How To Get A Domain Name For Free

How To Get A Free Domain Name In 3 Steps

Your domain is what makes your website uniqueits where your website lives on the internet and how visitors look you up.

Registering a domain name is one of the first steps of building a website. While it usually costs money, Ill show you how you can get one for freeand pick something that aligns with your business niche.

Heres everything you need to know on how to get a free domain.

But What If You Want To Change Hosting Companies

I used to use a web hosting company that offered free domain names, but only for as long as you were their customer.

This is totally unethical. Your domain name should be owned by you. If you dont have full control over it, youre asking for trouble further down the line.

Thankfully, Bluehost are a bit different. Here are what their terms say about domain ownership when you register a free domain with them:

If youre dissatisfied with your experience at Bluehost, you wont lose your domain name. Youll be free to transfer it or simply point it elsewhere at your convenience. You retain ownership of your domain until the end of its registration period, unless you elect to extend it.

If you want to register a free domain name with Bluehost, you can do so here.

The process is really simple and only takes about 60 seconds. If you want to know how to install a WordPress website on Bluehost, weve written a step-by-step walk through here.

What Happens If I Want To Switch Hosting Providers Can I Still Keep My Domain Name

Absolutely. Once you have registered your domain with a hosting service or website builder you can transfer that domain to a new hosting service or website builder. Transferred domains are often free for one year. However, it is important to note that the ICANN requires domain providers to lock most domains for 60 days after registration so you will not be able to transfer your domain within its first 60 days.

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The Catch: Available Extensions

Okay, whats the catch? Why dont everybody use these free domain name providers?

The answer is simple: only a small set of not so common extensions are available for free domain names. Domain extensions are also called TLDs . Thats the last part of a domain name, after the dot.

The most common TLD is of course .com. Other popular ones are .net, .eu, .io, .us, .ca, .fr, .co.uk, .de, and so on. But there exist many less common ones, like .tech, .info, .me, .ml, .tk, .ga,

Popular TLDs are by definition more sought after, and as such they are rarely available for free. Some of the less common extensions, however, can be.

So thats the catch: if you want a free domain, youll likely be limited to an uncommon TLD.

How To Get A Free Domain Name In 6 Simple Steps

Want to just get started?

If youre ready to launch a new website, the first place you need to start is with the domain. The domain is the address people will type in to go to your website, so you can see why this first step is crucial. You need to start with finding and registering a domain name, which can be a bit confusing if youve never done it before. However, I am here here to show you that its actually quite easy to find a domain name and register it for free.

Yes, you read that right. Whether youre starting a blog, building an online portfolio, or creating a personal or business website, Ill show you the quick and easy way to get a free domain name.

• Free domain name included with your hosting plan
• 24/7 live chat support

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Free Domain With Paid Hosting

Many web hosting providers offer a free domain when you sign up for their hosting plan. In this case, the domain is not exactly free but its worth mentioning as its one of the most popular domain and hosting solutions.

Basically, you pay for the hosting and keep the domain name for free.

An advantage of using this method is that you can get .com or .org domain extensions.

How To Get The Github Student Developer Pack

GitHub is a massively popular community that allows users to host their own code and review the code of others. It enables a collaborative process that allows others to help you improve your code, while you get the opportunity to check out code written by other people.

The GitHub Student Developer Pack is a set of tools and services that are designed to help students get a jump start in writing code. One of those benefits is a free domain, so this is a great way to get your own website up and running if you’re a student.

This option is only available if you’re actually a student, and it’s limited to students who are at least 13 years old.

Here’s how to get the GitHub Student Developer Pack so you can claim your free domain:

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Create Your Free Domain Name

Bluehost will now ask you to enter a name for your domain name. This domain name will be your websites name and also your email domain.

If you havent thought of naming your business yet, now would be a good time. Usually, the website and email domain name closely matches your business name. An easy of getting business name inspirations is to use this free business name generator tool.

When youve decided on your business name and checked its availability using Nameboys tool above, go ahead enter this domain name in the Bluehost new domain creation screen.

Bluehost will now ask for your billing information to complete your domain creation. Youll receive a welcome email from Bluehost as soon as youve finished creating your hosting account.

