Advantages And Disadvantages Of Getting A Free Domain With Hosting
The advantages:
The disadvantages:
- These domains are only free for one year. Theres just no getting around that. Eventually, youre going to have to pay some renewal fees. And those renewal fees can sometimes be more expensive than buying your domain from a classic domain registrar in the first place.
- Free domains are often limited to certain plans. If youre thinking about getting the very cheapest hosting from Hostinger, you wont get a free domain name. You need to pay for the second-cheapest plan to get this perk. This is true for a lot of other hosts.
- Only a few TLDs are usually supported. For the uninitiated, top level domains are those bits at the end of a domain name . A domain registrar has hundreds of TLDs available, while free domains from web hosts might only support the big ones, like .com, .org, and .info.
How Can Ionos Afford To Offer Free Domains
First of all, IONOS is not a free domain name service provider in general. We usually have very competitive pricing for our domain customers however, you will not be able to enjoy free domains all the time. The reason we can occasionally give away domains at little or no cost is that our large customer base enables us to attract a lot of registries that work with us.
One example of such cooperation might be a registry that launches a new TLD but does not intend to do all of the marketing and sales activities by themselves. Nevertheless they would like to see quick growth in their user base and to reach this goal they give IONOS very attractive offers. Then, for example, we can sometimes offer free domain registration.
On the one hand, this is a great opportunity for our customers to benefit from fantastic offers, on the other hand it can evoke the wrong impression about the hosting industry in general. In the long run, it is impossible to offer free domain name registration and cheap web hosting services at a high quality level.
How To Buy A Domain Name: Domain Registration Guide
What you need to know about domain names, how to choose the right one, and the steps to take to check if a domain name is available and to register your domain.
If you want to start a blog or a new online business, youll need to register a domain name, the name for your website. Getting the right domain for your needs might sound technical at first, but the process is pretty simple.
This domain registration guide will tell you what you need to know about domain name extensions, how to choose the right one for your needs, and the steps youll need to take to check if a domain name is available and to register your domain.
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Free Domain Name Registration: Is It Possible
Are you starting your own small business? Do you need to throw together a website for your underwater basket-weaving club? Do you just want a personal web page with your name on it?
The ultimate personalization when it comes to your website is having your own domain name. It also looks more professional to have a URL that says .com, instead of some long subdomain from a cheapo free web hosting provider.
The thing is, though, that domain names cost money. If your pockets are turned inside out and full of butterflies instead of cash, then this can be a problem. Lucky for you, there is such a thing as a free domain name. What’s the catch? We’ll get to that in a second. First, let’s look at how to get a free domain name in the first place:
Four Ways To Get Your Own Tld Without Paying For It
- Shoreline Community College
When you build a website, your domain name is your identity. That’s why you want a website that uses a top-level domain like lifewire.com and not a subdomain of a provider’s domain like yourwebsite.yourhost.com. Having your own domain name looks more professional, and it makes your site easier to remember. You normally have to pay for that privilege, but we’ll show you four different ways to get a free domain name.
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Make It Brandable Not Generic
Creative, memorable domain names are always better than generic ones. After all, your domain name is how people will find, remember, and spread the word about your business on the internet. Its much better to have something that aligns with your brand instead of a domain name thats made up of a bunch of general keywords.
For example, can you tell the difference between cheapcarinsurance.com and affordableautoinsurance.com? Which one would you trust when it comes to buying insurance? Probably neither. Both sound a little spammy, and theyre terribly generic.
On the other hand, youll probably know where the domain names progressive.com or geico.com are going to point you to. Those companies have invested in their brands, and theyve used them in their domain names. You can trust that these sites are legitimate.
Even if you havent built up trust and loyalty yet, you can start by choosing a strong domain name that fits your brand.
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How To Register A Domain Name: 4 Options
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.
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What Happens If I Dont Renew My Domain Name
If you didnt set auto-renewal or forgot to manually do so despite the reminders from your domain registrar, your domain name will expire. This means several things:
- Your website will no longer be accessible by anyone who types your URL.
