Sub Domains vs. Premium Domains
Our host today is Manav Dhiman. If you're interested in getting in front of the readers of Site Sketch 101, check out our guest posting invitation here.
Blogging – when it was first introduced – has changed a lot with more and more blogging platforms coming, giving you the options of creating your blog in an instant with a sub-domain. There has been this debate of sub-domain blogs vs. premium domain blogs. In this post, I will tell you the pros and cons both types of blogs, and in the end, my verdict on which one’s better.
Sub-domain Blogs
Let’s start with the blogs hosted on sub-domains. An example of a blog hosted on a sub-domain is yourname.host.com. These types of blogs are more widespread over the web and newbie bloggers usually prefer these over the premium ones because of the main reason that these are available for free.
Some websites providing these are Blogger, WordPress.com, Tumblr, etc. The major highlights of such blogs are:
- They are free
- Easy to setup
- No designing knowledge needed
But, as they are so easy to setup, they have some defects as well. Because they are hosted on a sub-domain, search engines don’t really give attention to them. People are not likely to remember the URL of the blog, as it’s quite long. Another thing is related to the blogger’s psychology; as the blog is free, and he has not spent any money in it, he kind of takes it casually, and don’t really gives it much attention that is needed. This is the number one reason why these blogs die in a short period of time.
Premium Domain Blogs
A premium domain blog is self-hosted on a server. An example of a premium domain blog is www.sitesketch101.com. These types of blogs are less found over the web when compared to the blogs hosted on a sub-domain. To create a premium blog, you have to spend a bit of your money on hosting, designing (unless you are using a free design) and marketing (if needed).
Some websites providing hosting for these kinds of blogs are Blogger, WordPress.org, Tumblr etc. Main highlights/feature of these blogs are:
- Independent identity over the web
- More ways of customization
- More attention from search engines
Apart from the pros of this type of hosting, there are some glitches as well. For example, it’s not easy to find a reliable hosting firm over the web, you can’t just trust anyone. Secondly, you have to churn a bit of your money on it to make it more according to your needs; otherwise it will be that “Just another blog on the internet”.
The Verdict
After taking an equal look at both of these hosting solutions, I would suggest you to start your blog with a premium domain, as it would drive more traffic to your blog and you can have that feeling of ‘satisfaction’. They surely need some extra attention and money, but they are worth, and the results are just astonishing!
PS: You may think that, then why my blog is hosted on a sub-domain? The reason is that I’m working on another blog, so I postponed the idea of transferring it to a premium domain. As soon as that other blog is up, I will move my blog to premium one.
Ron Leyba said:
The subject of this post is an often overlooked topic. What I can say is that, as much as possible, as a blogger, you should acquire or go after the premium domains. This will give you full control over your blog. Of course, the full ownership of it.
By the way, the link (Manav and the World link) ,at the author’s signature is broken.
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Ron! Yeah this indeed is an overlooked topic, but it is the most important one.
The link is: http://manavdhiman.wordpress.com
Thanks for commenting!
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Ron Leyba said:
Welcome Manav,
Can you edit your link at that author signature or only the admin (Nick) can do that?
Nice post by the way!
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Rob,
No I cannot edit that author signature, only Nick can do that. I just tweeted him to correct it, hope he’ll do it as soon as possible!
Thanks again!
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Nicholas Cardot said:
I just fixed that. I sure am sorry about it and I sure appreciate you all pointing it out for me. Sorry about that, Manav. I really appreciate you, man.
Manav Dhiman said:
Thanks Nick!
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Ether said:
Definitely, a premium domain is the choice
Karthikeyan said:
Excellent Post Manav!
I personally prefer the simplicity of Sub Domains!
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Karthikeyan! Thanks for the compliment.
Yes, sub-domains are simple in everything, but if you need more options and as Rob said, have full control over your blog, premium domains are the best.
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Naveen K R said:
Nice post Manav!!
I am happy with a sub-domain right now since this is just a leisure time thing for me. Who would want to invest on their free time interests when you have them for free
Oh, now the link to my blog is http://nkr4068.blogspot.com
By seeing my blog, you will rightly know why i prefer a sub-domain, because i rarely update it. (thanking my laziness for this additional savings
)
Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Naveen,
Yes, that’s what I wanted to make clear in the post – If you are a casual blogger (like you), then you don’t need a premium domain. You just write for your own sake, not for the people.
Thanks for adding your views man! Have a great day.
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Real Blogging Advice said:
What a great information. I also used blogspot subdomain before and I found out that most of my readers don’t usually believe me because they that the information I have shared is fraud and I just took it for granted.
But the other reason why blogger don’t a custom domain name is that they don’t have the money to purchase a custom for their blog.
When I make money from my blog, I invest that money and buy my own domain name to make money blog grow and more professional.
Thank you for this great post of yours.
Sincerely,
Felix Albutra – Real Blogging Advice dot com
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Felix,
Nice point there. The readers who usually read a blog on a sub-domain, also don’t really take that piece of information seriously. Again, it’s related to the person’s psychology.
Yeah, agreed most of the bloggers don’t have enough money, but there are cheap services as well. They can first host their blog there and then after they start making money they can switch hosting. It’s never a problem.
Thanks for commenting!
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Boni said:
I change my domain name to .com
most of the reason are like you said, it gives more satisfaction, and a different feeling.
