The Right Domain or Sub Domain Choice: Which Will It Be? 

One of the most important decisions that you are going to make as a blogger is to know for sure how you want to present your blog. Should you use a free subdomain or buy a domain to anchor your blog? Let us look at the pros and cons of using a sub domain. 

Pro: The Subdomain Is Free 

If you are just starting out as a blogger, your focus should be on creating content that is going to win over your audience. You do not need to concern yourself with CSS or HTML. You also should not worry whether your site’s name is www.yoursite.com or www.freedomain.yoursite.com. If you do not have anything that your audience is interested in, it will not be worth the expense for a domain. 

Con: Your Free Sub Domain Name Masks Your Professionalism 

When you are trying to sell your company’s product or an expensive service, you want customers to think that you are a sophisticated professional. You want them to know that you mean business.  Therefore, you may be missing out if you ask customers to go to www.domain.yoursite.com as opposed to simply yoursite.com. How would you feel if someone was asking you to spend $100 or more for a product and the company did not even have enough money to spend $10 a year for a custom domain? 

Pro: Sometimes the KISS Method Is The Best 

Free website creators offer most if not all of the tools that you need to create a great blog or site. If all you need is a blog, a basic shopping cart and the ability to import a few videos, a free domain is really all that you need to get going. With many free site creators allowing you to enter custom code that allows you to extend your site, you may be able to create a great looking site without needing your own domain. 

Con: You May Not Own Your Content: 

If you use a free domain from a service such as BlogSpot, you may not actually own your work. While you may have the right to use it however you want, Google can use your work in advertisements or in any other way that they see fit. How well would it go over with your clients if they saw one of their testimonials as part of an advertisement for Google? 

For a more professional look, it may be a good idea to have your own custom domain. However, if you are just looking to create a blog that helps you sell products or promote your affiliate links, simply having a place to publish your content may be all that you need to succeed. 

Stay Tuned: 

Next week, I’ll talk about different Content Management Systems (CMS) options and which are best for bloggers who are stepping out into the blogosphere. As always, keep it here at the Blogging Booth at Mandy’s Pages to learn everything that you need to know about being a blogger.

Image Credit: Writer at Work by Onomatomedia at Wikimedia Commons