A custom domain is a domain that you own and have complete control over. It’s typically a shorter version of your website’s URL, e.g., example.com, and you can purchase it from a reliable source like AWeber for a one-time fee.
Why Should You Buy A Custom Domain?
A custom domain is great for a couple of reasons. To start, it’s a free upgrade from your usual.com domain to something more representative of your brand. When someone clicks on www.yourdomain.com, they’ll either be directed to your website or, if it’s a CNAME record, they’ll be given the opportunity to click and continue to a different website.
In addition, you can develop a sense of independence by not having to depend on a third party (i.e., your hosting company) for your domain name. This is also great for your SEO (search engine optimization) because you have complete control over the content that’s published on your domain. Finally, the convenience of a single email address for your entire team (i.e., everyone in your marketing and customer support department) is unparalleled.
When Should You Buy A Custom Domain?
This is something you need to carefully consider because there’s more than one good reason to buy a custom domain. First, if you already have a.com domain, you can purchase a matching.com domain for your custom domain for approximately the same cost. If you’re considering this route, go for it!
Second, if you run a non-profit or educational organization, you can purchase a.org domain for your organization. Once you have a.org domain, you can register all sorts of subdomains, e.g., yourdomain.org/blog, yourdomain.org/store, etc., which makes it easy to set up a fully functioning website. If you own a cafe, you can also purchase a cafe.com domain. It’s always great to have a shorter version of your company’s name in the domain name, i.e., cafe.com
Third, if you run an athletic club or sport team, you can purchase a.com domain for your club’s name. If you have a golf club, you can purchase a golf.com domain. If you’re thinking about this option, be sure to purchase another.com domain for use as a redirect (see below).
One of the best things about a custom domain is that you have complete control over the look and feel of the site. You decide what content gets published (e.g., articles, blogs, or forums), and you get to choose the colors, fonts, and layouts of the site. Plus, you can enable or disable various features as needed. This kind of flexibility is unmatched.
Last but not least, you can purchase a parked domain. A parked domain is one that already has content associated with it. For example, if you visit parked.yourdomain.com, you’ll see a brief description of the domain along with a link to the content associated with it. You can purchase parked domains from reputable sources like AWeber for a one-time fee.
Choosing a custom domain is quite straightforward, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, make sure that the domain name you’re purchasing is available. If it is, great! Otherwise, you’ll have to look for an alternate. Second, make sure that the domain name you choose is representative of your brand. If you have a strong brand, ensure that the name you choose will be easily recognizable by users. Third, purchase the domain name from a reputable source. If possible, try to register the domain name with a trusted third party like GoDaddy.com. Finally, ensure that you buy another matching.com domain name if you decide to purchase a.com domain for your custom domain. Now you have a website that will continue to appear in the search results for your chosen keywords. One final thing: ensure that the name you choose for your website is memorable. If you put too much thought into a website’s design, the resulting product may end up being a bit creepy.