- The domain name will be available for sale again, typically in 30-days or so after expiration.
- It can also be auctioned on a website domain auction.
In essence, failure to pay a renewal fee means lost access to your domain.
Connecting Your Domain Name To Mailchimp
Whether youve bought your domain through Mailchimp or a third party, you can transfer your domain name and connect it to your Mailchimp account. Once connected, you can use that domain with a custom landing page or Mailchimp-hosted website. If you dont already have a website, Mailchimp offers a free website builder that you can use to make your brand stand out with no coding skills required.
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Go To Hostingers Website
The very first thing you need to do is head over to Hostinger by clicking here.
Click Start Now and youll be taken straight to the checkout page.
Conveniently, that checkout page is all set up with my recommendation. Youll get premium shared hosting, which is the lowest-cost plan that also includes a free domain name.
My tip is to select the longest term for the best rate. If you commit to four years of hosting up front, you can lock in a really attractive rate of $2.59 per month.
Just click on the right-most box at the top to make sure you get the best deal.
Take a look at the add-ons below there to see if any are useful to you. None of them are absolutely necessary, but daily backups and priority support are helpful features, and theyre reasonably priced.
After that, enter your payment information, click Submit Secure Payment, and then youll be onto setup.
Purchase The Domain Name
When you have settled on the domain name and a suffix, you will pay to register the domain name with the domain registrar. This is not a one-time purchase, however. Typically, you will pay to own the domain name for one year, after which you can renew your registration for a fee. You can expect a registration fee of about $10 to $15.
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Choose A Suitable Domain
The choice of a domain may depend on the type of website you want to register. Most of the top level domains are suitable for specific niches, but some are for general websites. Here are some examples of TLDs and their intended application area.
.Com
Initially, the purpose of .com was to imply the commercial intention of a website. Today, the domain is widespread in various fields. Most people registering websites go for .com perhaps because of the domains popularity.
.Net
This domain is predominant in networking technology industries. Some companies which use .net are network operators, advertising agencies, and Internet service providers.
.Org
This is another TLD which has veered off the original focus on nonprofits. Nowadays, you will find commercial enterprises with URLs containing .org.
First Things First What Is A Domain Name
A domain name is a fancy term which simply refers to what you see in your web browsers address bar when you visit website. Examples include google.com, greenpeace.org and our favorite website address, you guessed it, helpsme.com. A domain name identifies a location on the Internet where a website can be found.
Each domain name is unique, just as every real world house address is unique. This is necessary so that when you type an address into your browser, you reach the website you were looking for. To make sure each domain name is unique, An organization named ICANN coordinates these domain names across the world. This is partly why theres an annual cost to owning a domain name.
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Typical Examples Of Infringement Of Rights By Domainnames
Even though it seems that there are endless cases where rightsto use a sign are infringed by the registration and/or use ofdomain names on the internet, certain cases are typical and can befound a lot.
Here are some typical examples:
- Domain Grabbing: Domain names thatcontain or consist of protected signs of third parties are oftenapplied for. Content then is reproduced on the websites that isconnected to the actions of the proprietor of these rights. Thisextends from defamatory content to so-called sponsoredlinks, i.e. references to websites of third parties oroffering imitations of the products of the proprietor of the sign,and ranges to spare parts oraccessories.
- Abuse: Domain names with signs ofthird parties are frequently used for abusive and unlawful purposes. Spam or phishinge-mails are often sent under such domain names in order to imposethe false impression on the targeted public that this is a messageof the actual trademark proprietor. By this, the internet userrather is tempted to read the e-mail or to open attachments thatare possibly infected with viruses.
- Blocking: A third typical example isthe targeted registration of domain names that include signs ofthird parties in order to prevent the proprietor of thecorresponding rights to use the sign to acquire this domainhimself. The aim of this approach is to sell the domain to theproprietor of the rights to use the sign at a later point in time,and regularly for excessive prices.
