You’ve probably heard that “the best things in life are free,” but does that extend to website domains? Specifically, can you get by with just using a free domain from a website building platform like Wix, WordPress or GoDaddy?
Sure, on the surface, free domains can be pretty gosh darn enticing and seem like an easy, budget-conscious way to get your business online. But—like anything—they do come with some big caveats that a paid .CA domain doesn’t.
We’ll dive into the key differences now and help you find the direction that best supports your digital dreams!
Free domains vs .CA domains—a head-to-head comparison
1. Commitment level
Free: you’ve heard the old saying, “try before you buy,” right? Because you’re not paying anything upfront, a free domain gives you the chance to establish a basic online presence, upload your content, experiment and learn.
Plus—free domains are totally fine for personal projects. If all you want (or need) is a place to park personal projects, like your anthologies of angsty poetry or music demos—then a free domain may be more than fine for your needs.
.CA: you can register your .CA domain from one to 10 years at a time. So—unless you want to—there’s no pressure to make massive commitments upfront. And while a .CA isn’t completely free (we’ll get to that in a bit), it’s super affordable.
Plus, if you decide to build up your web presence into something public-facing, like a portfolio or e-commerce site, you’re already set with a custom domain!
2. Price and affordability
Free: sure—the single biggest upfront advantage is that free domains are…free! So, you’re not shelling out any cash upfront to register a custom domain name.
.CA: yes—there is a cost involved in registering a .CA, but they’re among the most affordable domains. As in – $10 – $20 CAD a year affordable. So, for the price of a Tragically Hip greatest hits compilation, you purchase a custom .CA that speaks directly to you and your business.
Plus—you can always shop around for the best deal! Registrars are always having sales with discounted registration fees and other goodies, like free web hosting and web building tools, bundled in!
3. Features and customization
Free: when you’re using a free domain on a web builder, you won’t have nearly the same level of freedom to tweak and set up your site as you like. For instance, there may only be a handful of templates to choose from. Or—you may be limited to a certain number of pages and storage space for your website files and content.
If you’re planning to sell products and services online, a free domain won’t offer key features like e-commerce functionality or even the ability to create a custom, branded email.
Another disadvantage: free web builder domains tend to be hosted on crowded, shared servers where speed is NOT of the essence. This means slow page loading speeds, which can frustrate and drive away customers before they experience your site.
.CA: with your .CA, the web world is your oyster! For one thing, you’re not tied to any one web building platform as you would with a free domain from .
When you grab your .CA from any of our approved registrars, you can shop around and bundle together all the essential services you might need, like web hosting and custom .CA emails. From there, you can pick the web building platform that best fits your needs and design the website of your digital dreams.
4. Credibility
Credibility and trustworthiness is key, and your domain name is one of the first things a potential customer will see of your brand.
Free: if you’re using a free domain from a web builder, your URL might look something like this: yourneatwebsite.webbuilderplatform.com.
So, ask yourself: would you be comfortable giving out your payment info to a site with a free domain? Or would you decide it’s not worth the risk and go somewhere else?
Not only does a free web builder domain look unprofessional, but it also doesn’t score you much credibility with an increasingly skeptical audience that’s all too aware of cyber scams.
.CA: having a .CA domain immediately identifies you and your website as Canadian, as you must meet Canadian Presence Requirements to register one. It also signals to your customers that you charge in Canadian dollars, ship to Canada and that you pay and collect Canadian taxes.
.CA is also an established top-level domain, widely recognized the world over for being safe, secure and trusted.
5. SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key ingredient in your ability to rank higher in search result pages and generate traffic to your site. Without that glorious SEO mojo, you may be hearing the sad sounds of silence.
Free: a free domain from a web builder won’t allow you to fully customize your domain name and include keywords, which can help boost SEO.
.CA: when Canadian businesses use .CA, they can see an increase in search traffic. The reason? For searches in Canada about Canadian topics, a search engine like Google will tend to prioritize local results with a .CA domain. And with more search traffic comes more leads and transactions!
Want our advice?
Of course you do…that’s why you’re here, right?
If you’re looking to poke around, experiment and set up a first, basic website—then, by all means, try out a free web builder domain.
But—if you’re any bit serious about establishing yourself online, a free web builder domain isn’t going to cut it.
One of the single best decisions you can make at this point is to own your .CA. It’s how you can establish your own unique brand, build trust and credibility and set yourself up for success.
A .CA domain declares your business is proudly Canadian
Kira is the Content and Channel Marketing Lead at CIRA. She focuses on content, digital marketing and channel strategies to help Canadian business owners make the right domain choice for their business website so they can find success online.
