Want to have your own digital platform to post your work, show off your resume or just express your creativity? Purchasing your own domain name (aka web address) is the perfect way to get your name out there and give people the opportunity to see what you’re all about in addition to all of your social media accounts. It’s a must for collegiettes in creative fields—what better place to post your photography and writing than online, where everyone can see it? Buying a domain name means that you have purchased your very own website name, which makes it so much easier for people to find you online than if you simply had a page on a blogging platform. Check out these stories from collegiettes who made the choice to buy their own webpage name.
What is a domain name?
“A domain name functions like an address online,” says Elliot Silver, founder and president of Top Notch Domains, LLC. “It’s an easy way to direct a web browser to a particular website.”
A personalized domain name gives collegiettes the opportunity to become more easily searchable on the web. It’s also so much simpler to give out a web address that’s just your name and doesn’t include a blog name in front of it, like www.wordpress.com. Many students have their own pages for free on larger blogging platforms (e.g. janedoe.wordpress.com). Buying your own domain name means that your name is the prominent feature of the web address (e.g. janedoe.com).
Where do you get a domain name?
“A person can either register a domain name at a registrar like GoDaddy, Name.com or 101domain,” Silver says. “If the domain name is already owned by someone else, [you] can purchase it directly from the owner or via a domain name marketplace that has domain names for sale, such as Afternic, Sedo or Aftermarket.com.”
If you already have a blog, the host site could allow you to register a domain name for your blog as well.
“I bought my blog’s domain name, thenenja.com, through WordPress,” says Nena, a senior studying journalism at San Francisco State University. “I bought it since it was cheap to get for a year and I wanted to officially own/brand my blog.”
For so many students, a domain name is a cheap and convenient way to put their blog and their work out into the world.
What do you get from a domain name?
A domain name and your website is the perfect way to introduce yourself on the web.
“[A domain name] makes it easy for the domain name owner to let people know where they can be found online,” says Silver. “Instead of having to give out a long Facebook or LinkedIn URL for example, the person can send visitors to her own website. In addition, the person can customize the message that is seen by visitors. There are millions of website options, and a domain name is a great foundation for a website.”
Look no further than some happy collegiettes for reasons to purchase a domain name!
“I think it’s a really great investment, especially as a senior, to showcase not only your skills in the industry you want to work in, and to show employers that you’re pretty tech-savvy,” says Christina, a Barnard College sophomore whose personal site hosts her resume and writing portfolio.
Sarah, a sophomore at Gonzaga University studying communications, thinks purchasing her own domain name made her website, saysomethingsarcastic.com, more legitimate.
“I think it made my blog more official and people started to take it more seriously,” says Sarah. “At first it was just a fun way to pass the time and write funny things about my favorite TV shows and celebrities, but after I purchased the domain rights it felt way more official, and my blog traffic increased drastically. A lot more people read it now, because when you give them the name to an actual website as opposed to a link to a blog site, I’ve found that they’re way more likely to read it. I definitely think it was worth it in the long run!”
Clara, a senior at Brown University studying linguistics, made the decision to move from having her blog hosted by another site to buying the rights to use thatgirlmag.com. “It definitely gave my blog more legitimacy, and made the URL easier to tell people (always important),” says Clara.
Always be sure that what you’re putting online is what you want your family, friends and employers to see. “I think it’s very important to have unique content on the website, such as photos, articles written by the website’s owner, published papers and other unique content,” says Silver. “Having a first/lastname.com domain name can help that person rank well in Google and tells visitors that this is a personal website. Instead of hoping a Facebook or LinkedIn profile stands out in the search results, the website owner can choose what she would like to display and how it is presented.”
The key to making yourself more visible online and more marketable to employers is powering up your blog with its own domain name. Who knows? Maybe your personal website will make the difference between you getting passed over or getting your dream job!