How To Register Your Website’s Domain Name
When you register a domain name for your site, you make it a lot easier for people to find you, ensuring that you reap the branding and marketing benefits of having an online presence.
A domain name is the address that visitors type into their browser address bar to arrive at your website. It replaces an IP address: a random, unique string of numbers that specifies where your sites files are located. While a website domain can be an investment, you can also find one for free, especially if you purchase it with hosting.
In this post, youll learn everything you need to know about registering your websites domain name either for free or for a low cost.
What About Domain Names In Free Websites
You wont get a proper domain name, because .com or .net domains always come at a cost. As you have seen, most providers will give you a subdomain such as yourname.providername.com.
A free subdomain may be fine for a personal website, but we wouldnt recommend it for professional or commercial sites for the following reasons:
- It looks unprofessional.
- Youre not doing yourself any favors in terms of search engine rankings .
- Its not easy to remember such a long name
There is actually a place where you can get free custom domain names that arent subdomains. At Freenom you can get a few domain names for free: .tk, .ml, .ga and a few others. So you could name your site mycoolsite.ml, for example. Now, I wouldnt recommend building your business on top of such a free domain name.
But if its just for a personal project thatll be completely fine. Freenom allows you to forward your domain name to a URL or to point it to a website, which is a bit of a technical process. Pointing your domain is actually the professional way as then it will entirely run on this domain and no one will ever see the subdomain.
How To Create A Free Website With Custom Domain Name Hosting And Ssl Encryption
Samyak Goswami Hosting Invicti Web Application Security Scanner
Creating a website is a serious investment you have to pay for every step of building a website.
Do you want to create a free website for personal or professional growth? Heres a way to design your next website with a custom domain name, lifetime free hosting, and SSL encryption absolutely free. Whew! What else could you ask for?
It is a no-brainer that having a website significantly boosts your growth figures, and today it is more of an investment than a luxury. This is not only true for businesses, but individuals too can benefit highly through a personal website.
Whether registering a domain name, hosting your websites contents, building the website, or enabling SSL encryption, you should be ready to empty your pockets. Adding to the pain, some of these expenses are recurring and continue forever.
What if I told you that you could create a free website while doing all the above-mentioned crucial steps in website building that too for free? As unworldly as it may sound, you can do all of this for free if you are a student.
If you are aware of GitHub, you might know about GitHub Pages. It is free to use service that comes with every GitHub account. GitHub Pages lets every user create a free website and host it, but theres a huge caveat. The domain names of these free websites essentially end with github.io, which ruins the professionalism of your website.
Recommended Reading: Is Store A Good Domain
What Does Website Mean What Is The Difference Between Website And Webpage
A website is a group of webpages under a domain name or a website name that is available publicly on the internet. A website typically has a cohesive goal ortype, including ecommerce, portfolio site, informative blog, about us page, landing page, etc.
We believe every individual or business deserves to have a website. Our name is Website.com for a reason – we aim to be the ultimate provider of websites forany need. That’s why our tools give you the freedom to make a free website at any skill level.
Free Website Builders To Create A Website With Your Own Domain
Shift4Shop is a complete and robust eCommerce platform known for providing outstanding technical support 24/7/365.
Their best offer?
A complete eCommerce solution to build your online store for free! BUT only if you reside in the US.
If youre not from the US, then, unfortunately, Shift4Shop isnt that great of a deal for you.
Otherwise, you get to use all of Shift4Shops premium features for free. Included but not limited to:
- Add a custom domain
- Sell unlimited products and variations
- Inventory control
- A built-in customer relationship management tool
- Abandoned cart emails
- Integrated sales channels like Facebook, Google, Amazon, eBay, etc
- Drop shipping support
Since Shift4Shop is such a versatile eCommerce platform, you can build all kinds of stores, whether its selling subscriptions, print-on-demand products, hardware, brand merchandise, event tickets, or even a dropshipping store.
Shift4Shop can do it all.
The downsides of Shift4Shop
Unlimited Free plan for US customers only If you live outside of the US, unfortunately, you have to pay to get access to all the advanced features.
Basic theme design Shift4Shop has over 100 free online store themes, but most of them are basic looking. Although they give you full access to all the files that make up your theme, so you’re free to edit it if you have coding knowledge.
Shift4Shop Verdict
Whats more? Theyll even migrate your current eCommerce website to Shift4Shop free of charge.
Recommended Reading: When Does A Domain Expire
Optimize Your Sites Navigational Structure
When designing your own website, consider the user experience. Visitors should be able to navigate and find all information without any trouble.