Now that the domain name is set up, we can create a new email address using your business name as the email domain.

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Come Up With The Best Domain Name For Your Website

Now that youve selected and bought your plan, its time to start brainstorming for free domains.

Start by listing down keywords that are related to your business or brand.

Lets say youre setting up an online store called PRINT Sports, specializing in athleisure and fitness shoes.

A good domain name should be related to your field of business and your store name, while being also easy to spell and remember.

Potential keywords could include:

Next, its time to check which of these keywords are available as domain names.

Simply input your keywords to Zyros domain name generator to check for a free domain name.

The tool will automatically check if the domain registrar has a .com domain extension available but if youre out of luck, no need to worry.

The domain name generator will suggest different TLDs to register your domain name with, alongside the price for one year.

This way, you can get a good idea of all the currently available domain extensions, and how much they are worth.

Dont go ahead and buy a domain name yet, though youll be able to claim it for free in the next step.

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Is A List Of Free Domain Name Extensions Available

The domain extensions available for free include:.co.in, .org.in, .xyz, .net, .in, .shop, .online, .com, .info, .tech, .site, .store, .website, .space, .icu, .uno, .fun, .pw, .host, .link, .click, .help, .me, .press.

Unlike less popular TLDs, all these 100% free domain extensions are more trustworthy. Claim your domain extension or top-level domain before it is no longer available.

Early Bird Gets The Domain Name

Speed is everything with domains.

This might come as a surprise, but when you register a domain name, you dont actually buy it. You are actually renting a domain for a certain period of time rather than buying it once and owning it forever.

There are plenty of different domain registrars online who act as the domain middlemen, but the actual domain name database is managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers .

This global non-profit organization maintains and manages all the domain and IP address records, including the ownership of any given domain.

Domain name registrars, on the other hand, coordinate the day-to-day. They keep track of who is currently using different domain names and ensure no new domain name is a duplicate of an already existing one.

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Who Owns My Domain

You own your domain and GoDaddy is the registrar that manages it for you. You can set up a website with your domain or transfer it to another registrar if you prefer. However, if you transfer your domain away from GoDaddy, you will no longer be able to send or receive email with Outlook.com using your personalized email address.

How To Get A Free Domain Name In 2022

Do you want to shift your business online in 2022? Or do you want to start a blog? Both are excellent ideas to build the business and grow more but first, you need a domain name. In this article, we discover how to get a free domain name.

Expert advice: The fastest and easiest way to get a free top-level domain name is by registering it for free with a web hosting plan like Bluehost, or with a website builder like Wix.

The first step to building your online website is a good domain name that will give you a unique identity. Ensure that you choose a domain name relevant to your business niche and register it.

Starting a business requires some investment. Many domain name registrars provide domain names at different rates.

You can choose any one of them and register your website domain name. It is a step-by-step process that you need to know and build your website according to it.

Now it’s clear that starting a website requires a registered domain name. Sometimes you have to acquire a domain that was already registered in that I recommend you to check domain history, and domain rating with and before giving an offer check it with the appropriate domain services appraisal

So here we will give you a compelling guide on how you can get or register your domain name, and you can get it for free. Ensure that you will go through the process and follow every step.

So let’s dive into this step-by-step guide

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Get A Free Subdomain From A Website Builder

Site builders like WordPress.com, Wix, Squarespace, and even Mailchimp offer inclusive plans that also cover free domain names.

The only downside is that your domain name would indeed actually be only a subdomain instead of a custom domain.

For example, instead of having a domain like pizzasgallore.com, youll get pizzasgallore.wordpress.com or pizzasgallore.wixsite.com.

Is There A Way To Lookup Email Addresses

Yes! We mentioned earlier that you can copy and paste URLs into a new email. That includes not only the homepages of organizations but also individual user pages. So now weâve got two more pieces of information: the actual webpage and the email address associated with it. Hereâs what to do next:

Go back to your original email, hover over the hyperlink to the page, and hold down Shift while clicking to highlight both elements together. Right-click anywhere inside the highlighted area and choose Copy Link Address.

