Searchie: Domains, Websites, and Searchie -Do You Need all 3?

Jan 9

I get asked about custom domains in Searchie all the time. People wonder if they should bother getting a custom domain, whether they can transfer one they already have, and how many they should create.

My annoying answer: It all depends.

I hope this post will help you make the right decision for yourself.

How Do I Get a Custom Domain Name in Searchie?

First let’s talk about the nuts and bolts. Any time you create a Hub in Searchie, that Hub has a unique URL. And for many people, they’re happy to work with that. However, for those who are using that URL as the domain for their business or are constantly referring people to it may find that it looks too much like gobbledegook for their business card or for sharing:

“Just go to searchie.io.flw.rfo.125.fje24.5hho, and you’re there!” [You get the idea!]

Entrepreneurs who want to transfer a domain name that they’ve used elsewhere or that they buy using Google Domains (my preference), GoDaddy, or the like to use for their Searchie Hub do so by using a free domain management tool called Cloudflare.

This tutorial from Searchie takes you step by step through the process of taking a custom domain, putting it under Cloudflare management, and applying it to your Searchie Hub.

Which Should I Do and Why?

If your Hub is literally the front door for your entire business on the internet, you ought to obtain a custom domain name that’s unique, easy to communicate, and can be used in other areas of your online presence. Consider it part of laying your branding foundation.

Cloudflare is extremely legitimate and provides a lot of security. If you feel intimidated by the process of transferring your domain to Cloudflare, it’s easy enough to hire someone to do it on your behalf.

But let’s say that your main website is hosted on another platform (like Squarespace or Wordpress) and your Searchie Hub hosts an online course that can be purchased from your main website. In that case, using the URL that Searchie assigns to your Hub will work just fine.

In fact, your customers won’t even see it until they are already in the Hub. You can have them click a button on your website to take them to the Hub. If they need to return to the Hub again and again, they can either enter through your main website or they can bookmark the Hub.

Some people worry that the URL from Searchie looks spammy and not as legit as a custom domain. My opinion is that if it’s not your “front door” website and you’re sharing access to it using a designed button, nobody will be troubled.

Do What’s Best for Your Unique Business

You and your business are unique. I can’t tell you whether using Searchie’s URL for your Hub or getting a custom domain is better. But I hope this has given you some guidance to help you make that decision for yourself.

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