Free Domain Name Method #: The Obscure And Shady Top
In case you didn’t know, “TLD” means “Top-Level Domain.” The top-level domain of a URL is what you find after the “dot” part of it. So, for instance, in the case of example.com, the top-level domain is the “.com” part.
Of course, there are more than just .com TLDs. Along with the classic .net and .org domains, you can find a wide variety of colorful options, such as .club, .info, .store, and so on. There are also top-level domains that are associated with specific regions, such as .us or .auand here lies the key to getting a domain name for free.
Some regional domain names have been designated by their countries as free for registration. Many of these allow you to register the domain even if you don’t live there. All you have to do is provide contact information as with any other registrar, and you can have a domain for free.
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Pay For Web Hosting Receive Free Domain
For some businesses, the idea of using a free service doesn’t make sense. Sure, those free services are great. But some offer next to no customer support, while others simply need more from their hosting provider.
In those cases, why not sign-up to a hosting provider that throws in a free custom domain name? Exactly, it’s a great idea. Here are a few options for you to peruse:
- Bluehost: You can grab a free domain with Bluehost’s Basic, Plus, and Prime web hosting options
- GoDaddy: Similar to Bluehost, GoDaddy throws in a free domain name when you sign-up to one of their hosting subscriptions
- 1& 1: Sign up for 1& 1 web hosting and you get a free domain name, unlimited storage, and SSL certificates
There are many more similar deals to these out there. Furthermore, your local hosting company may offer a similar sign-up deal, and its always good to support local businesses.
How To Get A Free Domain Name For Your Blog
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission. When you purchase website hosting using one of my affiliate links, the company compensates me, which helps keep all of my content free of charge to you. Know that I only recommend tools Ive personally used and stand behind.
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Build Your Business By Registering Your Domain
After weighing the benefits and drawbacks of free or paid domains, you should get started on your search for the perfect domain name. Domain names can go quickly and there’s a little more competition than Symbolics had in 1985 so it is important to register the one you want before it is too late.
Registering a domain name is quick and easy, but it does take some time to brainstorm the right name, select the optimal suffix, and find the right domain registrar for you. As such, there’s no better time than now to get started on registering your domain name.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
Choose Your Zyro Plan
Next, you simply need to select the plan that suits your needs the best.
If you require a website for your business with all the tools to succeed, the Business plan is your go-to option.
You wont have to worry about storage or website security, and you get to use all the additional features: think AI tools for graphics, content, and even legal texts, and a marketing dashboard for visitor tracking and remarketing.
If, on the other hand, youre looking to run an online store, either of the eCommerce plans will work a treat for you.
The eCommerce plans charge you no commission and come with almost every possible store management tool you could think of. Since Zyro supports plenty of online and offline payment methods, its an ideal choice for budding eCommerce businesses.
Once youve chosen the plan that suits you best, its time to think about how long you need your plan for.
With Zyro, you can have an annual plan for 1, 2, or 4 years. Naturally, the longer you choose the more you save in the long run.
For example, choosing a 4-year plan means that you get a total of 50% off the total price when compared to a monthly plan thats 2 whole years for free.
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Two Methods For Buying A Domain Name
Fortunately, it doesnt really matter where you buy your domain. At the end of the day, a domain is a domain, and you wont find any variations in quality based on where you buy one.
The biggest difference from one domain registrar to the next is the pricesome offer domains for just a few dollars a year and others can go as high as $20 per year or more. There are two ways to get a domain name, one of which is free for the first year and the other is not.
List Of Domain Name Registrars
There are numerous domain name registrars. Listed below are just a few, along with my comments, if I know anything about them.Note that the domain name industry is highly competitive, with prices wildly fluctuating throughout the year, every year, soits impossible to really mention accurate prices below unless I spend all my time updating this page. Please check their sitesfor the latest rates. Unless otherwise stated, I have listed everything in US dollars, although if you go to theregistrars site, you may see the prices in your local currency.
In addition, as mentioned earlier, a number ofcommercial web hostswill give you a free domain name if you are hosting with them, as will some of the registrars above.
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