When is it time to move to your own address?
A free website is first of all for trying things out: testing a template, laying out your texts, showing the result to a few trusted people and gathering their comments. As long as the website changes every week, the preview link does the job perfectly well. There is no rush to publish a website that is still changing.
Yet there comes a moment when the website is no longer a draft, but your shop window. If you are still unsure what shape your online presence should take, a single page or a fuller website, read free website or full website: which to choose first. If your choice is made, a few signs do not lie.
Signs it is time to publish
- The website is approved: your texts are final, people close to you or your first clients have reviewed it, and you only make small touches now.
- You want to print your address: it needs to appear on your business cards, flyers, quotes or shop window, and a preview link is not suited to that.
- You want people to remember the address: your clients should be able to dictate it, note it down or recall it from memory, without digging through an old message.
- The 30-day rule weighs on you: you open the editor mainly so as not to lose your website, since it is deleted after 30 days without being opened and no backup is kept.
- The link is circulating more and more: the more it is shared, the longer it will take to replace it everywhere on the day you change address.
Why an address in your own name matters
A preview link does its job: showing your website. But it was not designed to last or to be remembered. Your own domain name brings four things that a preview link cannot offer.
It is memorable. A short address that echoes the name of your business can be said over the phone, jotted on the corner of a table and typed again without error. Your clients no longer need to find the message in which you sent them the link.
It is yours. A domain name you hold remains your address, even if your website evolves, changes template or one day grows fuller.
It is consistent with your brand. The same name on your sign, your cards, your social media and your website: everyone immediately recognises who they are dealing with.
It builds trust. On a business card, an invoice or a quote, an address in your own name looks more serious than a technical link. It is often the first detail a client notices, even before opening the website.
Choosing your domain name
The domain name is the most lasting part of your online presence: the website may change content or template, but the address will stay. So take the time to choose it. A few simple principles avoid most regrets.
Keep it short. A brief name is easier to remember, quicker to type on a phone and fits on a business card. Think about how it sounds: read it aloud to someone and ask them to write it down; if they hesitate over the spelling, others will too. Avoid hyphens and ambiguous digits: should it be “3” or “three”? with or without a hyphen? Every doubt is a chance to lose a visitor. Check that the name is not someone else's brand: a name already used or registered by another company can cause you trouble, even if the domain is available.
Then comes the extension, the ending after the dot. It mostly depends on your audience: close to home, international, or both. Our article .ma or .com: which one to choose details the criteria. And if inspiration runs dry, the article finding a domain name with smart suggestions helps you explore ideas before you decide.
What to order
To publish your website under your own address, you need two separate things, both of which can be ordered from ServOrbit.
The domain name, first: this is the address itself, the one your clients will type. What its order includes is detailed on the domain names page. The web hosting, next: this is the space where your website will be installed so it can be served to your visitors. The content of each plan is presented on the web hosting page; choose the one that fits your project today, keeping in mind what it could become.
As a benchmark, a .com is billed from 141 DH/year and web hosting starts at 199 DH/year (indicative prices, excluding promotions and renewal terms). Up-to-date prices are shown on those two pages.
Before publishing: your checklist
- Every template text has been replaced: headings, paragraphs, buttons, footer. Reread each section, even the ones you think you never touched.
- The images are yours: photos of your business, your products or your team, or images you have the right to use. No sample image should remain.
- Your contact details are checked: phone number, email address, physical address, opening hours. Test them: a typo in a number costs you clients without you ever knowing.
- The website has been reviewed on phone and computer: the layout, readability and order of sections must hold up on both screens.
- A copy of your texts and images is kept aside: no backup is kept, and the free version will be deleted after publishing. Gather your content in a document and a folder before you start.
Publishing your website on your domain
Order the domain and the hosting
Order your domain name and a web hosting plan, then wait until the hosting is active before moving on.
Open the « My websites » section
Log in to your client area and open the « My websites » section, where your websites are listed.
Click « Publish on my domain »
Next to the website you want to put online, click « Publish on my domain ».
Copy the sharing code
Open your free website in the online editor and copy its sharing code. This is what lets you take the website over exactly as you built it.
Paste it into your site's editor
Open the editor of your domain's site and paste the sharing code into it: your website is copied there.
Publish
Launch the publication. Your website is then live under your address, and the free version is deleted.
After publishing: spreading the word about your new address
Once publishing is done, the free version is deleted. The preview link you had shared therefore no longer leads to your website: anyone who opens it again will not find it. Now is the time to circulate your new address, everywhere the old link went.
List the places where you had shared it: business cards and flyers, email signatures, your social media profiles, your listing on an online map service, QR codes printed on a shop window or a menu, messages sent to your clients. Replace each occurrence with your new address; for printed materials, withdraw right away those pointing to the preview link and plan the new version for the next print run.
Let your contacts know too: a short message to your regular clients, your suppliers and the people around you is enough. Announcing an address in your own name is also a good opportunity to get back in touch. Finally, test the new address yourself on your phone and on a computer, typing it by hand as a client would.
Before / After publishing
Scroll the table
| Aspect | Free website | Website on your domain |
|---|---|---|
| Address | A preview link | Your domain name |
| What you need | A ServOrbit account with a confirmed email | A domain name and web hosting |
| Retention | Deleted after 30 days without opening the editor | No longer depends on the free version, which is deleted |
| On a business card | A link that is awkward to print and remember | A short address, in your own name |
| Use | Try, show, get approval | A lasting presence, in your own name |
Prepare the switch before you order
Even before ordering, note down every place where your preview link has been shared. On publishing day, you will only have to work through the list. And if you are having new cards printed, wait until the website is live on your domain, then test the address before sending them to print.
Still preparing your website? To go over the basics, our step-by-step guide to creating a free website walks through each stage from choosing the template. If you are an artisan, consultant or coach, see how to build your free pro website; if you run a restaurant or a café, the article free website for a restaurant or café gives you content ideas. And to get started, head to Build my website.
