Content marketing has become one of the latest marketing effort to build a business or personal brand. With WordPress, BlogSpot and Tumblr providing a platform for the user to share their stories, opinions, and expertise on a certain topic. Should you start with your own domain or ride on their subdomain? I am sharing the 5 reasons why you go to your own domain instead of using their subdomain.
1. Your Own Personal Branding
When you a publish your content using mybrand.wordpress.com, it does detract the quality of your blog contents. If your long-term goals are to build a fan of followers and become the thought leadership, you need your own domain.
With your own blog domain name, you can also create your own email account such as hello@mybrand.blog instead of using any free email services by Gmail or Outlook.com.
As Matt Mullenweg (Founder of WordPress.com) quoted during the launch of.blog new TLD domain name “You don’t want to build the next big things on someone else domain. You need a domain.”
2. 100% Ownership
Running your blog on someone’s else domain does not give you the authority to own it.
You can own mybrand.blog but not mybrand.wordpress.com as the top level domain wordpress.com does not belong to you.
3. Portability
You can move around your blog content across different WordPress provider with your own domain name. But if you are using a subdomain, you cannot use the same URL mybrand.wordpress.com if you decide to host your blog on a WordPress web host.
4. Ads-Free
Most free blog services by WordPress.com or BlotSpot.com will allow any paid publisher to show up ads on your blog URL. It distracts your readers and some of the ads are not relevant to your blog content.
5. Easier Remembrance
Sharing your personal brand URL using mybrand.blog is easier to remember from mybrand.wordpress.com. It’s shorter.
6. Search Engine Optimisation
Any TLD domains will help to rank your blog content higher vs using any subdomain. With better SEO, you get more readers and followers to build up your thought leadership and brand.
