A custom domain is a branded label connected to a website’s IP address. It is unique for every website, more like a fingerprint. Type the custom domain name into the URL bar of your browser, and it will open up. For instance, the custom domain for Website Pandas is websitepandas.com.
A domain name registration is done for proprietary reasons, especially if you are running an ecommerce or any other business. It gives you complete ownership over your website and its IP address and ensures no one can claim it. It simplifies how visitors remember your website and find you.
However, purchasing and registering a custom domain name has additional advantages. Through personalization, from your logo to a domain, you will establish credibility, fortify your brand identity, and ensure your online presence is set apart from your competitors.
Make sure your custom domain name is easy to remember, spell and pronounce. It should preferably be short but unique. It should help visitors identify and recognize your Shopify store and tell them what it is all about. For instance, Google is a popular search engine. But did you know that it was almost named BackRub or Alphabet? The word Google comes from the word googol. It is a mammoth number that mirrors millions of web pages that are indexed by the search engine.
A custom domain name strengthens your brand and helps establish a search authority for your online business. As a thumb rule, the older the domain is, the higher the domain authority because of the active years, accumulated quality content, and good internal and backlinks.
That’s the reason why one must use a custom domain name from the start. If you use free website builders like WordPress, Weebly, Webnode, to name a few, you get a subdomain. It means your website URL might look like example.wordpress.com. If you upgrade to a paid plan, you get a custom domain, and your domain authority will reset to zero.
If budget allows, choose a website building platform that lets you connect to a custom domain.