Start By Creating A Free Website On Weebly Then Upgrade To The Personal Plan
To take advantage of this setup, you can always start by creating a free website on Weebly. Then you opt to upgrade to the Personal plan. Youll also need to purchase a domain. Your website will then run on Weebly using your unique domain name. The features you get with a Personal Plan website are the same as those listed on the Free plan, which has the unobtrusive “Weebly-powered” logo as the footer for every page.
Check Out Free Domain Registrars
Dot TK and Freenom are domain registrars that let you obtain a domain for free. They let you search for a domain, and choose from one of five, non-cost extensions: tk, .ml, .ga, .cf, and .gq. These aren’t the suffixes you commonly see as you browse the web, so they can make your siteparticularly a business-focused siteappear sketchy, or even illegitimate. If youre whipping up a blog or personal site, this may not be a major issue, though.
Please note that you do not own these domains they are registered and owned by either Dot TK or Freenom. You’re simply given the right to use them, so you cannot sell or transfer the domain names to anyone else.
Option : Using A Free Subdomain
Several website builders offer subdomains, which is a personal domain that exists within an existing domain name.
Remember that movie Inception where Leonardo DiCaprio dreams that he is in a dream? Something similar happens here.
You end up getting a domain name within a domain name.
Site builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly offer subdomains to their users. They have a free trial as well, so if you like their services, you can purchase their premium plans that include everything you require to build, launch, and manage a professional business website.
Out of the several perks on offer like drag-and-drop site builder, web hosting, templates, and search engine optimization tools, you also get a free domain name.
But why do I still say this method is not ideal?
Lets discuss this with an example.
Imagine you use a free website builder like Wix. You wont have to pay for a domain, yes, but your side will have the Wix subdomain. Itll look something like this:
yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress
Suppose your Wix username is My Stunning Website 123, and the domain name you want is myblogsite. Heres what youll get:
Think about it: Does that look professional? Have you seen any credible website have a domain like this?
That is why Id only suggest this method if you want to experiment with your website builders free features or new updates.
The fact that your visitors wont remember your domain or find it hard to remember is another disadvantage.
Read Also: Vistaprint Domain Transfer
Wix Free Domain Offer
The Wix website builder offers a free domain to the users who buy its yearly plans. For those who dont know, Wix is a Weebly alternative site builder application with which users can create a business website, blog, eCommerce/portfolio site with a drop and drop website builder interface. Once your Wix website is ready, you can make it available to everyone with a few clicks of a button without purchasing a hosting plan from other companies. The plans of Wix start at $1.
How To Get A Free Domain Name
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To get your website online, you need a domain name. If you dont want to pay for a domain name, keep reading this post.
Your domain name is where your site lives on the internet. I use neilpatel.com, as you can see in your browser. Obviously, you want something different.
In this post, Ill walk you through how to get a free domain name that aligns with your business and establishes your brand.
There are a few different ways to go about this. Below, I outline your best options for snagging a quality domain for free and walk you through the process step by step.
Ive made this as simple as possible. Dont worry if you arent familiar with this stuff. Just follow the steps and you will have a free domain name very quickly.
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Option C: Use A Free Domain Name Registrar
You can get a domain name from a free domain registrar, but these dont come with a web hosting plan and are not suitable for business use. Why? The only truly free domains use untrustworthy-looking domain extensions, such as .tk, as opposed to a standard .com. So sure, you can save $12 per year, but a free domain like yourbusiness.tk will immediately make you appear unprofessional to prospective customers.
| PROS |
|---|
| .com extensions are not available for free |
| You dont own it |
| Often unreliable |
| More susceptible to hackers |
But First Some Valuable Information
There are a few things to consider when securing a domain name. Typically, domain names are not yours to keep indefinitely. They’re usually free for a year or two, after which the registrar will bill you for the renewal. You may also lose the domain if you use it for what the provider deems an illegal activity . In addition, nearly all registrars reserve the right to make changes to the registration agreement whenever they wish, and without notifying you. Be sure to check any prospective registrar carefully before committing.
Domain names rarely come with privacy protection. This means that your information as the domain owner is publicly available to anyone snooping around the Whois database. If youre a brick-and-mortar business and your info is already publicly available, privacy likely wont be a major concern. However, if you’re a blogger who doesn’t want your personal address available for all the internet to see, privacy protection is an important security step. Depending on the registrar you use, this can be as low as $2 per year or as high as $20 per year.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s explore the three methods for obtaining a free domain name.
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How To Get A Free Com Domain Name
Although several domain extensions are available for registration, most of the users would choose a .com domain. The reason for the same is as follows:
TLD: .com is a top-level TLD. It is one of the first TLDs that were launched. The 1st .com was registered in 1985.
Popular: .com is the most popular domain extension. Several million .coms have been registered to date.
High value: .com TLDs have a higher value. If you dont believe me, check the price of the domains on SEDO or expired domain marketplaces. If you find a cool .com TLD, you can sell it for a good price.
Although you can buy a domain from any registrar of your choice for a price between $6.99 to $20, why waste money when you can get one for free. Yes, thats right! It is possible to get a .com for free.
