Getting a temporary domain from a free online service? Consider the long term cost for the moment.
Here’s what typically happens.
You sign up for a free website domain and very chuffed with yourself, start using the domain name on all your marketing material, from car branding, letterheads and business cards to e-mail footers.
The mybusiness.someotherpersonsdomain.co.za seems like a great, cost-effective solution to getting your online presence up and running at virtually no cost.
Two years down the line, however, www.someotherpersonsdomain.co.za decides they want to:
- start charging for the service
- increase the number of ads they show on your website
- stop delivering the service altogether
Now you’re in a fix, as you do not own the domain, and have no option to move to another service provider.
It’s therefore recommended that you:
- register your own domain, e.g. yourdomain.co.za
- redirect traffic going to www.yourdomain.co.za to your free website
- use www.yourdomain.co.za in your marketing material
Whether your business runs on Wix, Yola or your Facebook page, taking the above approach would mean that, should you have a problem with your service provider, you will have the flexibility to change without having to replace those car stickers.
Domain registrations are not expensive and can save you lots of moola down the line.
Contact Azapi if you’d like to find out more about securing your own domain name.