A domain is a custom URL for your business. A custom domain generates a unique place to find you online. It may sound intimidating, or you may think nothing is wrong with your .myshopify.com, but there are a few reasons to purchase a domain for your business.
SECURE YOUR DOMAIN
You can purchase a domain directly from your website hosting platform. For example, I have secured multiple domains from Go Daddy. You can transfer your domain after purchasing to the platform of your choosing. If you decide to switch platforms at a later date, you can release them from the current platform and transfer them to the next.
Start by searching to see if your domain is available here. If it is, many domains can be secured for $20 for the first two years. If your domain is unavailable before you switch to a .co or .shop etc., I recommend adding a - or 'the' to the website name. Often, anything other than .com is complicated for visitors to remember, and they may land on another site.
Follow these directions when you are ready to transfer your domain after purchasing.
ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO FIND YOU EASILY
As alluded to above, creating your domain will give you a custom space on the internet dedicated to your business. Rattling off a long domain with random characters will be hard for you to remember along with your customers. You want something short and sweet. It should be able to be repeated easily.
What if you don't have a website entirely set up yet? Should you still buy a domain? YES! You can redirect traffic to any link with the domain you secure. For instance, I purchased a domain to redirect to my courses on Thinkific. Navigate to this link, then watch the URL change once the page has loaded, www.sunkissedschool.com
You can use this technique by redirecting to your social media link or ETSY shop in the meantime. Then, once you build a site, transfer the domain to your new website.
OWN YOUR DOMAIN
A dedicated domain is more professional than one with the course platform name in the link. Think about the most recent sites you visited. The ones with a dedicated domain were not only easier to remember, but they set the stage that they are serious about their business and set the professional stage. Start to build your business SEO with posts created via your domain. Even if you lose your social media account, your domain is yours to keep as long as you continue to renew it.
CUSTOM EMAIL ADDRESS
Have you ever wondered how business owners can email from their domain, not Gmail? They have set up an email account using their purchased domain. I pay $6/mo to Google Workspace to have my email address, amy@sunkissedva.com. Even more remarkable is that if you have multiple employees, you can set up their email addresses that are branded. Or, if you want to segment different kinds of emails you receive, you can set up many emails such as support@domain.com, orders@domain.com, hello@domain.com.
If you set up the last example, no matter who works for your business at any given time can use these emails, and you will not lose any data if they depart.
Set up your domain email here on Google Workspace.
SO WHAT
Do you want to start email marketing? Many ESPs do not allow you to send e-mails with their software with a personal email address. You will want to use an ESP (email service provider) such as FloDesk or Convert Kit to ensure you are following the legal guidelines for email marketing. I use FloDesk! If you want to get started, lock in 50% OFF each month with your first 30 days free with my affiliate link.
Let's lay the groundwork by getting a custom domain email address today, as many ESPs will not allow you to send marketing material without this domain email.