Why Buy A Domain Name If You're Making a Free Website

As a small business on the world wide web, your goal is to look professional in order to win over customers. That's because when you look professional, your website visitors will put trust in you, and look at you as a reliable business.

If you could afford to purchase one thing for your free website to make you look professional, you should buy a domain name.

Sure, if you are paying for something it may seem like it defeats the purpose of a free website. But if you are using a free website as it should be used - as a stepping stone towards a professional website - you definitely want to prepare for the future by securing your domain name now.

It's very important to have, plus there are a lot of benefits to owning one. Here's why...

NOTE: The only exception to the rule...
If you are using a free website for a short-term business, it's optional because it's not as important to purchase a domain name.

Yet if you did purchase one, it will only make you look more professional.

Otherwise, for those of you who are in this for the long haul... keep reading.

Reasons You Should Buy A Domain Name

Owning one is like having a piece of real estate on the Internet. Once your domain name is bought, it starts to age and as it ages its value grows in the eyes of search engines.

A domain name — the URL (www.YourBusinessName.com) you choose as your website's address — is very important to have. It's something that will stick with you for the life span of your business.

The best thing about it is that it's not expensive to own one at all.

Other Advantages To Owning A Domain Name:

You can hide the fact that you are using a free website builder - which makes you look more professional. For example, when you buy your own domain name, it appears as "www.yourbusiness.com" instead of this "www.yourbusiness.freewebs.com" (with freewebs.com being the fictitious hosting company's name).

A personalized domain name is easier for your customers to remember and to find you online.

Depending on the free website maker you choose they allow you to create custom email addresses under your domain name — which is way more professional than "yourname@yahoo.com" or "yourname@yourbusiness.freewebs.com".

One Last Piece of Advice...

Don't drag your feet! One of the worst things you can do is prolong making a a decision about buying a domain name. That's because if your desired name is taken you either have to:

Buy it from the current owner — which can be costly but sometimes worth it if they are even willing to give it up,

OR
Settle with your second (or third) choice that is open to purchase. This is one of the worst options and sadly one of the most common scenarios that plays out.

If you have ever seen a domain name like "www.sandrasbakery1.com" or "www.sandrasbakery.net" that is what has probably happened... another company with the same name has already taken the domain name.

The problem with having a domain name like the ones mentioned above is that it's not easy for your customer to remember (nor does it look good). So you risk the possibility of your customers going to the wrong website and/or not being able to find you at all.

You don't really want to be left with either of those two options do you?

Why you should never let anyone else register your business domain name for you

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