Five reasons why your online store needs a custom domain

 

When you open an online store with PrestaShop, we give you a free domain name of the type: [Store Name] .PSwebstore.com. Although it works perfectly for visitors to get to your store, you may have thought of having your own domain. Did not you just decide? Discover the five reasons why your online store needs a custom domain.

Professional image

They say what counts is the first impression. To get to your website, the customer must enter an address. Maybe [Shop Name] .PSwebstore.com is very descriptive … but it does not look professional. Put yourself in the customer’s place. How much money would you spend in a store hosted in the PSwebstore domain?

A custom domain name gives credibility to your online store. You can change the address [Store Name] .PSwebstore.com by www. [Shop Name] .com. It is not easy to get a good name that inspires confidence, do not miss this opportunity!

Professional mail

The next key reason you need to have a custom domain is to have a working email address. In addition to giving a professional image, you demonstrate to your potential partners that you have invested a lot of time and effort in your store. Now, put yourself in the shoes of a potential partner. Would you prefer to receive an email from mar@nombretienda.com or MarTienda@gmail.com ?

Are not you clear? Would you like to work with a person who writes to you from contacto@nombretienda.com or from PrestaShopcontacto@aol.com ? It may seem like a gimmick, but having a professional lead can be crucial to getting partners … and to be taken for a serious entrepreneur.

Search Engine Optimization

Surely you’ve heard about the importance of SEO for your online store. But what you may not know is that a custom domain name improves SEO. Why? For starters, none of your customers will search for “PSwebstore”. A well-selected domain will help you to position your keywords.

On the other hand, the goal of SEO is none other than to guide your customers to come to your store. A custom domain helps you advertise your store and your brand … and differentiate yourself from the competition so that buyers find you before you! Choose a relevant domain name with good keywords: it will appear on all product pages.

Protection for your brand

It is almost impossible (or at least expensive) to buy a domain that already has owner. You can follow these steps to try to get the domain you want … but there are no guarantees of success. So, remember: before you start promoting a brand, make sure that domain name is free!

Look at the case of my favorite sunglasses brand, Sun Bum. On one occasion I looked for SunBum.com and I came across a parked domain. I thought they just did not have an online store, but then I discovered that they were on the Internet … with the address http://trustthebum.com/ . Instead of using the brand name as a URL, they had used their slogan. Do you think all your customers will be able to figure it out? If you are creating a brand, use your name. You will benefit from the traffic you generate and you can impose your brand message.

Relatively inexpensive

“Okay, they all seem like good reasons, but how much does it cost?” Good question. If you already have a PrestaShop store, you can buy a domain for $ 16.66 (plus tax) a year. Does it seem too much to you? Think what you would spend in three or four drinks! And remember that if you leave and then you want a domain that already has owner, you will get much more expensive. In 2013, the average cost of an already reserved domain was $ 5,000.

If you have a tight budget, buy only the domain name (without hosting). When you have more benefits, add the accommodation and start creating your online presence. (Or open your shop with PrestaShop Cloud already hosted!)