AboutSebastien Prince Expertise I am a SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist.
If you are in a situation where either you already spent money or are considering spending money on building a web site, my job is to make sure this site doesn't get lost on the world wide web but actually can be found easily and quickly by potential clients.
I can answer questions about how to get your website to be found in competitive situations.
Experience I have been working in internet marketing since 1991, on projects going from a small accounting firm to a national auto parts distributor, soda company and batteries manufacturer.
Education/Credentials I have a bachelor's degree in business administration / marketing from Universite du Quebec a Montreal as well as a minor in philosophy.
I'm considering starting a free blog on Wordpress.Com.
In order to build a reputation as an "online authority," is it necessary to have a
custom domain? A privately-registered domain through Wordpress.Com
costs about $25. And, unfortunately, Wordpress does not allow users to
monetize/add advertisements (like Google AdSense) onto their blogs.
Is a custom domain worth it?
Thanks,
Arthur
Answer Hello Arthur,
The answer to your question is fairly simple: are-you blogging in order to get to express yourself or do you intend to monetize your blog eventually?
Based on your question, I would expect the latter in which case, you should most definitely purchase a domain and get independent hosting as, if your blog does turn out to become an industry reference as you want it to, you can sell it, sell publicity on it or do whatever you want with it since you will own it, which is not the case if you build a free one.
I hope this helps and don't hesitate to send me your address when you start: I'm curious to see what you intend to write about.