For anyone who just started blogging, they will certainly ask this question: should I have my own domain or just register to any of the free blog sites? The two choices have its advantages and disadvantages. No matter what they choose, there are bloggers who are still successful. But which is right for you? Many things should be put into consideration and these are discussed below:
Free Blog Sites:
Advantages
Free blog sites are attractive for three main reasons: free, fast, and functional. The key that encourages people to register is its free factor. But what keeps them is its functionality. Most free blogging platforms allow you to post images and pictures in a user-friendly interface. And if you want to change the default design of your blog, there are a lot of free templates available as well.
Blogs become popular because it can be personal. If you need to write something, share your knowledge, or rant about your boss, the blog is just there. Personal blogs are still very popular nowadays but there is another trend that seems to be surpassing it: blogging for money. By letting advertisement show up on your website, say, by signing up to Google Adsense, you can make money without investing cash.
Disadvantages
Probably the main issue for using free blogs is that the name of the free platform will be included in your username. For example, instead of having the domain: http://www.pickaweb.com, using free hosting will make it appear like http://pickaweb.wordpress.com. This looks unprofessional and it can also damage your search engine optimisation efforts. Notice that most business blogs don't use free hosting solutions because of this disadvantage.
Paid Blog Sites:
Advantages
Aside from making the site look more professional, paid hosting can also provide a lot of benefits for your SEO initiatives. For example, by seamlessly integrating the blog into your website, all the content of the blog will be indexed by the search engines to support the company site.
For example, if the company site is http://www.pickaweb.com, the blog can be added as an extension to this domain - http://www.pickaweb.com/blog. The second advantage is about customization. By hosting your own blog, you enjoy more flexible in terms of design, structure, and placement of the content.
Disadvantages
If you are willing to invest in some time and money, there is really no disadvantage of choosing paid hosting for your blog. But what frustrates some people is lack of knowledge in setting up their own blogs. This isn't actually difficult. All you have to do is to register a domain name, select a hosting plan, and select the design for your blog. Then, you're all set.
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