So many people who try to make money from their blogs are running a Blogspot or other free platform blog. I’m not saying that it’s impossible to make a good income from a free hosted blog, but I am saying that it will be a heck of a lot easier to earn money with your website if you have your own domain and hosting. Not only that, but there seems to be a “glass roof” of earnings you can achieve with a blog with a free subdomain. With your own domain, the possibilities are endless.

Have Control of your Content
If you have your own domain and host your own blog, you have much more control over how your blog looks and runs. The look and feel of your site is very important. If people don’t like the look and feel of your site, or if it’s not unique enough, they may not come back. Some free blog hosts have a limited number of skins to choose from. Even if there are 100 choices, chances are that thousands of other people are using that skin.
Plugins are another important aspect. Especially with WordPress, (the blog software that I recommend), you can install plugins that improve how your site works. Giving these additional features to your readers can give you a definite edge over those who are stuck on a free web host.

Be More Memorable
What’s more memorable to you? zeroandup.com, or blogs.free-bloghost.com/zeroandup/?
Most of the big name bloggers out there will tell you that the majority of their traffic is direct. (i.e. people typing the site into their address bar) When people don’t have a link to your site in front of them, your hope is that they can remember your URL and type it in. If you have a long and complicated URL, they are not as likely to type it in to come visit your website.

Establish Authority
A site with it’s own domain is easier to trust. It shows that the person running the website was willing to put down a monetary investment to start up the website. A logical conclusion for many people (whether or not it’s true) is that a free hosted site could be any uninformed person writing lies and presenting them as facts. Many people conclude that if someone has their own domain, they must be a professional in the field. Although that isn’t necessarily true, having a domain can make visitors more trusting of you.

Getting a free hosted blog may seem like a good way to save $50 now and begin making money really quick. The truth, however, is that if you put in the investment now to get a domain and hosting, your earnings will likely surpass what they would have been on a free web host. Which would you rather have: a site earning $50 per month now… or would you rather wait a few months and have a site that could earn over $1000 a month?