Neil LimThe .BLOG domain is launching soon and it’s perfect for all creatives, writers, businesses and thought-leaders.
Blogging has grown from being simple online diaries into powerful content that fuels businesses all over the world. From articles and infographics to webinars and podcasts, blogs have become the bridge that connects businesses and customers online.
But no matter how great and how much content your create, it needs to live on a domain that you own. It needs to be on a URL that enhances your brand. That being said, the new .BLOG domain is perfect for all businesses – whether you’re a creator or an editor.
So what’s the deal with the .BLOG domain?
Google and a slew of other domain-industry heavyweights competed for .BLOG, but the ultimate winner was Automattic, the company that owns WordPress.com. Without a doubt, it’s a natural fit for WordPress.com. WordPress gained recognition as a blogging platform so its acquisition of .BLOG is a great way to supplement customers online.
So how can I use .BLOG for my website?
1. It matches your brand and website
If you want to give your company blog some pizzazz, .BLOG makes sense. As an extension, .BLOG can be compelling. First of all, most companies have their blogs on a subdomain (blog.yourcompany.com) or in a folder on their site (yourcompany.com/blog). By placing more emphasis on the extension, it provides the ability to create a shorter, more memorable domain name.
For businesses, this simplifies the process of sending visitors and fans to the right place. Instead of trying to find where your blog is located, customers can just type in the brand name and the word blog to find it. Here’s an example – instead of https://blog.webnames.ca, we could use https://webnames.blog as the new URL for our blog. It’s much shorter and it leads users directly to our blog.
Try it out; type “webnames.blog” on your browser and you’ll arrive on our blog.
2. Own your content by branding it
Whether you’re the next Steve Jobs or a Warren Buffet in the making, branding is an important element to keep in mind. While your blog might look amazing, your address can be pretty long when you’re using a free platform like Medium, Tumblr, BlogSpot or a free WordPress account.
With a .BLOG domain, you can make your URL much shorter and easier to remember. It’s a win-win situation where you get an intuitive name that leads audiences to your ideas.
3. Make a lasting impression
When people see your website’s URL, the .BLOG extension immediately catches their eyes. It’s unique and it’s relevant across a wide range of industries and interests. It also lets people immediately know what to expect on your site.
4. Get the name that you REALLY want
Moving to a new extension might be a scary idea, especially if you’ve had a website for a long time. But does your extension convey who you are to your customers?
It’s no secret that the internet is a pretty crowded place so using a .BLOG domain to give your website an advantage makes sense. Plus, there are millions of .BLOG domains available, including the name you really want.
5. Should I keep my old domain name?
Keep it. We always advise businesses to protect their domain names across a range of extensions to prevent other people from snatching them up. You don’t want anyone else out there using your old domain in nefarious ways and giving you a bad rep. Once you’ve made the move to a .BLOG domain, remember to apply a 301 redirect from your old domain to the new one to ensure that you don’t lose your ranking online.
When does .BLOG become available?
.BLOG launches on November 21 on a first-come, first-served basis. BUT you can pre-order now to reserve the domain name that you want today.