To achieve this goal, organize your menu to help visitors navigate when browsing through the pages. In addition, choose the most important pages to feature on the menu. Keep in mind that website navigation also affects conversions.
Here are ways to improve your website navigation:
- Limit menu item. Include only up to seven pages on your main menu to avoid confusion and crowding your page.
- Analyze responses. If you see a page that does not receive enough visitors, move the information to another page and take out the page from the main menu.
- Mobile responsiveness. Menus often look different on mobile devices, so make sure that they are still easy to navigate.
Other than the order of the main menu, its location on a web page is essential to user navigation. To help visitors browse through your web pages efficiently, customize your header and footer.
Header
At the top of a web page, a header often consists of a logo, website name, and menu bar. By having an easy-to-navigate header, you invite visitors to explore more.
Customize the header by hovering over the menu section on the drag-and-drop editor and clicking on the gear icon.
Under the Header settings, make changes to the following features:
Footer
To customize the Footer, click on the section and select the gear icon.
Creating An Account With Weebly
Once you create an account, youll be asked whether you want to create a website for business or personal use. On Weebly, you can only create a free website if it is for personal use. When you choose a personal website, youll be asked to select a theme.
Weebly offers different themes depending on your sites focus, such as business portfolio, personal, event and blog. Once you sign up, youll be taken to Weeblys website editor. This is where youll build your website, from the images to the text. Based on the theme you chose, some elements will generally remain in place but all the other aspects of the site will be customizable.
Finally, when you are happy with your website and want to publish it, youll hit publish and select your domain name. The free version will contain Weebly in the URL , while Weebly will offer you suggestions for the paid versions if your proposed domain name is taken.
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Webstarts Access To All Features
When it comes to Marketing, Webstarts is not exactly shy. With almost 4m users, they claim to be the #1 Rated Free Website Builder . To be fair, Webstarts free plan is a solid choice. It includes access to all the important features such as the blog, and you can even activate the online store.
The product feels similar to Wix in that all the elements can be moved around quite freely. In the feature and template departments, though, youll find a lot less variety. They also added an AI-based editor next to the classic one. But trying out the artificial intelligence builder left me with a rather ugly site. Its a great idea to offer such an assistant, but it still needs a bit of work I would say.
Webstarts Screenshots:
Free Trial: webstarts.com
How To Register Your Custom Domain Using Namecheap
I assume you have got your GitHub Education account up and running. The following steps involve using Namecheap to register your free custom domain and host it through GitHub Pages. Follow these steps to register your preferred domain name:
Step 1: Log in to your GitHub Education account and go to the Benefits section.
You should see a Web Dev Kit and a Virtual Event Kit.
Step 2: Go to the Virtual Event Kit and scroll down to find Namecheap.
GitHub offers a 1-year domain name registration on .me TLD, which you can access by clicking on the Get Access option.
Step 3: The following window will ask you to authorize the connection request from Namecheap to your GitHub account. Authorize Namecheap and proceed to the next step.
You should see a prompt saying, We have successfully verified your student pack with GitHub after successful authorization.
Step 4: Find your preferred domain through the search bar and click Find.
You should see the domain name availability on the next screen. If your domain name is available, you can proceed to buy it for free.
Step 5: Checkout using the GitHub Education email address and select GitHub Pages as your hosting method while proceeding.
After successfully registering your custom domain name and choosing the GitHub Pages as your hosting, Namecheap should automatically create a repository in your GitHub account. This repository is completely empty and only contains a README.md file.
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Webnode Modern Editor With Some Limitations
A while ago Webnode completely revamped their editor, making it very modern. The themes they added are stylish and responsive. A pity you cant choose a completely new theme after your initial choice.
We used to love Webnodes free plan because its inconspicuous footer ad was barely noticeable. However, it recently decided to change tack. Free sites now display a big, bright blue, and very obvious banner ad that unfortunately doesnt disappear when you scroll down the page.
But if that doesnt put you off, there are a few perks of working with Webnode. Its very intuitive, and while its not the most feature-rich site builder ever, it covers the basics pretty well: contact forms, Google Maps integration, plenty of themes, and very decent SEO options.
Webnode also offers a low-cost plan at $3.90 per month essentially allowing you to use a domain name you already own and to contact their premium support. The Webnode branding will stay with this option.
Webnode Screenshots:
Our demo website: Coffee Shop
What we liked about Webnode:
- Their selection of stylish, responsive templates
- Theres no page limit
- The full range of SEO settings is available
Where Webnode should improve:
- Adding/improving their features
- Storage isnt very generous, with only 200 MB in the free plan
- No app store for additional site features.
