Without question you absolutely need to own your domain name if you intend to blog to make money. Now even sites that are not set up to earn an income are at a disadvantage when using a free blog site. The problem lies in the lack of control you have with your site. The free host has their own set of rules and regulations that can be very restrictive thereby undermining your ability to user the site in a way that is suitable for your purposes. When you are blogging to make money the 'income' factor further strengthens your motivations and needs to have complete control over your domain.
Here are 3 strong and compelling reasons you should NOT set up your blogging business on a free blog site.
Create Your Own 'Unique' Name
Free sites although they may not cost you anything (but business) normally they come with sub domain names for your site which looks unprofessional. By purchasing your own domain you can select any name you want. In addition you are also able to better control the length of your url which is always recommended to be as short as possible. This makes it easier to remember and also easier to type into the browser bar.
Create Your Own 'Rules'
By owning your own domain there is no worry about 'abusing' policies or 'privileges' of a hosted blog or even having to 'deal' with the imposed limitations on your site. Blogs were created to be platforms of free thinking and originality so why would you want to place yours on a 'host' that restricts you? It would be much like trying to surf the internet in China!
Uninterrupted Service
As 'discrepancies' arise so will the service to your site. On a hosted site you can NOT expect to maintain any type of consistencies or originality that would not be disrupted by the host. If you need to 'abide' by the ruling of another 'power' how do you intend to build a blog with personality and uniqueness? These are attributes you are definitely going to need if you are blogging to make money!
Remember if your service is disrupted or down so is your ability to earn an income!
When you are blogging to make money you need to own your domain lock, stock and barrel. The free sites offered online are great and all however they can also be quite restrictive and always at a bad time. The blogging business takes things to a different level insofar as income is involve therefore 'thing's are more serious. It is imperative that the site owner to be in total control, of everything! The 3 reason discussed above in opposition of using free sites, especially if you blog to make money, are very compelling and undeniable. The choice of course is always up to the individual but it is important to remember what you are getting if you choose a free domain when working online. In this case you get what you pay for, or not!
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
To learn more about why you should own your domain if you are serious about blogging and to also receive a free instructional manual that teaches valuable niche research techniques simply visit:http://blogbrawn.com/