Most developers treat a personal domain like a checkbox:
“Buy domain → deploy portfolio → done.”
I did the same.
I bought shaurya.online, hooked it up to my GitHub repo, deployed it on Vercel… and for a while, that was it.
But then I realized something:
A domain isn’t just a website. It’s your permanent identity layer on the internet.
Here’s how I started using mine beyond just a static portfolio—and how you can too.
1. Stop Thinking “Website”, Start Thinking “Platform”
Instead of one site, your domain can host multiple things:
- shaurya.online → main portfolio
- blog.shaurya.online → technical writing
- api.shaurya.online → backend experiments
- resume.shaurya.online → always-updated CV
- lab.shaurya.online → random experiments
Each subdomain can point to a different service (Vercel, VPS, edge functions, etc.)
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2. Get a Personal Email That Actually Looks Professional
Switching from:
To:
…is a surprisingly big upgrade.
You can set this up using:
- Google Workspace
- Zoho Mail (free tier)
- Proton Mail (privacy-focused)
It’s one of the easiest ways to look more legit instantly.
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3. Build Your Own URL Shortener
Instead of sharing messy links:
You can:
- self-host a shortener (like YOURLS)
- or build one as a side project
It’s simple, useful, and a great backend exercise.
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4. Turn It Into an SEO Engine (This Is the Big One)
Here’s the hard truth:
A portfolio alone won’t get traffic unless people already know your name.
So I started treating my domain like a content platform, not just a portfolio.
Instead of writing:
- “My Project”
I write things people actually search for:
- “How to run Gemma locally”
- “Ollama vs LM Studio performance”
- “Best way to host LLM APIs on Vercel”
Now each blog post becomes a traffic entry point.
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5. Use It as a Backend Playground
Since I work on backend systems, this became the most fun part:
- api.shaurya.online → APIs
- auth.shaurya.online → auth experiments
- ai.shaurya.online → LLM experiments
You can test:
- rate limiting
- caching strategies
- edge vs serverless
- infra decisions
It’s basically a production-like sandbox.
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6. Own Your Analytics
Instead of relying completely on big platforms, you can:
- use privacy-friendly analytics (like Plausible)
- or self-host your own
You get cleaner insights and full control over your data.
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7. Learn Real Infrastructure (Not Just Tutorials)
Your domain is the perfect place to practice:
- DNS records (A, CNAME, TXT, MX)
- SSL/TLS setup
- CDN + caching
- bot protection
- rate limiting
This is actual production knowledge—not just theory.
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8. Create Focused Landing Pages
Instead of one generic site:
- hire.shaurya.online → for recruiters
- open-source.shaurya.online → contributions
- talks.shaurya.online → presentations
Each page has a clear goal.
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9. Add Personality
Some small but fun ideas:
- custom 404 page
- /changelog for updates
- /secret easter egg
- RSS feed for your blog
These don’t just look cool—they make your site memorable.
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Final Thought
Buying a domain is easy.
Using it well is where the leverage is.
Your domain can be:
- your portfolio
- your blog
- your backend playground
- your identity
- your SEO engine
All in one place.
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What Are You Doing With Your Domain?
I’m curious—are you using your domain beyond a portfolio?
Drop your setup below 👇
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