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Whether you choose to subscribe to a free blog site or host a blog using your domain name on your website, you are sure to experience the benefits and frustrations of either option. Take some time to consider the following advantages and disadvantages of both choices.
Benefits of Free Blog Sites
A few well-known free blog sites are Wordpress, Weebly, Blogger, and LiveJournal. The main reason to use these types of blog sites is they are free. Blog sites are also very fast. More than cost and speed, blog sites are user-friendly. They are setup so that even the least experienced blogger can post, launch, and publish content using a simple interface. They can also be customized to some extent so that your blog is structured to cater to your business and customers.
Frustrations of Free Blog Sites
Because you are working with a free site, you are receiving the quality of a free site.
First, the variety of free templates has its limits. If you wish to access more advanced templates, then you will have to sacrifice the “free factor” and pay a designer to create a blog for you.
Second, the URL will include the name of the free blog site you are using. The URL will most likely be longer, less catchy, and difficult for you or customers to say aloud. If you think this will compromise your potential relationships with customers, then you might consider hosting your own blog.
Third, you sacrifice the relationship between your free blog site and your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Since blogs do not exist on your company site and instead stay on the free blog site, then you will never receive credit for content added or indexed on your blog. Adding keyword-rich text to your blog is often very valuable to companies who are hoping to optimize their main website.
Benefits of Hosting Your Blog
When you host a blog on your company website, the entire process is easier to manage. One of the greatest advantages is that there are greater customization options available. If customizing a blog is a task you feel comfortable tackling, then you will have more flexibility in how you structure and design the blog. Another benefit is that the URL will correlate well with your blog and your brand. Search engines under one domain will index any content added to your blog. This is not only more attractive but easier to communicate with others when talking about your URL with others.
Focal Points
Search Engine Optimization
If SEO is a high priority of yours, then you should focus on hosting a blog live on your domain. This will allow your blog to be indexed by search engines under your domain, allowing your site to receive all credit for content collected on your blog. A free blog site can still be indexed through search engines and then set-up to link your company to the parent website.
More Control
Free blog sites always have the ability to shut down the site or eliminate your blog at any time. If the site feels you are violating policies, they can deny access to your blog. Unfortunately, some blog sites build key-phrase links to help boost SEO for other sites, which in turn flags the account and denies bloggers access. By hosting your own blog on your domain you have more control over content placed on your site.
Look Appeal
If you care what others think of your image then using a free blog site is probably not the best solution for you. Blogger is the only free blog site that will provide free service as well as provide you with the option of creating a more attractive URL. In general, the URL will look most attractive if you host the blog on your domain.
Benefits of Free Blog Sites
A few well-known free blog sites are Wordpress, Weebly, Blogger, and LiveJournal. The main reason to use these types of blog sites is they are free. Blog sites are also very fast. More than cost and speed, blog sites are user-friendly. They are setup so that even the least experienced blogger can post, launch, and publish content using a simple interface. They can also be customized to some extent so that your blog is structured to cater to your business and customers.
Frustrations of Free Blog Sites
Because you are working with a free site, you are receiving the quality of a free site.
First, the variety of free templates has its limits. If you wish to access more advanced templates, then you will have to sacrifice the “free factor” and pay a designer to create a blog for you.
Second, the URL will include the name of the free blog site you are using. The URL will most likely be longer, less catchy, and difficult for you or customers to say aloud. If you think this will compromise your potential relationships with customers, then you might consider hosting your own blog.
Third, you sacrifice the relationship between your free blog site and your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. Since blogs do not exist on your company site and instead stay on the free blog site, then you will never receive credit for content added or indexed on your blog. Adding keyword-rich text to your blog is often very valuable to companies who are hoping to optimize their main website.
Benefits of Hosting Your Blog
When you host a blog on your company website, the entire process is easier to manage. One of the greatest advantages is that there are greater customization options available. If customizing a blog is a task you feel comfortable tackling, then you will have more flexibility in how you structure and design the blog. Another benefit is that the URL will correlate well with your blog and your brand. Search engines under one domain will index any content added to your blog. This is not only more attractive but easier to communicate with others when talking about your URL with others.
Focal Points
Search Engine Optimization
If SEO is a high priority of yours, then you should focus on hosting a blog live on your domain. This will allow your blog to be indexed by search engines under your domain, allowing your site to receive all credit for content collected on your blog. A free blog site can still be indexed through search engines and then set-up to link your company to the parent website.
More Control
Free blog sites always have the ability to shut down the site or eliminate your blog at any time. If the site feels you are violating policies, they can deny access to your blog. Unfortunately, some blog sites build key-phrase links to help boost SEO for other sites, which in turn flags the account and denies bloggers access. By hosting your own blog on your domain you have more control over content placed on your site.
Look Appeal
If you care what others think of your image then using a free blog site is probably not the best solution for you. Blogger is the only free blog site that will provide free service as well as provide you with the option of creating a more attractive URL. In general, the URL will look most attractive if you host the blog on your domain.
