When you’re new to blogging, a free blogging web site is a good way to get started. Popular blogging web sites like Blogger and Eponym allow users to set up and host a blog for no cost at all. The fact that one of these sites can provide you with all of the tools that you need to get your blog up and running for free, encourages people to start a blog. As it’s free, you don’t have anything to lose. Many people that have never had any other kind of web presence before find themselves drawn to blogging, partly because it is so easy to find a way to blog for free.
Compared to starting your own blog from scratch, signing up with a free blogging web site will get you listed in search engines much easier. For example, Google, that runs the free blog hosting site Blogspot, crawls its pages very often to look for updates. As a result, if you have a Blogspot blog, you are almost guaranteed to be listed on Google's blog search engine. This way you can spend less time on promoting your blog, and you can gain a following with a minimum of marketing effort.
If your blog attracts many readers, you may want to think about moving your site. Many people think that a blog that is hosted by a free blogging web site has a kind of amateur flavor, not appropriate for a high-profile blog. Your own domain name can help you make your blog feel professional, and finding a webhost is not difficult or expensive. Once your blog starts to attract a large readership, you will probably be able to sell enough advertising space to be able to afford to buy your own domain and pay for a hosting package, and still have money left over. However, until you have a sizeable readership, there’s really no need to invest in these luxuries.
When you want to build a following before you spend any money on your blog, using a free blogging website is a good idea. Later, when you feel ready to take the next step and pay for your own domain, your readers will follow you to your new home.