Can You Create Your Own Domain

Some Important Notes About This Method

While the Gmail part of this method is 100% free, there are some caveats to this method in that youll need to already have email hosting to make it work. Typically, you would get this through your web host if you have a website.

For example, if you host your website with Bluehost, Bluehost also helps you create your own custom email address as part of its service .

If you dont own a domain, heres a quick tool you can use to find out if the domain name youre interested in is available:

Once you set up your email address with Bluehost, the method in this tutorial would let you use Gmail to send/receive those emails at no extra cost. Unfortunately, already having this email hosting is a basic requirement for the free method.

For both creating your website and setting up the custom email account to use with Gmail, we recommend Bluehost. Plans start at just $2.75 per month and that includes hosting your website, hosting your email account, plus a free domain name.

If you dont need a website, another option would be to purchase email hosting through your domain registrar. For example, if you registered your domain through Namecheap, Namecheap sells a cheap email hosting service starting at just $0.79 $0.46 per month.

For the rest of this tutorial, well use Bluehost for our example screenshots. However, the same basic principles will apply to any host the interface will just be a little different.

Purchase Your Domain Name And Complete Its Registration

Once you settle on a domain name, its time to purchase it. When you buy through Mailchimp, well let you know the annual cost of the domain name as well as any available discounts.

During the checkout process, youll be required to enter your contact information, including an email address, to register the domain.

Choose The Best Domain Name Option

When youre checking for available domain names, youll often find that your first, second, and tenth choices are already taken. Some of the different approaches you can take when this happens are:

• Keep searching. Let your creative juices flow, and continue to search until you find something you love or at least like.
• Choose another extension. If the .com isnt available and youre set on a certain name, consider the .net or .org if you think it will work.
• Reach out to the owner. Maybe the domain is already owned, but its not being put to much use. You could reach out to the owner with an offer.

Don’t Miss: Can Someone Take My Domain Name

How Do I Get A Free Domain Name

Nobody really gives out a domain name for free online without getting something in return.

Fortunately, many website builders will offer you a free domain name registration when you purchase, say, an annual plan.

Of course, after that first year expires, youll be forced to pay the fee for the annual domain name renewal. Sometimes, the site will bug you to renew the domain through their own renewal service, which is priced at say, $15 per year instead of the usual $10 or so fee. If thats the case, then dont be afraid to buy your domain through a third party site.

Unless you win a contest, or get a domain through a friend, theres no way to get a free domain name online without paying at least something in return.

How To Register A Domain Name: 4 Options

• Using Bluehost web hosting

To get a domain name, youll need to call dibs with ICANN. ICANN is a global non-profit authority that maintains records on which domain and IP address belongs to whom and manages access to them.

But ICANN doesnt provide registration services, it only maintains records. Thats where domain name registrars come into play.

The primary role of a register is to:

• Coordinate claims on different domain names.
• Match specific domain names with Domain Name System nameservers.
• Ensure that there are no duplicate domain names.

Technically speaking, you are not buying a domain name from a registrar company, but reserve its usage for a specified time. You can pay to reserve a domain for 1-10 years at a time, depending on the registrar. After your initial subscription expires, youll need to renew it and pay a fee again. You can re-purchase your domain name over and over again.

When registering a domain name, you sign a long-term lease of your domain . You can read more about the domain costs here.

In practice, all of the above is much simpler than you think as we will show below.

Read Also: How To Create Email Account In Gmail With Own Domain

You Get A Matching Email Address

If there was ever a reason to purchase a personal domain, its for a personalized email address. These frequently come standard when you register. By switching to a personalized domain, you get a slick email that can be set up almost instantly.

At Namecheap you can set up free email forwarding or set up a Private Email account, a fast, secure, ad-free email for your personal or business use.

Why settle for a free webmail option like everyone else when you could have something like , or .

The fun doesnt stop there. With a personalized domain, you can set as multiple emails up which end in your website URL. Your family could have a shared domain like thetestons.co and have individual email addresses, like , and so on.

Using Your Custom Domain With A Cms

Alternatively, host your domain independently and use a content management system to build your website. WordPress, Drupal, and all the other CMS heavyweights are set up to cater for personal sites. With dedicated personal domain templates, in a few clicks, you can have a professional resume, or personal site live on the internet. All of the above can be installed with our hosting options.

All CMSs are self-hosted meaning you buy your domain, set up hosting, and choose someone to create your website with. WordPress is the most popular CMS by a longshot. Managed WordPress hosting solutions like EasyWP take the heavy lifting out of hosting a domain yourself. Start a website in minutes and connect it to your particular domain. It does the hard work for you.

You May Like: Who Actually Owns Domain Names

How Much Does A Domain Name Cost

When you buy a domain name through domain registrars, you register it for one year with the option of a multi-year registration. You will be able to renew your domain name registration when the initial period finishes, and will usually be alerted by the registrar to do so. Domain names are also sometimes included in your web hosting plan and if not, usually offered by your hosting company.

Domains purchased through Mailchimp are priced based on the TLD you choose, such as .com or .net.

A domain name with a common top-level domain, such as .com, can be had for as low as $12.99 per year, and promotions are often available. Internet domains purchased through Mailchimp also come with free WHOIS privacy protection and a Secure Sockets Layer certificate to provide your website with free verification and encryption.