Get A Free Domain Name
Domain registration doesnt need to be pricey. Registration services, such as Dot TK and Freenom, offer free domain names, and they’ll get the job done provided that you dont mind a funky-looking URL extension. Web hosts, such as Hostgator and Squarespace, let you grab a free domain name, too, but with time-centric limitations. Still, if you’re on a tight budget, these no-cost domain options come in handy.
Read Also: Finding Out Who Owns A Domain
The Personal Plan Is A Good Compromise For Personal Websites And Business Websites
I’m pretty excited that I’ve found a good compromise that will work for several types of clients, including those who want personal sites for weddings and reunions or low-cost websites for sharing a hobby or creating a community group. It also works for those who just want to test the waters of a do-it-yourself website or those who will never need the full features of a more expensive Weebly plan.
Maybe it will work for you too?
I offer stress-free design and writing help to get your website launched or updated on Squarespace and Weebly. If youre struggling to get your website going for your new business or passion project, see the Services page for the types of help I offer and then take me up on a free 30-minute no-obligation consultation. Id love to hear from you. – Kerry
How To Transfer Domain To Weebly
To get started, visit the Domains page in your account and click the transfer button, then enter your domain name in the window. At this time, we can only accept .com, . net, and . org domains for transfer, but if your domain is eligible youll see a green checkmark appear.Re: transferring a domain -cost
If you want to change from a Weebly.com subdomain to a custom domain, we do charge for the custom domain. Generally speaking, they are $19.99 a year for most extensions. If you go to the Domains tab you can register and purchase the domain there.07-Oct-2018Log in to your GoDaddy Account. Click Launch next to Domains. Click Use My Domain on the domain you want to connect to your Weebly site. Click Connect to an Existing Site.18-Nov-2014There isnt a way to migrate a WordPress site to Weebly. You would need to re-build the site using the Weebly editor. If you want to have access to the App Center you will need to make sure to choose the option that you are not selling when setting up the site.10-Jun-2016
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Claim Your Free Domain
After youve completed checkout and payment, youll be taken to your Hostinger control panel, hPanel.
There, youll see front-and-center an option for claiming your free domain.
Click Claim Domain to search for your preferred domain name. Once you see it, click the purple box next to it.
Id encourage you to select a .com extension as it looks more professional and helps you appear more reliable to your visitors.
The only time that Id consider an alternative domain extension is if the .com extension is already taken and you are absolutely set on the name.
Having a .com domain is particularly important for businessessmall blogs, personal sites, and side hustles may be able to save a few bucks by going for an alternative extension.
After that, youll just have to enter some basic information to register it. Fill out the form and submit it. Hostinger will take a few minutes to verify your registration information, then send you an email which will have a link to complete the verification.
With that, youre all set on securing your free domain name!
Theres just one more thing I recommend.
Make sure to enable WHOIS protection. After youve completed verification, youll be taken to the section of your dashboard for your new domain name. Then, just look for the slider button under WHOIS Privacy and click it so it becomes purple and enabled.
Doing this will conceal your name, email, phone number, and address from appearing on a public database.
And youre done!
Pay For Your Domain With Advertising
Its possible to get a free domain name by allowing companies to place advertising on your website. This is usually in the form of banner ads that serve as clickbait. The revenue generated by users that follow links to your advertisers site generates the revenue needed to offset the price of registering your domain name.
The problem with this is three-fold. First, you have little to no control over what is advertised on your site. If you run www.modestwear.com, shoppers likely wont be impressed with banner ads for racy lingerie. Next, clickbait ads tend to slow sites down, annoying viewers who may never return to your site and finally, when visitors click ads, it takes them away from your content and you dont get a penny for the referral.
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How To Activate The Free Weebly Drag And Drop Web Site Builder
You can activate Weebly from your control panel:1. Login to the control panel for your hosting package, commonly found at http://www.yourdomainname.com/cpanel 2. Look for the Weebly Drag and Drop Sitebuilder icon under “MacHighway Services and Links” and click on it.3. Select the domain name you want to build your site under and click the “Add” button:
You will be taken to the MacHighway client area where you can select your Weebly package . We recommend you start with “Free” . Once Weebly has been activated you can return to your control panel, click on the Weebly icon, and click “Edit” next to your site:
and that’s it. You’re building your site.
How Do I Get Help with Weebly?
There is an extensive knowledgebase with tutorials and information on every feature here: If you need additional help you can create a support ticket, or if you need immediate assistance please give us a call 1-877-288-3273 or 1-540-737-3549 .
- 40 Users Found This Useful
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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How Do You Switch Domain Names
Neither one comes out on top overall, but in terms of ecommerce functionality and pricing, Weebly indeed has the edge. To summarize, Weeblys chief focus is on ease of use, while Wix offers a great deal of control over your site to the extent at which you can even create your own theme from scratch.
How To Get A Free Com Domain For 1 Year
The only way you can get a free TLD is to use a service that is offering it for free. Right now, only hosting companies bundle a free .com with their hosting plan.
Why hosting is required?
There are two ways to host a website. Buy a hosting plan or use your PC as a server. In the latter case, you should have a good knowledge of server administration, network configuration, etc. Also, youll have to take care of server software installation and configuration. If youll be launching a business website or youll monetize your site in the future, you should make sure that your PC/server is always powered on and connected to the internet. If you are a non-technical person, you should buy hosting from a reputed company that is offering a free domain. Heres the list of top-rated and trustworthy companies that provide a free domain:
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