Free Blog Hosting: Is it really FREE?
Almost every company on the planet has heard about the wonders blogging can do for your business. So it’s not surprising that when these companies call us about our business blog services, they often already have a blog. Most of the time that blog is sitting on a free blog hosting service like Blogger.com , or one of a million other blog freehosts.
Ease of setup and use is probably the main reason many companies opt for free blog hosting, that would be my guess. That, and lack of knowledge. Most companies just don’t know that they can and should have their corporate blog hosted privately.
Because there is a cost for free when it comes to business blogs.
What is more alarming, is that cost might be directly impacting your bottom line.
Let me explain. There are real issues for web users when it comes to trusting a website and doing business with that company. Internet users have become more educated, and they often know that your weblog is sitting on the free service. They can see it in the URL they are visiting. So it sends up a red flag to your would be customer. It screams cheap, and will send a certain percentage of your potential clientele running for the hills. Because they are looking for a pro. Period.
No matter what industry you are in, your users want to see every level of professionalism possible. They want to find reasons for trusting you and your company. The reverse is also true. These same visitors are looking for those red flags and reasons NOT to trust you as well. Sitting on a freehost can send them a signal that they are dealing with a very small company, or even hint that they might be looking at a scam. Even for a very professional service.
Beyond that, you are also building a blog that, other than some traffic and branding for you and your company, really has no value in and of itself. What do you own?
Understand, when you are building a business blog you are building a large web resource over time. That resource should be on a location that your company owns, because it is an asset. If it is sitting on a freehost it does not have the same value that it would have if it were sitting on it’s own domain and is part of your company’s holdings. It’s property folks. But only if you build it somewhere privately.
If it’s sitting on a freehost, all you are doing is building authority for the freehost domain. Wouldn’t it be a million times better if you were shaping your own domain into that trusted authority?
Plus, it builds a much higher trust level with your readers and internet customers. It says you and your company are professionals and that you have taken the time to invest properly in your business. Doing business online is all about trust. So paying twenty bucks a month to provide one more little trust nugget to your users is a very small investment.
Which is what it all comes down to. Investment that is. I realize that some companies are running on a shoestring budget. So if you absolutely must use a freehost to start your business, then do it. Doing something is better than doing nothing. My advice to you is to consider moving that site to paid hosting as soon as possible though. Because the increase in sales it could make might do much more than just offset your website hosting costs.
My grandfather always said that nothing is free, and he’s right. There is always a premium when it comes to free services. So always ask yourself what you are giving up by using that free service, and then ask yourself if you would be better off investing a few dollars to do the same thing they are doing, privately.
You’ll find that they are reaping benefits you should be reaping, most of the time.
So invest in your business. Your returns will be larger in the long run.