There’s tons of research you can do when trying to put all this blogging jargon together and making that decision to join the blogging community. Some of the decisions are quite easy frankly, and others will leave you scratching your noggin.
Then there’s those decisions that seem pretty easy and cut n’ dry that are disguised. Here’s where my beginners lack of knowledge experience comes in. I’m talking Domain Names. More specifically purchasing your domain name outright. Here are 6 Reasons You Need to Purchase Your Domain Name.
“Free” Is Not Always Free
There a number of web hosting companies that offer a free domain registration with their services. This may seem like a really good deal to you when you are first starting out. Most of us don’t want to dish out too much money in the beginning. The one thing that kept scrolling across my computer screen when I was doing my research were the statistics of people who start a blog and within a year they give up. I didn’t want to lose money - just in case.
It may seem like a good economical thing to bundle your domain name in your web hosting but DON’T DO IT! Purchase your domain name outright. Make it yours! Read on to find out why.
My Experience - Save Yourself
When I first started my blog I exercised that privilege of having my domain be “free” through the web hosting company. At the time, I thought why not? That is one less expense I have to dish out right now. After all, I just dished out money for a years worth of web hosting service and I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
Less than 6 months into my relationship with this company I started having LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of web service issues. My site was always down and they always blamed some other service for the issues. There were even times when accessing my dashboard wasn’t possible. (the back end) Then it happened, my site went down for about 3 weeks and their customer support was non-existent. I left more phone messages than I could count (with every department they have), I sent emails, I tried their online support, all with no response from them - AT ALL! My husband even called their sales department pretending to inquire about starting multiple sites - just to see if they would respond. Nothing! This company seemed to just fall off the face of the earth…… with my web service!
After about the second week I did get a standard computerized response (not a personalized one) from them via email that stated they were working on the problem. Then —- CRICKETS again!
I started looking for a different hosting company. I sent the nightmare of a company current web hosting company an email that I was leaving their services and to cancel my web hosting service with them and could I please get a refund of the services not rendered due to their inadequacy. Guess what? I got a response….go figure! The response - we’ll see what we can do.
I never received any refund. When the following year rolled around they actually sent me an invoice stating that it was time to renew and pay for another full year of web hosting service. WHAAAA? They never cancelled my account. (even though I received an email stating they did) I thought my nightmare was over with them, when in fact it wasn’t.
Now we have a new problem. THEY OWNED MY DOMAIN NAME - and it was expiring. The very last thing I ever wanted to do was pay this company money again. This started a whole new problem. I wanted my website name and they had it. The only way I was going to get it was to pay them for the rights to MY domain name. There is truly so much more to this story but for the sake of totally boring you, I left details out.
Bottom line: I had to purchase my domain name from this awful company (which in my eyes already owed me money for services not rendered) if I wanted my blog to go on. I liked them even less after this!
Something That DOES Have Your Name On It
You have spent all that time pondering a name for your site. Don’t allow someone else to own YOUR name. Even if you struggle in the blogging world for the first year you might want to pick it back up in the future. When you own your domain name, you own it for good - it’s all yours! You don’t have to start all over again - unless it’s your desire to.
Put A Leash On It - Don’t Let It Get Away
If you have to break up with your current hosting service you can simply take your domain name with you. It’s yours and you won’t have to deal with trying to purchase it from anyone when you leave or when the domain name comes up for renewal. You can be done with that service and move on smoothly. Trust me when I say that this process alone is worth every penny!
Owning A Piece Of The Pie
When you purchase your domain name outright you are securing your little slice of the internet pie. As I mentioned above, this secures your domain name and keeps anyone else from being able to purchase it and use it. When you utilize the option for a web hosting company to register it for you for free, you really don’t own it. If you are going to make the commitment to purchase a web hosting service and use your time to write blog posts or offer a website then it’s just good business to not “borrow” your website name.
Taking The Plunge
The internet is huge in our world today. People are using it every day. On their phones, their tablets, their businesses, and their homes. People use it for shopping, education, to connect with others, for business, and so much more. If you are truly going to take the plunge into the online world than why not fully submerge yourself? You’ve pulled up that seat at the blogging table by purchasing web hosting, now own that chair by securing your website name on it!
Bonus Tip
When searching for a web hosting company, don’t just search the web for company reviews. They have the liberty of going on these review sites and posting positive reviews themselves. Giving you a false sense that they are a fantastic company to work with. (Mind you - some are!) Try searching social media for actual concerns people have. Trust me, you know people take to social media to let you know what they think. Search the company by hashtags and key words on different social media platforms. You might be surprised at what you find! Both good and bad.
Good Luck and Happy Blogging!
Blessings,
Brandy
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