Now go back to the new email and add the copied address, e.g.:

Once you arrive, you should see a list of contacts from that company along with whatever else they posted there. Look for the email address listed under Contact Information. If you still havenât found it, scroll down further until you reach the bottom. On most company websites, youâll usually find a section titled About Us or Company History. Scroll down past the footer to the last item, typically labeled Phone Numbers or Social Media Links, and hopefully youâll spot the email address there.

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How Can I Get A Free Website

There are many ways to get a free website, but the best way is to go with a reputable website builder that offers a free plan to start with such as Wix, Weebly, or HubSpot. Technically, WordPress.org is free to use, but youll still need to buy hosting, a domain, an SSL certificate, and pay for any plugins or premium themes, whereas free website builder plans are 100% free.

But What About Domains And Privacy Protection

When you register a domain name, you need to provide the domain registrar with up-to-date contact information including your postal address, email address, and phone number.

And after the domain registration process, all these domain ownership-related ICANN records are visible for all to see.

Thankfully, if youre concerned about domain privacy, you can ask your domain registrar to hide your public contact details from the database for a fee.

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How To Buy A Domain Name For Less Than You Think

If you want to start a website, you need a domain name. Buying one takes less than five minutes. And costs a lot less than you think, especially when you bundle it with web hosting. You need both to build a website, so why not get them together? If youre wondering exactly how to buy a domain name or how to save money when buying a domain, youre in the right place.

Already Have A Domain

If youve already registered a domain name from a third-party provider, you can simply transfer it to Squarespace.

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Domain Registrar Ad Programs

Domain registrars sometimes offer to give you a free domain in exchange for running ads on your website.

Dont do this.

Theres nothing wrong with ads on your website. However, you wont have any control over the ads and their placement with this method. This will not only hinder the experience for your website visitors but will also damage your SEO ranking.

Plus, what if your website got one million views? You wouldnt see a dime from those ads. All you get is a free domain.

If you want to run ads on your website, do it through a legitimate advertising network, like Google. Dont exchange ads for a free domain.

Renew Your Registration On Time

At this point, youll have a domain name registered and ready to go. However, your registration is only valid for the time period that you selected, which is usually one year by default. After that year expires, youll need to renew your domain name to continue using it.

Some registrars hold onto your domain name for a period of time before auctioning it off. As we mentioned, NameCheap offers nearly a month grace period to renew. Most domain registrars will notify you by email at the 30- and 7-day mark before expiration, and you should think carefully before letting a renewal period lapse. Domains can be difficult to reclaim once theyve expired.

The best way to keep on top of this is to set up automatic renewals. In fact, youll often find that its set by default. In our opinion, you probably dont want to auto-renew all of your domains, but for the most important and permanent, letting your registrar handle renewals is going to save you a potential headache down the line.

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How Do I Buy A Domain Name

Congrats! You found an available name and youre ready to make it yours. Simply add the domain name to your cart and start the checkout process. During checkout, youll make some decisions like how many years youd like to register it for, if youd like to add site hosting, email, advanced security, auto-renewals, and other features.

Option : Use A Free Domain Name Registrar

You can get a free domain name from a free domain registrar, but its generally unsuitable. Especially if you want your domain to reflect a certain level of professionalism or trustworthiness.

You see, the truly free domains use uncommon extensions. For instance, youll get .tk instead of .com.

Your prospective customers would much prefer working with a domain name that reads yourbusiness.com instead of your yourbusiness.tk. Uncommon extensions are confusing for many people, and they can quickly erode trust. At a time when many people are aware of online phishing and scam schemes but dont fully understand them, having a site show up with an unfamiliar extension creates too many questions in the consumers mind.

Add to that the fact that its much easier to remember a .com than some domain extension few people have seen before, and you can see why this isnt a great option.

Plus, you dont own the domain name, which also defeats the purpose of launching a blog or a website.

However, if you do decide to take this route, you can check out Freenom and GetFreeDomain.Name.

Several domain registrars will give you a free domain in exchange for running ads on your website. There is nothing wrong with running ads, but this just isnt the best way to do it. Heres why:

If youre seriously toying with the idea of running ads on your website, Id advise you to do so through a legitimate advertising network as it can be a great source of income. Dont exchange ads for a free domain.

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