Excellent question!..
The short answer IS ~ CREDIBILITY, SEO & BRANDING...
The long answer ~ FIRST IMPRESSION & PERCEIVED CREDIBILITY;
When I see someone using a FREE eMail and domain/website/hosting service it tells me they don't have enough confidence in the longevity of their program to themselves invest for the long term in their project. So why should I even take the time to evaluate and consider their venture! Yes I'm a critical, skeptical thinker. Not negative,.. but I size people up quickly based on my 50 years business experience! In this business you've got a very short period of time to capture & maintain the attention of a “mover & shaker”!.. So show them you're serious about this business. Make sense?..
WHY IS A DOMAIN important to BRANDING and SEO (search engine optimization);
Branding is a short term for “instant customer recognition of person/company/product/theme”. Example; when you sneeze you instantly go for a what?.. A Kleenex right?.. At least my generation does. You can't begin to start branding yourself on-line without YOUR OWN DOMAIN.
Just remember these on-line statistical FACTS. It takes the average person 12 to 15 observations of your activities, what you say, and how you display yourself online, before they will begin to do business with with you. At this point they're decision to do business is based on variable information accuracy & consistency,.. not trust. Trust is earned over time. Once trust is gained everything happens much quicker!
Another reason for a domain is YOU want to attract as much FREE TRAFFIC as you can. Without using your own Domain Name, you won't have your own website or squeeze page, and you'll never have the opportunity to show up on the first page of Google searches! Like when someone is seeking an opportunity and they type in “work at home”. And your website shows up. Google search result account for the absolute majority of searches. Without a domain name you can't begin to show up on Google searches. Or any other search engines!
I hope this gives you some insight based on my experience.
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Excellent question!..
The short answer IS ~ CREDIBILITY, SEO & BRANDING...
The long answer ~ FIRST IMPRESSION & PERCEIVED CREDIBILITY;
When I see someone using a FREE eMail and domain/website/hosting service it tells me they don't have enough confidence in the longevity of their program to themselves invest for the long term in their project. So why should I even take the time to evaluate and consider their venture! Yes I'm a critical, skeptical thinker.
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