Hi Guys! So we have been talking a LOT about fashion on this site recently, so I wanted to take this time and kind of talk about what really started this project, which is the domain and website side of things. What does it mean to own a domain name?  Why would you spend the money? Why take the time to build your own site when websites like Etsy or Shopify do it for you in minutes. Well it is kind of simple. It all boils down to the truth of ownership. With a domain name, you have claimed a space of the internet to do whatever you want, inside the governing laws of course. You don’t have to comply to a certain format, or picture size, or word count. You also get to control the advertisement factor of your site. On third party sites, you can have your page and do hours and hours of work to gather traffic for your page, but then when people go, they are immediately shown an ad for a competing business. 

In addition to the control aspect of website ownership, it adds to the marketability of your site. People are sometimes put off by companies on Etsy or third-party sites because the reputation of the company and the other users on the said site also reflects on your. For example, if one user had ordered from an Ebay shop in the past and the product they received was not up to par, or the product was not received in time. Then in the future they see your store and are interested in the products, but they see it primarily operates through Ebay. They may be put off from ordering again in fear of being ripped off, even though you are a completely reputable company. 

Also in terms of marketability, having your own site, from your own name, makes it easier to advertise. Instead of relying on google analytics to send people to your site, or having to give out a long, lengthy Etsy shop or social media, you can simply give a name that everyone with internet has access to. As this upcoming generation begins to focus on mental health, they are creating the trend of deleting social media, or spending less time on it. Add in older generations who do not use social media, and that blocks off a big chunk of people who you can rely on to be able to click on a link in a social media bio. If you have a domain name, you can simply give that out instead. 

It can also make it easier to talk about in person or over shows and podcasts. For instance, my last name is Howe, pronounced like “How ya doin.” However, pun intended, whenever I am talking to people and I want to give them my social media, email, or anything involving my last name, I have to specify that it is Howe with an “e,” and that there is no “L” at the end, due to my slight southern accent. Because I have my own site, I am able to tell people to go to Julie.CFD directly, and I have set that up to forward to my social media. Or, depending on their type of interest, I can send them directly to my site, celebrate.CFD or Fashionstartup.CFD. This makes everything easier to remember. 

Because .CFD is so up-and-coming, the names are very inexpensive, starting at 69 cents. This makes it worth it to have even if you just want to use it to forward people to your Etsy shop, social media, or other sites. Setting up to forward is way easier than one would imagine, coming from a previously technologically challenged person myself. 

The moral of the story is, there are over a billion reasons to own a domain name and build a site, it is all up to you. Make the internet your oyster and see how easy it could be to have your own site. 

Thanks,

Julie