Distinct Domain Advantage: Understanding the Benefits and Effectiveness
⏳ This article can be read in about 10 minutes
When starting a blog, one common stumbling block is obtaining a unique domain.
While some may be aware that they can change the website’s URL to their preferred text, many might not fully understand why a custom domain is essential and its benefits.
In this article, we will explain the custom domain and guide you through setting it up with rental servers and WordPress.
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Article table of contents
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1. Which is Better: A Free Blog or a Custom Domain?
What is a custom domain?
When starting a blog, one of the first things you must decide is whether to use a custom domain.
A domain is the part of a URL that comes after “https://” and essentially serves as the web address of a website. URLs are divided as follows:
For instance, when using a free blog service, the domain (usually the service name) is fixed and cannot be changed. You can choose or specify the subdomain or subdirectory part to determine the blog’s URL.
On the other hand, obtaining a custom domain allows you to specify any text you want for the domain, subdomain, and subdirectory.
In other words, having a custom domain enables you to create your website’s URL with your preferred text strings.
Benefits of a Custom Domain
One of the primary benefits of having a custom domain is its positive impact on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).
Although having a custom domain does not guarantee immediate SEO advantages, search engines evaluate websites on a domain basis. Websites with content consolidated under a custom domain tend to receive more favourable evaluations compared to the structure where subdomains or subdirectories are placed under a blog service’s domain.
Furthermore, the external appeal cannot be overlooked.
A unique custom domain, unlike any other in the world, becomes the identity of the media and instils a high level of trust, leading to increased sharing on social media and more frequent citations from other websites.
Once a domain is acquired, as long as you keep renewing the registration, nobody else can use it without permission. A custom domain serves as an internet address, business name, and a testament to your brand.
It is essential to decide whether to use a custom domain before launching your website.
Introducing a custom domain after your site gains momentum would result in a change in the URL, causing external links acquired until then to become invalid. While there are methods to redirect to the new URL automatically, the configuration can be complex. Therefore, it is better to decide to use a custom domain at an early stage.
2. How to Choose a Domain Name Without Making Mistakes
Changing a domain once a website is up and running can be challenging.
Search engine evaluations are linked to the domain, so changing it will reset the website’s evaluation.
When selecting a domain initially, it is essential to make a decision that you will not regret later. The best option is to use the website name as the domain. This provides a sense of security as the website name immediately comes to mind from the URL.
People who remember the website name when they see the URL in search results, or tweets are likelier to click on it. However, be aware that once you set the website name as the domain, you won’t be able to change it later.
Having a different domain from the website name will not disadvantage you in terms of SEO, but it can have a negative impact on the website’s brand image due to inconsistency.
Alternatively, you can choose a domain related to the genre your website covers.
For instance, if your website concerns sports gyms in the Philippines, you can use a domain like “philippinesgym.com”. This way, even if the website name and domain are different, it will not feel strange, and it won’t be an issue to change the website name later as long as the genre remains the same.
Using the website owner’s handle name as the domain is also an option for miscellaneous websites with no specific theme or genre. This strategy can effectively increase the website owner’s recognition as an information disseminator by putting their character at the forefront.
The challenging part of selecting a domain is that the desired domain is often already taken.
You can use abbreviations or slightly modify the strings to find alternatives.
If the desired domain consists of multiple words, you can combine the initials or add hyphens at natural breaks in the words.
A more tricky technique is replacing the letter “O” with the number “0”. It’s best to get creative and find a solution that suits your preference.
Domains are generally considered better when they are shorter. In the secondary domain market, domains with 3-5 characters are particularly valuable. Lengthy domains can reduce the readability of the URL and make it less memorable at first glance. Try to keep your domain as short as possible.
3. Which One Should You Choose: “.com” or “.ph”?
Choosing a top-level domain (TLD) is also crucial.
The TLD, which corresponds to “.com” or “.ph”, significantly affects the value of a domain.
The most popular TLDs are “.com” and “.ph”; most commercial websites use one.
However, compared to other TLDs, they have few specific advantages regarding functionalities like SEO. These TLDs have been around for a long time and used by major websites, making them a brand of prestige and legitimacy due to their historical significance.
While it is not necessary to strictly adhere to these two TLDs when choosing, it is essential to understand that TLDs other than “.com” and ”.ph” are sometimes perceived as one tier lower in terms of status.
TLDs originally served to indicate the purpose or affiliation of a website. For example, “.com” signifies “commercial”, and ”.ph” represents “Philippines”.
