We
all take the first step in initiating some work or business but as we
move on we often make many mistakes unwillingly. Most bloggers start
their blogging careers by signing up for a free blog hosting Content
management system like Blogger.com but most of them don't realize the
disadvantages of using a subdomain.
When you start blogging with free sub domains. All people that know you
get familiar with your blog through that subdomain. As time goes on your
rankings increase and you attract a handsome traffic then you realize
that you are not receiving sponsorship and neither are you earning. But
when you finally decide to purchase a custom domain you get confused
with several questions in mind. You start thinking whether or not you
will loose your rankings, PageRank , Alexa
etc. So to answer all these questions carefully read the following
reasons that tell you why should you buy a custom domain as soon as
possible.
1. Reputation in Blogosphere
Blogs with .com domain are naturally respected more than blogs with sub
domains such as .Blogspot.com. Link exchange with niche blogs or
expanding your blogging circle is only possible when you join the .com
club
Its feels really great when you share your Blog URL with your friends
and family as opposed to the embarrassing lengthy BlogSpot domain :p
2. Most Advertising services do not accept subdomains
Services like buysellads do not accept subdomains which means that you are loosing 50% of revenue potential.
3. Fans & Subscribers Increase with Custom domains
People will follow you only when they know you offer something they
don't have. But when they realize that you using a .blogspot.com domain,
they will take a not-so-good impression of your content and would not
bother following someone who is himself a free Resource user. Most
people take .com or .org domains as commercial websites ran by teams or
group of people and often subscribe them and follow them via Twitter,
Facebook or Google friend connect. The reason is simple your domain is
enough evidence that you are taking your work serious by spending some
money on the service that you use and you are not just another free
monger.
4. People Will Share and Bookmark Your blog posts
After giving a first good impression, people then happily share your
post with friends and family. They will confidently bookmark it and
visit it often to gain more knowledge because they know the work comes
from an authority. This is one reason why subdomains do not play well on
social networks whilst blogs with custom domains get fair amount of
traffic from networks such as Stumbleupon, Digg, Facebook and Twitter.
5. PageRank increase slowly With Subdomains
Using a blogspot domain means that the chances of getting more backlinks
is minimum for you. I personally don't link subdomains because often
these blogs are created on temporary basis and once they are deleted the
link on our blog becomes a dead/broken link which can effect our blog
ranking. Therefore web owners prefer not to link them and even if they
link such blogs, you will always find a nofollow tag attached to it.
6. You just need to buy a domain and not the Hosting
When you purchase a domain for your blogger blog, you then don't need to
do anything else. Just sit back and relax. Fortunately Blogger hosts
all your blog posts for free at its server contrary to what Wordpress
does. That's one of the biggest reasons why people like me prefer blogger over Wordpress.
7. Rankings will Speedup
As more and more people notice your blog and bookmark and share it, your
ranking on SERPs which is search engine results page will increase. the
more Diggs, Stumbles and Likes you receive the better you go higher but
all these social favour is possible only when you own your branded
domain and not a free one which discourages readership and content sharing.
8. PageRank will stabilize On next PR update
Most people having PageRank greater than 2 often don't go for domain
change because they fear that they will loose their PageRank. No doubt
its true but you loose it only at temporary basis. Once Google robots
locate all your redirected links, your rankings will be granted back to
you on next PageRank update.
My PR dropped to zero from 2 when I changed my domain but just after
three months on next PR update cycle I got back the rank I owned.
9. You can Grow your business
Once your blog attracts traffic and readership, you can then offer guest posting,
product reviews, sale banners, and earn day and night. Sponsors will
advertise at platforms where they find quality traffic. Subdomain
holders are always underestimated even if they have a plausible traffic
strength.
10. It Costs Less Than $10 To Buy a domain!
UPDATE: Now you can buy a domain as low as $7.5 from Godaddy! Read this post -> Blogger Domain Settings Simplified.
We spend so much on our stomach buy fast food stuff, spending around
$50-$100 weekly. Can't we spare just $7-8 per year for an online
business? I would not exaggerate this point any further.
What are you thinking now?
I have explained as much as I could with my limited scope of knowledge
trying to prove the advantages of buying a custom domain as soon as
possible. I wish that you may start a happy business online and may
become a valuable input to the online media. You just need some hard
work at initial stage and then work online will be no less than a fun.
Happy blogging buddies. :))
You must be thinking how to buy a domain? This question will be answered on my next post. Kindly stay tuned.