- The in-your-face banner ad
Webnode Video Review
How To Make A Website With Hostinger Website Builder
Creating websites using a website builder is even more straightforward. Hostingers website builder offers a user-friendly interface to create your own content and layout. In addition, here are some of the benefits of using Hostingers own website builder:
- Cloud hosting more reliable performance and less prone to downtime.
- Security complies with the PCI standards for visitors private information.
- Artificial Intelligence tools helps with branding, marketing, and optimizing a website.
- Fast setup intuitive interface for editing and creating your own content.
Since Hostingers website builder is visual-heavy, its best for online portfolios, photography blogs, and media websites. Here are the steps to use this website builder:
Also Check: How To Find Your Domain Authority Score
Trusted By Millions Of Entrepreneurs And Creatives
Making a website has never been easier.
Ben Keene
Founder, Tribewanted
“Within an hour, we had probably our best landing page yet and for a fraction of the price. It’s amazing. Since then, I’ve built about 15 sites on Strikingly it’s currently my favorite startup tech tool.”
Tsveti Kamova
Owner, Red Paper Plane
“We chose Strikingly from the very beginning of our project aiming at simplicity and style. Now as our project is growing, we are very happy to see that our favorite platform is enriching its functionalities and will meet our needs.”
Edd Baptista
Painter & Illustrator
“There is no formula for what ‘cool’ is. It’s a gut reaction. You just know it the moment you see it.”
How To Apply For The Github Student Developer Pack Without Student Email
GitHub also gives you the option to apply for the pack using a valid student ID card or any other proof of your academic status. The only caveats are the long wait time and higher rejection ratio. Anyways, heres how you can apply for the student pack through this method:
Step 1: Follow the steps mentioned above to create an account through your personal email.
Step 2:Now upload the proof of your academic status using the camera option or upload the photos directly to GitHub using the Upload button.
Step 3: Next, fill in all necessary details like the Schools Name and purpose of using GitHub.
Step 4: Submit your application.
Read Also: How To Verify My Domain With Google
Weebly A Simple Website Builder For Basic Needs
Weebly is one of the largest site creators out there, and used to hit the top spots in our ranking table, before it got acquired by Square. Since then, the platform has been somewhat neglected. Regardless, its still worthy of a place on our free website builders list, offering great usability , and an App Center with additional features.
The main thing to be aware of is that the free plan will display a very visible ad in the websites footer .
Weebly Screenshots:
Our demo website: Yoga Business
What we liked about Weebly:
- Easy to use drag and drop editor
- The app center with third-party add-ons
- 500MB of free webspace with no limit on pages
- SEO settings can be edited for all pages.
- Can be used for larger sites
Where Weebly should improve:
- The very visible footer ad
- Limited number of themes that mostly look outdated
- General lack of updates
Weebly Video Review
Jimdo Website Editing Powered By Ai
The good thing about Jimdo is that it wont cost you an arm and a leg, even if you decide to go premium one day. Their cheapest Jimdo Dolphin plan starts at $9 per month and will allow you to use a proper domain. But even if you have no intention of ever upgrading your Jimdo website, youll enjoy their very smooth and rapid website setup experience.
Not only is Jimdo the fastest loading website builder we found, but their designs are also mobile responsive and look generally pretty good. And even though its not a drag and drop editor, it was still extremely easy to use. Jimdo is pretty limited when it comes to features: there is no blog, no app store, or any fancy tools like that. But if you are a beginner and just want to get that website live on the web, youll appreciate the simplicity that Jimdo provides.
Jimdo Screenshots:
Our demo website: Bliss Bakery
What we liked about Jimdo:
- Shows only a small ad
- You get 500MB webspace, which should be enough for most sites
- The intelligent setup assistant that lets you create a website in the wink of an eye
Where Jimdo should improve:
- Free plan is limited to 5 pages only
- No app market, blog, or password protection
- No customer support
Jimdo Video Review
Read Also: How To Buy Only Domain Name
What About The Website Design
However you choose to create your website, you will need to make some design decisions.
Creating visual web designs is no easy task. In fact, Id say that online, there are more examples of terrible designs than good ones. Dont let your website be one.
Just like bell bottom jeans were stylish in the 70s, they were ridiculous in the 80s and 90s. The same happens with web design. You have to remember that what was considered good practice 5 years ago, can now seem kind of old or out of date. Check out this article to know what practices to avoid.
Here are some tips to make a design your visitors will love:
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