Other TLDs have specific meanings, such as “.travel” for travel-related websites and “.mobi” for mobile usage.
Furthermore, some TLDs are used differently from their intended purpose. For instance, “.tv” is the country code TLD for Tuvalu, but due to its similarity to “TV”, it is frequently used for video-related websites.
Using a TLD differently from its original purpose has no significant drawbacks. If you are not fixated on “.com” and “.ph”, feel free to choose any TLD that appeals to you.
However, note that some TLDs have restrictions on their acquisition. Examples include “.co.ph”, which can only be used by registered companies; “.gov.ph”, limited to government entities in the Philippines; and “.ngo.ph”, intended for registered non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and non-profit organisations in the Philippines.
The registration fees for TLDs vary depending on the type.
4. Pros and Cons of WordPress
With a custom domain, consider pairing it with a rental server and WordPress. When you acquire a custom domain, a contract with a rental server is also a good idea.
The appeal of rental servers lies in their flexibility.
Once registered, you are provided with server space, and how you use that space is entirely up to you. You can simply publish a basic webpage by placing HTML files or install a blog system like WordPress and operate a sophisticated web media.
Since you have complete control over the file structure within the server, you can perform system management at a developer level.
Some might hesitate, thinking it sounds complicated, but most rental servers support automatic WordPress installation.
You can complete the setup process with just one click, skipping any complicated steps.
Furthermore, these rental servers can be used as email servers, and they also support automatic backups of server information, providing a variety of convenient features.
Benefits of Using WordPress
While rental servers offer various blog systems to choose from, if you are starting now, WordPress is the way to go.
As of 2023, WordPress holds a 63.1% share of all content management systems (CMS) worldwide. Including non-CMS websites, its share is 43.1%.
In other words, WordPress occupies approximately one-third of all websites on the internet. This overwhelming dominance makes it practically the industry standard.
CMS |
Market share |
WordPress |
63.1% |
Joomla |
3.3% |
Squarespace |
2.5% |
Drupal |
2.3% |
Others |
28.8% |
WordPress boasts several strengths, with one notable aspect being its SEO compatibility. It is structured to be optimised for search engines, making it more likely to rank higher in search results. Numerous SEO plugins are available, making WordPress the best choice for blog search engine optimisation.
Due to its extensive user base, WordPress has accumulated a wealth of operational know-how. A simple search will yield numerous troubleshooting examples and solutions if you encounter any issues. This reduces the likelihood of hitting a dead end when facing problems. The abundance of tutorials also makes it beginner-friendly and easy for novices to learn.
Moreover, WordPress knowledge and skills are in demand across various industries, not just in the IT field.
As many companies utilise WordPress for their operations, being well-versed in its system and structure will be highly advantageous in various scenarios.
Becoming proficient in WordPress can be a promising skill upgrade for professionals in the business world and beyond.
5. Pros and Cons of Free Blogging Platforms
A custom domain can also be used with free blog services. Many blog services offer an option to set up a custom domain. This allows you to change the URL to your preferred text. However, it is important to note that this option usually comes with a cost, and monthly expenses will be incurred.
The advantage of using blog services lies in the ease of customisation. While WordPress provides a wide range of themes, transforming your website to fit your personal preferences often requires knowledge of HTML and CSS.
Blog services actively provide designs that cater to user needs, making it possible to achieve a preferred appearance without requiring much technical knowledge. This can provide reassurance to those who find WordPress customisation challenging. Additionally, blog services with their own community features can attract users from within that community.
In free blog services, automatic banner ads are displayed on the pages. This mechanism covers the cost for free users through advertising revenue, but for affiliate marketing, it becomes a competition for advertising effectiveness, resulting in a considerable disadvantage.
If your goal is monetising through affiliate marketing, the golden rule is to choose the paid version in blog services and set the banner ads to non-display.
Furthermore, in some cases, the use of affiliate marketing itself may be restricted by the service’s terms and conditions. For example, for certain providers, only businesses that support their own advertising feature can be used, and other affiliate service providers are not allowed.
When using blog services, thoroughly investigate the compatibility with affiliate marketing in advance.
6. Conclusion
This article explained how to start a blog using a custom domain and a rental server.
Most affiliate blogs have recently operated using the combination we introduced: custom domain + rental server + WordPress. While this standardisation resulted from pursuing any possible advantage in the competition with other websites, it has become necessary when starting a new affiliate website since the majority chose this combination.
Make sure to master the fundamental know-how of affiliate marketing thoroughly.
