Do you really need a domain name?
Do you need a domain name? If you have an online presence, such as a personal website or blog, do you really need a domain name, or is it okay to use a domain that belongs to someone else?
Domain names help establish your online presence. Having a domain name shows people that you are serious about your website. If you own your own domain name, no one can take away your hard work in building your website.
Domain names are not as expensive as they used to be, so it doesn’t cost much to buy one. However, if you plan to launch many websites, the cost of purchasing domains may become an important factor in your business plan.
Domain names help establish your brand. Sites like Amazon, Google, and eBay spent millions establishing a brand. If you don’t have a big enough budget to do this, it is recommended to choose a name that is related to your site and its purpose.
Search engines use domain names to rank your site. Having a domain name that says what your site is about helps your site get noticed and remembered. If you use words in your domain name that tell people what your site is about, it makes it easier for people to find your site using a search engine. These words are called “keywords” and are the things that people type into a search engine when looking for a product or service.
On the other hand, it is not always necessary to have a domain name. Maybe you just blog for fun or use a social networking site to update your friends and family on what you’re up to and to keep in touch with them. So you may not need your own domain name.
Even if you have your own hosting account, a domain name is not strictly necessary. A domain name simply translates to an IP address that can be used to get to your site, as long as you have a dedicated IP address. While this works fine, IP addresses are very difficult for humans to remember, which is why names are used.
A third alternative is to buy a domain name and then use subdomains for each of your sites. This means that you own the domain, so no one can delete your site. It also means that the costs of multiple sites are significantly reduced. This is a great solution and helps to group all your sites under one main domain. Sites like Blogger do this and it’s a very effective solution.