Ed said:
I currently have a sub-domain on blogger. I think people take sub domains more seriously.
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Ed,
It again depends on the psychology of people if they like sub-domains or premium domains, or what they take seriously.
There may be people who like sub-domains more than that of premium domains. And there are many too. But at the end of the day, premium domains are worth the time and money spent on them.
Thanks for commenting.
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Nicholas Cardot said:
Although technically you’re right that it depends on the psychology of people whether or not they will prefer to see your site as a premium domain or a sub domain but I would venture a guess that the vast majority of people are primed to respect old fashioned premium domains. I know that I prefer it.
Manav Dhiman said:
Yeah seriously Nick. I also prefer premium domains over sub domains. They latter are really ahead of the game when compared to the earlier.
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King Sidharth said:
Woah! I am visiting SS101 after a long time.
Yo Manav! Congrats on the guest post man. Like it very much.
I started my blogging when I was 13 I guess. I don’t even have that blog alive. The oldest thing I have is kingofficial.blogpost.com – a subdomain.
I and for a while I took domains seriously but now I’ve discovered that I hardly notice a domain. I remember the name and google it {branding}.
It really doesn’t matter what domain you have. People will judge you by your content. You will eventually get noticed if you are good.
Seth Godin, one of the best marketers today, has his awesome blog on a subdomain.
But it is an important part of your branding. For blogs it might be ok – for sites no no!
@Nick: – Do you follow back and read your trackbacks?
- Are keyword domains better than brandable ones?
- How to really connect with people on your email list.
- Hod you got your book completed
Some topics you might like to write on? (I’d love to read your views on them)
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Sid! Thanks!
Well, if you remember the name and google it, you may not get desired results for the reason that that blog may not be that popular.
Yup, Seth has a sub domain blog. But he was well off before he created his blog (I think). So it’s natural that he will get more readers.
But now take this: I am an average teen, and I want to create a blog, the sub domain blog will do just fine. But I will not get sufficient readers, and I will end up abandoning it. Well, I can go on on this topic. So I shall stop now.
The last lines you asking me?
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Naveen K R said:
There’s a small point there. You are worried about the readers you’ll have for your piece or writing. Write it for your on satisfaction dude, the readers will follow you inspite of your domain, given your content is good
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Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing said:
If one were to discuss ALL the reasons premium is better then free, this would be a novel, plus.
It’s just a far better choice all the way around.
Frankly, if one can’t afford $10 per year, I hope their blog isn’t advise of any kind; I should won’t pay attention.
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Noah Rainey said:
Great post although I do challenge with one the statements you said. Quote Manav Dhiman, “These types of blogs are less found over the web when compared to the blogs hosted on a sub-domain.” This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact premimum domain names such as sitesketch101.com tend to perform WAY better then sub domains for many reasons. Firstly, it’s a more professional way of getting your points across. Secondly, their more SEO compatible, meaning more traffic. Thirdly, you show up independently on search engines meaning you have a higher chance for click throughs. This list can go on and on. I just don’t understand how you could say that sub-domains have a better chance of being recognized. HELLO!?
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Nicholas Cardot said:
I think that he was simply saying that there are a lot more subdomain blogs than premium. There are a lot more to be found. And he’s right. There are way more blogs on wordpress.com and blogspot.com than there are independent.
However, he makes it very clear that the premium are much better.
Manav Dhiman said:
@Nicholas: Exactly.
@Noah: I think you misunderstood me. And that’s okay, Nick made it clear.
Thanks Nick!
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Joe Boyle said:
A great saying – “You get what you pay for”. It’s free for a reason. Having a premium domain name has it’s advantages, hence why you have to pay for it.
Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Joe,
Yes, free domains have their own limitations. But when you buy a premium domain, you get all the tools which you will not get in sub domains.
Thanks for adding your views!
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Tushar said:
nothing like premium domain blogs dude….it makes you professional….and i can tell you the difference because i have blogged with both of them
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Tushar,
Yes, premium domains give you more control to you. This is the main reason they are getting popular slowly.
Thanks for sharing your views!
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Dev @ Blogging Tips said:
Hey Manav,
There Many bloggers like seth Godin, Alan Liew(Moneymakerinfo) etc. who are still using subdomain.
Recently blogspot has closed Alan Liew’s blog for some reason.
I think it’s better to have Premium domains and hosting.
P.S. Alan’s got back his blog, but it’s better to have our own Premium domains and hosting.
Thanks for this great post bud.
Thanks,
Dev
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Manav Dhiman said:
Hey Dev,
Yup, they rally don’t need a premium domain because they are already popular. Seth has around 7 books published, he is a LEGEND!
But, premium domains are better. Again, Seth blogs at Typepad, and it gives various services to you if you pay them. It’s like having the services of premium domains on a sub domain.
Never mind, thanks for commenting!
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Chris said:
While I definitely recommend a premium domain rather than one on blogger, you can still get massive traffic using a free blog platform like blogger.
But there’s no reason to, especially since setting up a blog and hosting it are so cheap.
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Aminul islam sajib said:
I have problem with your PS. I’m seeing you’re not on a sub domain. Then which blog are you talking about?
Reza Winandar said:
I already own three premium domain and I just want to buy another one for MFA site.
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DHost said:
Thanks for your advice ..