register your own domain nameRegistering your domain name is no longer a luxury. It has become a necessity ever since blogging has become widespread and commercialized. The cost of registering one has become incredibly cheap that virtually any blogger can afford to get one.

Serious bloggers should therefore consider owning a domain name. This is not a costly investment and an investment well spent that will certainly bring you great returns. Here are some of the reasons why you should get your own domain name.

  1. Freedom and Security Purposes - Blogs under a subdomain is usually hosted for free (e.g. Blogger and Wordpress), hence, these blogs are under the mercy of the site administrators. While it is free to blog under a subdomain, you are required to comply to the long list of requirements imposed by your site administrator. Failure to comply could mean the suspension of your blog. Having your own domain name on the other hand gives you more freedom. And your responsibility is also reduced to just your host and readers.
  2. Better Search Engine Ranking - Based from experience, a domain name compared to a subdomain generally has a higher search engine ranking especially when it’s well optimized. Although lately, there have been issues that Google seems to be giving favors to its own products and services (Blogger and YouTube). This can easily be debunked by the fact that Google thrive on the quality of searches that it returns to its users. Should Google alter its search algorithm to favor its own services instead of returning quality results to its users, it compromises the very reason it’s being relied upon.
    In the end, it’s all about quality. Yes. The search result returned by Google and other search engines are partly based on quality and relevance. But why would search engines favor blogs or websites that have its own domain name? The answer is simple. Blogs or websites under a subdomain is in high suspicion of spamming. Since it’s free, the potential for spamming and abuse is very high. On the other hand, websites that use their own domain names are considered to be less spammy. Why would you spam using your own domain when you’re paying for it?
  3. Keep Your Google PR and Other Rankings - Most of the successful bloggers of today started blogging with free blogging services like Blogger. As soon as they have established a number of readers and credibility, they move to host their own blog. The problem with moving your blog is lossing your Google Page Ranking and other ranks if all the while you’ve been under a subdomain (e.g. yourblog.blogspot.com). If however you have your own domain name, you can keep all your link juice, your precious PR and other rankings when you decide to move and host your own blog.
  4. Easier Branding - With your own domain name, branding is much easier. The problem with subdomain is that it is difficult to establish your own brand and identity because of the attached blogspot or wordpress into it. Using your own domain name will make your blog distinct making it more convenient to build brand for your blog. Also, using your own domain name makes your blog more professional and more credible. I’m sure you don’t want to look some fly-by-night who can’t afford $10 per year to register your own domain name.
  5. More Blog Monetization Opportunities - The fact. Advertisers are becoming more picky with blogs where they want to advertise. If you’re with PPP, Sponsored Reviews or Smorty, you probably read opportunities that are not accepting reviews from blogs under a subdomain. If you’re using a subdomain, you are lossing alot of opportunities to earn from your blog.

Registering and using your own domain name is really cheap. And using it doesn’t require knowledge of web development and coding. Most free hosted blogs allow you to use your own domain name. They even provide you with instructions on using it on your blog.

Good luck and thanks for your time. :)

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