Why is it important to own your website domain?

You’re going to be in this business for the rest of your life, so you need your own corner of the internet that you own. As soon as you have a website with your own domain (URL), search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and AI systems start to learn who you are and index your content. Even if you later switch website providers or rebuild your site, as long as you own the domain, you keep all that recognition and authority. You don’t lose the SEO value or discoverability you’ve built up. The sooner search engines and future search technologies know who you are, the better. Every artist needs a website immediately, whether through a service or built themselves, but owning the domain is the critical non-negotiable part.

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Asked by an artist asking about website continuity · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-08-03