Custom domain vs subdomain: settle it before you share it

Custom domain or subdomain? It sounds like a technical question. It isn't.

It's a question about the address you're about to repeat a thousand times: on your business card, your shop sign, your Google profile, every message you send a customer.

And that address has a point after which changing it starts to hurt. Not your wallet. Your customers, who keep going to the old one.

That point is almost never the day you build the site. It comes later, and you want to see it coming.

Which is better: a custom domain or a subdomain?

A subdomain is an address inside someone else's (yourbusiness.easyandfastweb.com). A custom domain is an address that belongs to you (www.yourbusiness.com). A subdomain is enough to launch and see whether the site brings in calls. If you'll print the address or want email on your own name, get the custom domain, and connect it before you hand the address out.

	Subdomain	Custom domain
Example	yourbusiness.easyandfastweb.com	www.yourbusiness.com
Who registers it	Comes with your published site	You, with a domain registrar
Separate cost	No	Yes, a yearly fee to the registrar
Email on your own name	No	Possible, bought separately
Easy to remember	Harder, it's long	Easier, if the name is short
Still yours if you switch providers	No	Yes, as long as you renew it

Neither one ranks you higher on Google by itself. What counts is what the site says and, for a local business, your Business Profile. We cover that in how to show up on Google Maps as a local business.

When a subdomain is all you need

For some businesses a subdomain isn't a stopgap. It's the sensible choice.

• You're just starting and want proof that the site brings in calls before you spend on anything else.
• Most customers find you on Google Maps or by word of mouth, and the site is where they check your hours and phone number.
• You don't need email on your own domain because you handle customers by phone or WhatsApp.

With Easy and Fast Web, the site you buy goes live on its own on a subdomain you pick before paying, something like martas-salon.easyandfastweb.com. Hosting and the security certificate are included, so it opens over https from day one.

One thing to know up front: you can change the subdomain name until the site is published, but not afterwards. Pick it carefully.

When your own domain is worth it

A custom domain earns its keep the moment your address leaves the screen and goes out into the world.

• You're going to print it. Business cards, a shop sign, a van, a menu. A short address can be read at a glance. A long one can't.
• You want email like hello@yourbusiness.com. That email depends on the domain. We don't provide it: you set it up with your registrar or an email provider.
• You want the address to be yours no matter what. You register the domain in your name. As long as you renew it, nobody can take it from you, whichever website provider you use.

What it costs, as a rough guide: a .com usually runs somewhere around €10 to €20 a year depending on the registrar, and renewal can cost more than the first year. Check both figures before you buy.

The moment when switching addresses gets costly

This is the answer to the question at the top.

Changing your address is easy while nobody has it. It gets messy the day you print it, add it to your Google profile or share it on social media. From then on, every change means fixing it everywhere, and every place you miss keeps sending people to the old address.

So the practical advice is simple:

1. Decide before you print anything. If you'll want a custom domain, buy it and connect it before you order the cards.
2. Use the exact same address everywhere. Business card, Google profile and social accounts should all match.
3. Already handed out the subdomain? That's fine. With Easy and Fast Web, once you connect your domain the site answers on both addresses, so anyone with the old one still gets through.

How to connect a custom domain to your site

You do it yourself from your dashboard, on your site's address page. Four steps:

1. Log in to your registrar (wherever you bought the domain) and open the DNS settings.
2. Create a CNAME record named www pointing to your site's subdomain. The dashboard shows you the exact value.
3. If you want it to work without www too, set up a redirect at your registrar from yourbusiness.com to www.yourbusiness.com. Your registrar handles that part, not us: most registrars don't allow a CNAME on the bare domain.
4. Type the www version into the dashboard and click "Verify the DNS".

Two things that save you a scare. DNS changes can take up to 24 to 48 hours to propagate, and your site keeps working on its subdomain in the meantime. And the https certificate for the new domain is issued automatically on the first visit after verification.

If you get stuck, you can open a support ticket from the dashboard ("Help connecting my domain"). It uses one of your 3 monthly tickets. You buy and pay for the domain with your registrar; we don't manage or renew it for you.

See your site first, choose the address after

The address matters. It just isn't step one. Step one is knowing whether you like the site.

With Easy and Fast Web you get 3 free generations when you verify your email, no card needed. You fill in the questionnaire, the AI builds your site and you see it finished at a link. If you like it, publishing it is paid, and you see the price in your dashboard before you decide. You pick the subdomain when you buy; you can connect a custom domain whenever you like, today or six months from now.

Have a look at the examples and the FAQ first. Then generate your first site and choose the address with it in front of you.

Frequently asked questions

Is a subdomain worse for Google than a custom domain?

Not by itself. It won't push you up or down. What matters is the content of the site and, for a local business, a complete Google Business Profile whose details match your website.

Can I start on a subdomain and add my own domain later?

Yes. You connect the domain from your dashboard whenever you want. Until the DNS is verified the site stays on its subdomain, and after that it answers on both addresses.

Is a custom domain included with Easy and Fast Web?

No. It's optional: you buy and pay for it separately with any registrar you like, and connect it from your dashboard. What does come with the site you buy is its subdomain, with hosting and https.

Why do I have to use www in front of my domain?

Because the connection uses a CNAME record, and most registrars don't allow one on the bare domain (without www). To make the version without www work too, you set up a redirect at your registrar.

How long until my domain works after I connect it?

It depends on your registrar: DNS changes can take up to 24 to 48 hours to propagate. Once verification succeeds, the site answers on your domain and the https certificate is issued on the first visit.