You do need to have a web hosting plan to put your site online, but you dont need to have hosting to purchase a domain. Assuming you have a business or blog name in mind, its possible to reserve your brands name for the future by purchasing and registering your domain name now. Then youll have plenty of time to consider how to build your website.

Configure Your Domain Settings

Next, you will need to log in to the account where your domain name is kept and configure some settings to point it to your Create website.

The specific settings you need will be displayed in your Create account in the ‘Manage Domain Names & Email’ area where you added the domain name. You will see the CNAME and A records you need to update to beneath your added domain name.

NOTE: Every domain registrar will have a different settings area, so it’s worth finding your registrar’s guide on updating a domains DNS settings or speaking with their support team if you’re not sure how to make these changes.

Allow around 30 minutes for the settings to be updated . Then click the button ‘Check Domain Settings’ and our system will check the settings you have created. If correct the setup settings for the domain name will disappear.

Don’t Miss: Where Did I Purchase My Domain Name

It’s More Expensive To Be Your Own Registrar

If your aim is to save money, this solution will end up costing you more. Much more. A cursory lookat the requirements of being a registrar shows the following costs:

Contrast this with an annual fee of about USD $10 if you simply use anexisting domain name registrar.And I am sure my list above is actually incomplete, since it overlooks any technical requirements that you have to fulfillbefore you can be accredited.

Can I Make A Website Without Knowing How To Code

Absolutely, that’s what Website.com is here for! Easily create your free website with the Website.com website maker. Experience thefreedom to make your website: just drag and drop website design features and customize with your own content. Of course, if you doknow how to code, feel free to add advanced functionality with custom HTML elements and access custom code areas in the editor.

Also Check: How To Add Email To Godaddy Domain

Where To Go From Here

You can take advantage of your new email account by integrating it with an email marketing software to start your own email campaign for your readers.

You can set up autoresponders and start sending out newsletters to help build your email list over time.

Since a lot of readers who visit your site will not come back, having a way to capture their email so that they can continue receiving content and promotion updates is a great way to gain customers and grow your audience.

To get started, take a look at my guide to integrating email marketing with your website.

For more resources, check out these:

What Happens To My Personalized Email Address If I Cancel My Microsoft 365 Subscription

If you cancel your Microsoft 365 subscription, you will no longer be able to send or receive email with Outlook.com using your personalized email address. However, you won’t lose any existing email.

As long as you continue to pay for your domain with GoDaddy, you can always reactivate your personalized email address by re-subscribing to Microsoft 365 and going to Settings> Premium> Features and selecting Get started.

Read Also: Where To Buy Co Domains

Use A Descriptive Tld

If youre looking for a top-level domain for your personal website, might be a suffix that talks for your business, like .shop or .biz. For creative sites, how about .art, .studio, or .design? There are countless TLDs to consider.

Get local

You can also play around with country code top-level domains . Search engines will rank you for local searches, and employers or customers will immediately know where you are based. Well-known ccTLDs like .uk, .us, .nyc, and .eu are all a good choice.

Check which extensions are coming

The powers that be, aka the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority , are constantly expanding the internet by rolling out new domain suffixes. Check here for the most up to date list of available TLDs on the market right now.

You can also check which extensions are coming soon, and the latest TLDs drop just here. If you see something that catches your eye, work on your web design in advance so youre ready to go when the new TLD goes live and is available to purchase.

Getting A Free Custom Domain For Your Website

A domain name is the address that you type into a web browser address bar to get a website. An example of a domain name is . A domain name is unique to a website and cannot be shared between different websites, and a custom domain name is one that is specifically for your website.

There are many reasons why you should get a custom domain name for your website, even if your website is just for fun. In this article, we will look at some of these reasons, as well as show you where and how to get a free custom domain name for your Website.com website.

Also Check: How To Get Free Tk Domain

How Do You Create A Domain

If you want to have a website, then the first thing youll need to do is create a domain name. Without a domain name, there wont be a way for users to actually access your website.

Beyond actually choosing a domain name, youll need to pick a domain name that is short, memorable, and represents your business.

If that sounds like a lot, dont worry.

Below youll learn why choosing the right domain name is important, common domain name selection pitfalls, and finally, youll learn how to go through the process of actually creating a domain.

Receive A Free Email Domain From Bluehost

This method requires you to purchase a web hosting plan, so its not entirely free. However, if you need to host a website anyway, you can use an affordable option such as Bluehost and get an email domain as part of the deal.

This is an excellent choice if you want to establish a professional online presence. Its easy to set up, works seamlessly with WordPress, and gives you many tools to start your first website.

First, head to Bluehost and choose your plan. The cheapest option starts at $2.75 per month, which is still more affordable than purchasing a domain or a dedicated email hosting service.

Once youve selected your plan, youll be able to register a website domain. If youre unsure which name to choose, you can use a domain name generator that will give you suggestions and confirm their availability.

Once youve finished setting up your account, log in to your Bluehost dashboard and go to Advanced> Email Accounts. From here, youll be able to configure your email domain.

There are several ways you can start using your new email domain. For instance, you can use Bluehosts webmail interface, or connect to a popular email client such as Outlook, Thunderbird, or Gmail. Some users prefer this solution as its more convenient, as you dont have to log in to your hosting account to check your inbox.

Don’t Miss: How To Find Domain Name Provider