Image credit: Kaitlyn Baker
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Image credit: Kaitlyn Baker
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I think few would argue that having an online presence for your business or organization is essential in the 21st century. There are many ways to go about this, and leveraging existing platforms such as Facebook is one way to go. However, there are a number of notable benefits of purchasing your own domain name and setting up a dedicated site for your business, brand, or organization.
Here are 8 benefits of purchasing a domain:
- Ownership and Control – If you simply create a page on an existing site such as Facebook, your site is entirely under Facebook’s discretion and also only exists as long as Facebook is around. If they happened to shut down (which is honestly unlikely), your site would be gone. By purchasing your own domain, you own that location on the internet and you have control over what happens to it.
- Look Professional – Having your site on another platform with an extended web address does not look professional. If our address were www.cheapfreesimpleeasywebsites.com/theramenphase/ no one would take us seriously. A simple, clean, straightforward web domain looks professional, legitimate, and trustworthy.
- Build Authority – Along the same lines as the point above, owning your domain name allows you to build authority as that name. Creating this separate space online to grow your business presence lets people know that you know what you’re doing, you’re serious about it, and you’re going to be around for a while.
- Searchability – A clear domain will be much easier to search for and recognize. Someone looking for your business might type in your business name into Google and then be confused by other domains showing up (such as the example in point 2). A customized domain for your business removes that confusion and helps people to find you.
- Easier to Remember – For those who hear about your business from a friend, an ad, or a number of other sources, they may have a very difficult time remembering a long and multi-part web address. Again, having that simple address featuring just your business’s name as the domain will be much easier for someone to remember so that they can, again, find you.
- Expandable through Subdomains – Another great thing you can do with domains is expand them by creating subdomains. A subdomain is a separate section of your domain – think about it in terms of a house, your domain is the whole house and a subdomain is a certain room. This is a great way to expand into various other avenues such as having an online store as part of your site (shop.yourdomain.com), a subscription-based section (members.yourdomain.com), or whatever else you can think of. Here’s an example of a subdomain in action on our Ramen Phase site: https://assessment.theramenphase.com/
- Can Be Used for Email – Sure, you could create a .gmail or .yahoo email for your business, but wouldn’t it be better to have a customized email address specific to your business name? When you have a domain name you can use that same address to set up customized emails. For example, because we own theramenphase.com, we were able to create the email address support@theramenphase.com.
- Helps Prevent Imposters – And finally, while this is not a foolproof way to prevent others from posing as you or your business, owning your business’s name as a domain prevents someone else from purchasing that domain and setting up a fake website, posing as you. There are even some who advise purchasing your own personal name as a domain to prevent this same thing.
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After reading this list, remember that it is not necessary to have a domain in order to create an online presence, but there are of course many benefits including the ones mentioned above. Ultimately it is up to you and your team to decide how to present your business online, and purchasing a domain is just one avenue that you can take.
Have we convinced you?
If so, check out How and Where to Purchase a Domain
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