Once you are ready to start blogging, you will need to buy a domain name especially if you are considering using a “paid blog” but just how importance is a “domain name”.
Imagine discussing with a new friend on the phone and in the process he asked that you quickly come over to his office of which he gave you the address. On getting there you discovered that the address he gave you is an office complex with about 100 offices in it and it was just unfortunate that he forgot to give you the name of the business/company.
You quickly reach out for your phone …dialed his number but to your surprise the number could not be reached …remember how that sounds …”the number you are trying to call is unavailable, please try again latter.” After many repeated trials and same reply, you finally turned back and went home.
Why that wasn’t the only thing you could have done at that moment, the other option (just walking into the different office and making enquires) was just too stressful and would actually take so much of your time and that is if it doesn’t turn you into an object of ridicule. Though chances are you could be lucky to discover his office with only a few trails or at less find someone who knows him and can tell you the name of the office.
…That was an interesting piece, wasn’t it? …Good, let’s take it a step further.
Now, you and I know, it could be quite difficult locating such an office especially when you have limited time, its even worst when you happen not to know the nature of the business in question and even at that there maybe other business doing almost the same thing.
It actually no difference with the internet and your blog …your blog is just but one out of many others which may posses like content with your blog and target the same niche just like the business of “our friend” which is located in an office complex and whose nature of business is likely same with some other businesses in that same complex.
At this point it takes the name of your blog to identify and differentiate it from the rest. It is the first thing that uniquely puts your blog apart from the others. This is known as the domain name or the URL (Uniform Resource Locator, previously Universal Resource Locator) of the blog. For instance, the site URL (domain name) you are viewing right now is http://francisalaeto.com It is uniquely for this site.
What then is a domain name?
Simply put a domain name is the beginning of your online identity. Like I have already said it is uniquely yours …just as unique as a registered business name …It represents your online presence as does a registered business name. Some webmasters refers to it as your address on the internet.
Whichever way you look at it, no other person can have access to register the same domain name unless it expires and you are careless with it or just don’t need it anymore. If you have ever tried to register a business name, then you should be aware that once the name you are trying to register has been taken by someone else …you simply try another name. This is very much applicable to your domain name.
To add to all that is been said I need you to know that your domain name is an important business asset and I hope you see your blog as a business. People can only access whatever it is you have on your website/blog by visiting your domain name. All these point down to just how importance a “domain name” is.
Finally having a blog implies having a domain name. Whether it a “free blog” or a “paid blog”. You definitely need a domain name. The only difference is that you don’t pay/buy the domain name when using a free blog.
All you will be required to do is to fill in the blank space provided for that purpose with an available name of your choice however you get a domain name like “www.yourchoicename.blogspot.com” depending on the blog platform you end up using.
While that of a “paid blog” is paid for (i.e you buy a domain name with a domain registrar). With this you get the domain name of your choice (www.yourchoicename.com), however you need to first check for it availability as well.
Note: Your domain name may or may not be your business name.