Writing

4 Reasons Why I Finally Purchased a Domain

I thought about it for weeks, and here are my reasons for buying a domain. Also, relax, I am not leaving Medium anytime soon!

When I first joined Medium, I faced the dilemma of buying a domain or blogging on Medium. I believe it is a choice that most writers grapple with because the costs of either one do not differ by much. Medium costs $50 a year while a shared hosting domain costs $130, spread over three years.

I chose to begin with Medium and I do not regret my decision. The community here has been nothing but amazing. The writers here are supportive and forthcoming with their advice, something that self-hosted domains lack at least in the beginning.

Still, I eventually decided to purchase a domain while continuing to write on Medium. Many factors went into this decision and I am going to lay it out here to make sense of my thoughts. If you are still deliberating whether to buy a domain, perhaps this article will also be of some help to you. Also, stop sitting on the fence because as my Political Science lecturer says, “sitting on the fence hurts.”

#1 A learning experience

Writing on a self-hosted blog is a challenge for someone new to the game because you truly are on your own. There is no Medium algorithm promoting your story and no Medium curators to distribute your pieces. There are no automated newsletters either. It is pretty much do-it-yourself and that level of independence is attractive to me.

In setting up my site, I had to acquaint myself with search engine optimization (SEO), a concept I knew nothing about until a month ago. I learned how SEO comprises many aspects and that knowing the keywords to use is merely the tip of the iceberg. There are other factors such as user experience, page speed, and backlinks that Google accords increasing priority.

Although Medium allows you to edit your snippet, the title and meta description that appears on Google search engines, I did not realize how reliant I was on Medium to do everything else for me.

Fortunately, knowing the keywords to use is not a huge factor when writing on Medium. Instead, appearing in publications and getting your articles curated matter more. Let’s face it, if someone finds your article on Google, what are the chances that he/she is a Medium member who will not encounter a daunting paywall?

#2 A space to call my own

To me, having a domain to park my writing is the online equivalent of moving out of my parents’ house. I know it sounds silly, but please hear me out. I love Medium’s minimalist design with an abundance of negative spaces. However, I also wish I had a choice over the fonts I use, how my posts are sorted on my profile page, and so much more. On my site, I make the rules and I get to decide on the design of my landing page. I have complete control over how I organize and display my work.

#3 Honestly, I needed something to show for this summer

Before the Coronavirus came along and bulldozed everything in its path, my summer was going to be an eventful one:

• I was planning for an international summit that brings together students from all over Asia to ideate solutions to improve the world;
• I was part of a team preparing to welcome incoming freshmen; and
• I was going to apply for an internship.

I had to rethink what I wanted to take away from my summer and I decided to follow my passion. I love to write, but all the writing I have ever done was for school submissions. Before Medium, I have never written leisurely.

As I was talking to friends and searching for ways to make stay-home summer a fruitful one, I discovered the concept of digital marketing. Digital marketing intrigues me because I had no idea that so much happens behind the scenes for brands looking to do social media the ‘right’ way. I never knew there was more to it than making duck lips, slapping a filter on, and filling in some hashtags in the caption on Instagram.

I enrolled in online courses and I researched extensively on the subject. To put these skills into practice, I needed content. I am uncomfortable with producing videos, I do not intend to venture into e-commerce anytime soon, and I sound less humanlike than Siri on podcasts. So, I settled with what I love doing, writing! Writing on Medium and now my site as well are opportunities to demonstrate my understanding of digital marketing. These days, learning never seems to be enough. You must have a project to show for it as well. I consider myself lucky that both writing and digital marketing interest me.

#4 Freelance opportunities?

Of course, paying for my Medium subscription, buying a domain, and taking online courses cost money. Coupled with the fact that I am a broke undergrad leeching off my parents, I am drawn to the prospect of turning my passion for writing into a side hustle. It would be nice to fall back on a few writing gigs when the going gets tough in the future.

Once again, I delved into researching what it took to be a freelance writer. Elna Cain has some of the most instructive articles I have ever read. Her articles also end with question prompts that nudge you towards the next step to take.

I also asked for some recommendations on one of Philip Sundt’s articles and to my surprise, he curated a list of resources in a story as a reply! I am still working my way through the books and the online courses Philip recommended. They are so enjoyable that I do not want to rush through them! Roxane Gay’s creative writing lesson on Skillshare is amazing, and I highly recommend it to everyone. I may even re-watch it one of these days! I am also beyond thrilled that Philip and I have been communicating through the comments section on our articles. I have learned so much more from him through these interactions.

Final thoughts

Although I now own a domain, I do not intend to quit Medium anytime soon. Medium has enabled me to express my opinions on a wide variety of topics without having to worry about catering to a niche audience. It is a sheltered environment for me to experiment with different styles of writing.

Over on my site, I will be blogging about life as an undergrad. Everything else will still be parked under Medium. In other words, I do not foresee myself cross-posting.

If you are still considering your options, some hosting plans have a thirty-day money-back guarantee and I find having that safety net reassures me as I build my site. Currently, I am still within the stipulated time frame to close my site and retreat to Medium. However, I am enjoying every bit of the learning process, and closing my site is not on the cards right now.

I cannot wait to keep writing and to continuously acquire new skills to grow my online presence. If you have any advice for me or if you have any questions that you think I would be able to answer — given my limited experience — please leave a comment and we can all learn from one another!

Ming Qian is a freelance writer and an undergrad blogger who is currently pursuing a degree in Economics. Subscribe to his monthly newsletter to never miss any story that he publishes here and on his blog!