For many beginners, the default choice is to set up their web site with a free hosting group. This may make sense financially as one does not have to lay out any money for the hosting of the web site or the blog. Yet if there is one thing that you could do at the beginning to improve your online presence, it would be to get your own domain. After all, you can get domains these days for relatively cheap prices. Why should you get your own domain name when you can get one for free?
The main reason is that with the free web sites or blogs, you normally have limited choices as to what your domain name would be. The typical domain name would have the (free) host’s name and then your chosen name as a sub-domain or an add on. This does not do much for SEO, really.
I like how Aftab Ahmed Siddiqui explained how important the domain name is when it comes to SEO. In his article, he outlines how he was able to optimize a web site for certain keywords using a specific keyword in the domain name. He goes on to say:
Google considers your domain name as a part of its algorithm or ranking criteria. If your web site is well optimized and your domain name contains your main keyword, you definitely have better chance of higher placement on SERPS.
So if you want to up your chances of being in the higher ranks with search engines, you might want to shell out a little bit of money to get your own domain name. More than giving credence to Google’s algorithm, you would also want to make it easier for your visitors to remember your URL – and with your own domain name, you can do so easily.
3 Comments to "How Important Is Your Domain Name?"
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[...] First, having your own domain gives you more freedom to dictate what the URL will be. If you are smart about it, you will choose a domain name that would be easy to remember and that would be associated easily with your blog and your theme. These two things in itself are tools to help you get a wider readership. Second, choosing your own blog domain could also be a tool when it comes to SEO. You can choose a name that matches the most significant keywords for your blog’s theme. [...]
I couldn’t agree with this more. I find it particularly troubling when folks using the free sites such as blogger want to tell me how to do business or make money. Please. If you’re not willing to brand yourself why should I listen to your ideas on business and commerce? I don’t begrudge those who cannot afford their own domain name (but don’t pretend to know business and marketing). I actually thought domains were a lucrative business in and of themselves long before they became that….Unfortunately I wasn’t as confident in that prediction as I should have been….LOL
T
Thanks