Sunday, March 24, 2024

How To Have Your Own Website Domain

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Why It Makes More Sense To Use A Hosting Service

Make Your Own Domain Extension Part 1: What’s DNS? & Installing Bind

Seeing how much of a pain in the butt it is to do this and how easy it is to use hosting services should make you wonder why anyone would want to do this.

Obviously, it can be fun to actually do this yourself and the learning experience is well worth it. Just doing this will make you understand how websites work and how hosting services host on a large scale.

When seriously considering growing a website – hosting it yourself just doesnt make much sense.

Unless you have some crazy hardware and access to energy that most people dont then you will want to use the best hosting service.

Your connections will be slower, dealing with the DNS configuration will be a perpetual pain, your electricity bill will skyrocket, and if anything breaks down it is completely on you.

It makes sense to take a look at dedicated hosting or VPS hosting instead.

How To Create A Free Website With Your Own Domain

Apart from buying a new domain name from the website builder or hosting provider, there is a possibility to connect the one you have previously owned. It doesnt matter where you have got it you can attach or transfer it to your new account, following the guidelines the system generates.

Standard plan of actions looks similar to that listed in the previous part of the article. However, there are also a few nuances you need to consider to make the domain name connection process a success.

  • Firstly, there is no need to buy a new domain from the system you work with. This eventually saves your effort, time and money.
  • Secondly, you shouldnt forget to modify the DNS settings to make the domain eligible for transfer, if needed.

Typically, youll have to log into your domain name control panel and modify the NS records for your domain according to the instructions provided by the chosen website builder or hosting provider. The entire procedure doesnt take it long and can be completed even by a newbie.

Have An Authoritative Email Address

Buying a domain isn’t just about websitesyou can also use them for email addresses. This means, instead of an address that ends with gmail.com or outlook.com, email addresses can end with a domain owned by your company.

You can read about , but it boils down to a few key points.

  • Branding. Emails look like they’re coming from your company, not from a free email service. This looks more professional.

  • Control. You can give employees an address ending with @companyname.com, which you can take control of should they leave the company.

  • Flexibility. You can point your domain to any email service, meaning you can switch email providers without having to inform all of your customers about a new email address.

Need an email host? Check out our list of .

Recommended Reading: What Domain For Personal Website

Find A Web Hosting Company

You will need to find a web hosting company to get your domain name on the internet. Most of the major internet service providers offer web hosting services. They can also provide you with multiple email addresses.

Monthly fees for web hosting vary depending on how large your website is and how many visits you get.

Why You Need A Custom Domain For Your Website

How to Publish a Website on Your Own Domain: 6 Steps

Yes, it is true that you dont necessary need a domain name for your website. In fact, there are many website builders that offer free plans with free website addresses. But these free website addresses come in the form of a sub-domain. For example, if your website builder is example.com , they may create a sub-domain called john.example.com for you to use on your website. Visitors typing in http://john.example.com will end up at your website.

The sub-domain is free and it is not owned by you, but rather by the website builder and they can create and delete any sub-domain they wish. When a website builder decides to delete a sub-domain, the website that is associated with it is deleted as well. You may say, Simple enough, Ill just build a new website on another website builder.

But you may not realize its not that simple.

When you lose your website address, you lose all your regular visitors people who bookmarked your website and return frequently for updates and new information. When they click on their bookmark link, they will end up at a browser error page.

Not to mention all the marketing work you have to do to publicize your new website and get your visitors back. It will be awhile before your website gets back to what it used to be.

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Are Domain Names With Com Always The Best

.com is the most common TLD on the planet and unless youre building a non-profit site or one thats for a business that just operates in a country , its generally the preferred choice.

That being said, sometimes you come up with a really awesome website name and the .com is taken, but the .co, .org, or .net is not.

In this case, if theres not a website on the .com you dont want to compete with another website that has it as theyll get people who want to go to your site but forget its not a .com, dont worry too much about it .co is definitely becoming more common and its fine.

Probably best to stay away from some of the more obscure TLDs like .biz and .tv for two reasons, though:

  • Some of them cost more for annual registration .
  • Some seem kind of spammy to your visitors .
  • Can I Cancel My Domain Name Registration

    Some domain name registrars will let you cancel your domain registration at any time, which lets someone else buy and register it.

    Some will say tough luck and make you just let it expire.

    In pretty much every case, though, you actually wont be able to get a refund either way.

    Thats why we recommend just getting 1 year domain name registrations to start when you get deeper in the game and have been running your site for years and know youll be around a while, go for something longer.

    When youre just getting started, you might find its your 4th website idea that really takes off, no need to hold onto those first 3 domain names.

    That being said, most of us in the web building world make buying and holding onto domain names we like a little bit of a hobby.

    Kinda like 21st century coin or stamp collecting and definitely just as nerdy.

    Also Check: Can You Use Gmail With Your Own Domain

    What Does A Websitecom Subscription Include

    With a Website.com plan, you can create a website, host your content, sell products, reach international audiences, and marketyour online presence.

    A free Website.com includes everything you need to make a free website. As your business grows, you can choose premium plans thatinclude a custom domain name, professional domain emails, multilingual capabilities, advanced ecommerce tools, and much more.

    How To Get A Domain For Free

    Should I have my own website and domain?

    If you already have hosting services, you wont be able to use this method unless youre ready to upgrade to a better plan or switch to a new host. As such, timing is an important consideration if youre set on getting a domain name for free for the next year.

    But if youre starting a website from scratch, you need web hosting services in addition to a domain name.

    So, it makes sense to bundle them together. Its an easy and affordable way to get everything you need in one transaction while saving a bit of money.

    The biggest consideration is choosing the right host for your website. So, lets talk about how to do that.

