January 31st 2008
Domain Registration
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It’s been a long time since I wrote a blogging tips post so I thought we might be due for one.
Most bloggers start out by opening a free account on one of the many free blogging platforms that abound in the blogosphere:
- Blogger
- Wordpress.com
- Tumblr
and many more.
And that’s fine if you’re not trying to use your blog in a ‘business’ type way.
But if you are seeking to create a business from your blog; in other words sell product or services from it, then sooner or later you’ll face the question of whether to buy your own domain name and move to your own hosting platform. If for no other reason than to get total control of your content and create an Internet asset that has a resale value, should you choose to exercise that option.
I faced this question last July. And since I had just made the decision to take Scraps of Mind seriously and build it up as best as I could, registering my own domain was the logical thing to do.
So what is Domain Registration?
Domain Registration is like getting a birth certificate for your blog or web site. You purchase the rights to a unique name and, as long as you continue to renew your registration each year, no one else can use your domain name.
There are a number of domain registration agencies such as Payless Domains that will organise this for you making it a simple and inexpensive process. And I do mean inexpensive: we’re talking under $12 per year.
Why do I need a Domain Registration?
You improve your professional credibility by having your own domain name rather than the tag on the end of a blogspot URL.
As you build up your blog, you create and improve an asset that has a dollar value in the Internet marketplace. And your domain name is your brand. It has a resale value.
How do I get a Doman Name?
Nothing could be simpler.
Check out a domain registration agency and do a domain name search on the domain name of your choice.
Tip 1: It’s a good idea if you can choose a domain name that includes the name of your main keyword in it. When I chose Scraps of Mind I didn’t realise anything about search engine optimisation and I threw away a great opportunity by not choosing a name that included the word ’scrapbooking’
Tip 2: If your preferred domain name has already been chosen by someone else that means they have the rights to it and you can’t claim it. But try searching for it with a .net or .org or .biz tag. You may find that it’s available under those areas.
Once you’ve registered your domain name you just need to choose a hosting provider to host your blog and you can transfer across. But that’s a subject for another post.
Other Articles you might like:
Earn Some Money with your Blog
Easy way to get More Traffic to your Blog
Let your Blog Stumble…it won’t hurt
I get a chance to chat with her in this podcast interview and discuss the WIKI. Learn a bit more about what it actually is and how it works. And hear how everyone can have a chance to safely play with developing a web site to be whatever digital scrapbookers want it to be.
