I'm excited to share this new series with you, called "101 Blogging Tips". In the series there will be 101 blogging tips that you can begin applying to your blog today! Don't wait, get started now!

Tip #39: Use a Domain Name

Many of you are already ahead of the game on this one! But let's discuss it a little for those who don't yet have a domain name or wonder why they should have one.  

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name in simplest terms is a type of "name" you purchase (from a registrar company like Go Daddy, Blogs By Heather Domains, Host Gator, Network Solutions, and the list goes on) to use as your site address instead of the default address given with the "typepad" or "blogspot" or "wordpress" in the name.  

So, for example, I purchased the domain name BlogsByHeather.com to use for this blog. It's original blog address was (and stil is) heatherporto.typepad.com. You can also purchase domain that end in ".net, .biz, .org. (normally for non-profit organizations), .me, .edu (for schools and educational facilities/programs)" are some other popular, available choices.

Why Use a Domain Name?

People purchase domain names for many reasons. One is just the desire to remove the "typepad, blogspot or wordpress" from their site address when passing out business cards or other printed materials.

But another reason is for migration. Meaning, lets say you have a Blogger blog, and are using a domain name "YourName.com". You've built up your blog, you post regularly, gaining traffic on popular posts as you are popular in your field.  You then decide you want to move to a WordPress blog.  Since your traffic and followers are based on your domain name, then when you move the domain name to a new blog platform (from Blogger to WordPress), your followers can be moved (via Feedburn for example). Instead you are simply moving the "back-end", the platform, but that is a seamless change to your followers. We can talk more about migration another time. But a simple fact is that it's easier to move some things if a domain name is used for your site versus a "yourname.blogspot.com" address.

Last but not least, domain names are easier to remember and can also be keyword-friendly as well (but not always possible depending on your business name or industry already established).  

Want More Information on Domain Names?
You can click here to learn more technical stuff about domain names.