Thursday 18 June 2015

Why you need your own domain name NOW

I've noticed recently in the Facebook blogging groups that there's a resurgence of new bloggers starting out on Blogger. And while it's totally ok to use a free hosted website for as long as you want to (I'm still here after 7 years), you really need a domain name that says myblog.com (or .com.au or whatever extension you want) rather than myblog.blogspot.com.

There's a couple of reasons it's important. Firstly, domain authority.

What is domain authority?

Domain authority is a term that has become popular since it was included by Moz as part of their analytics metrics, but it's a term I've been hearing for years. It is about how relevant your site is in google searches. Moz has taken it one step further and created an algorithm that can calculate the domain authority of your site out of 100.

Google thinks that because your publish to the web, you are an expert in your field, and ranks your site in searches based on how relevant your information is to the query being asked.

Second, it looks professional

I hate to say it, but as you move into the world of working with businesses and making money from your site, having myblog.blogspot.com is perceived differently to myblog.com. 

Third, it's easier to remember

The internet is noisy these days, there are lots of blogs being published, and more being added every day. Having a unique domain name makes it easy to find you, and easy for people to remember you. There's a theory that says the shorter your domain name, the easier it is for people to remember, but I lean towards the theory that *everyone else* has short names, you'll stand out with a long name.

It's your choice

Having your own domain name gives your blog and brand strength in the community.


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3 comments

  1. Great tip - I purchased my domain name a few years ago & am planning to have a website set up & my blog transferred over by the end of the year! :)

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  2. I have had my domain name for 13 years now. It'a now worth some money but after 13 years I couldn't sell it.

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  3. Great explanation of domains and why you should pay for your own. Sometimes a free blog site can be helpful, but not always a good idea. I agree that you should go with your own domain. Great post. Keep up the great work and live unstoppable.

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