    Recommended Reading: How To Choose A Domain Name For Business

    Pay For A Premium Site Builder Plan

    Keeping in the same vein as above, youll likely notice if you build a site with Wix that you may not have to settle for the free subdomain.

    The catch? Youll need to bump up to a paid plan with your website builder.

    This may not be a worthwhile solution for some folks. Paying for a premium site builder plan is likely to not only negate the savings of a free domainitll almost certainly cost you more. Plus, whatever savings disappear after one year.

    But, if youre setting up an ecommerce site or something else that needs the enhanced features of a premium Wix or Squarespace plan anyway, this can be a way to mitigate some of that first-year expense.

    And, fortunately, even the base-level paid plans for Wix and Squarespace come with this bonus. In the case of Zyro, youll need to choose their Unleashed plan or higher. Fortunately, Zyro often slashes prices on their paid plans, too, for the first year.

    However, be very careful to research the rates at which these domains will renew. You dont want to get stuck with a bad deal that totally wipes away the savings of the first year for free and is more expensive in the end than just paying for a domain from the get-go.

    What Is A Domain Name

    Every website on the internet has an IP address. These addresses point to a websites location think of them like GPS coordinates. The IP address, which is generally a set of numbers, usually resembles something like this:

    216.27.61.137

    Unfortunately, trying to remember all of those numbers in order to navigate to a website can be challenging. Thats where domain names step in and lend a hand.

    A structure called the Domain Name System translates those IP addresses into names that are simple to remember. Those names are called domain names.

    Your website’s domain is what people enter into the address bar on their browsers to point it toward your website. In the simplest terms, if an IP address is your websites GPS coordinates, the domain is its street address. Some examples are mailchimp.com and google.com.

    When someone types a domain into a browser, it gets routed through a DNS server. That server translates the name to figure out which IP address it points to. Then it grabs the data for that website and delivers it to the browser. This process happens in a matter of seconds, letting you find and view a website fast.

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    How To Register A Domain Name For Free

    Youve heard the rumor about free domain names. Is it true?

    Yes! There are actually ways to get a free domain name for your website.

    First, you can get a free domain name for a web hosting provider such as Bluehost.

    They offer every new user a 1-year free domain with any of their hosting plans. You can either register a brand new domain name with them or transfer a domain name, registered with another company.

    Some other hosting providers who also have a 1-year free domain policy:

    • HostGator
    • Dreamhost
    • InMotion Hosting

    Note: The downside of getting a domain name from a hosting provider is more expensive renewals. After a free year, most hosting providers will charge a higher renewal fee, compared to domain registrars.

    Inmotion Hosting Best Vps Web Hosting

    HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN WEBSITE FREE

    InMotion Hosting offers both shared hosting and VPS web hosting. Both types of hosting come with a free domain as long as you sign up for a minimum of 6 months.

    VPS hosting is an excellent choice if youve outgrown shared hosting and are seeing considerable site performance issues.

    Going with VPS ensures your site loads faster and efficiently handles dynamic resource demand. Plus, you get a lot more control over your hosting environment.

    With that said, VPS hosting is a bit more expensive since youre getting more features and improved site performance.

    InMotion Hostings three-year VPS plans include:

    • 2 GB RAM $31.99 per month
    • 4 GB RAM $41.99 per month
    • 6 GB RAM $61.99 per month
    • 8 GB RAM $77.99 per month

    If youre switching from shared hosting, the introductory plan is more than enough and you can upgrade as you need more server resources.

    You can choose from monthly, six-month, one-year, two-year, and three-year agreements. However, you have to opt for at least a six-month contract to get a free domain name. But signing up for three years in advance gives you the best deal.

    InMotion Hosting also offers unmanaged VPS hosting options for developers and advanced website designers looking for even more flexibility with advanced command-line control.

    Read Also: How Much Does A Top Level Domain Cost

    How To Get A Domain Name For Your Website For Free

    Now that you are aware of two most popular options to create a website with your own domain name for free, it makes sense to provide more detailed guidelines on their application. This will help you figure out the major steps needed to start and manage a website with Wix and Bluehost as well as focus on the ways to get free domains from each of these systems.

    If you decide to give preference to using the website builder and choose Wix for this purpose, mind the following list of steps youll be expected to undergo to launch a website from scratch:

  • Sign up for the website builder, providing your login credentials. You can use either your email or social network account to register with the system.
  • Pick a Template. The website builder will offer you a list of niche-specific templates to choose from. All of them are responsive, free and customizable. As soon as you make your template choice and proceed to its editing, the system will automatically offer you to make up a free subdomain for your website. This will be enough to design the website and test the feature set of the system before publishing it.
  • Edit the Theme. There is no need to possess coding expertise to develop and edit websites with the system. Just add the required content, upload media files, edit SEO settings, integrate widgets and apps to give your project the required design.
  • Check For Trademark Infringement

    Both major and minor brands alike take issue with others using their trademarked names. Even if youve just made an innocent mistake, the legal hassle involved in a lawsuit and having to rearrange your web presence could be costly.

    You can avoid these situations by using a trademark lookup tool before you finalize your choice.

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    Collecting Credit Card Information Making Money

  • Bing Webmaster Tools
  • In general, if your site is already linked to from other websites, you may not even need to do the above.The search engines will probably find it themselves by following the links on those places.

    Apart from submitting your site to the search engines, you may also want to consider promoting it in other ways, such asannouncing it on your social media accounts, as well as inthe usual way people did things before the creation of the Internet: advertisements in the newspapers, word-of-mouth, etc.As mentioned in my article on , you can also advertise in the various search engines.Although I only mentioned Google in that article, since that was the topic of that discussion, you can alsoadvertisein other search engines like Bing.This has the potential of putting your advertisement near the top of the search engine results page, and possibly evenon other websites.

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