have not downloaded any external plugins or themes and are still having issues, contact WordPress.com support.

Sources:
WordPress Support

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