How To Buy A Domain Name With Bluehost
Bluehost is a web hosting provider. In fact, they are one of the most reputable and reliable web hosts on the market today. More than two million sites across the globe are hosted by Bluehost.
But Bluehost also provides domain registration services. If you use Bluehost for web hosting, youll get a free domain name for one year.
Since you need a hosting plan anyways, you can use Bluehost as a one-stop-shop to bundle hosting and domain registration into a single package. This is a great option for beginners starting a new website from scratch.
Domain Name Shopping Tips
Before you even consider buying a domain name, you need to do some research to get the best option possible at a fair price.
Below are three tips you can use when shopping for a domain name.
- Do keyword research and find trendy topics. If you havent decided on a name yet, its a good idea to do keyword research for the most popular keywords in your industry. It will provide you with fresh ideas about the domain name you want.
- Dont be afraid of unique extensions and subdomains. Your domain name doesnt have to start with www. and end with .com. Instead, you can replace them with something unique and trendy, opting for a domain name like shop.mydomain.com or www.mydomain.store. This will make your domain more memorable and unique.
- If possible, purchase common typos of your domain:Did you know that people commonly misspell amazon.com as amazn.com? Or google.com as gogle.com? But it doesnt matter, because both companies have bought those incorrectly spelled domains and set them up to redirect to their correct domain. You can do that too. Its a small investment that may bring in valuable traffic.
Now, lets take a look at how you can buy a pre-owned domain name.
Trusted The World Over
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Namecheap has been a trusted partner for our critical domain names. As we continue to grow, we know we can always count on them.
Dylan Field, Co-founder and CEO, Figma
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We’ve been using Namecheap for all our domains for years, and have always been able to count on them. Their technology just works, and their support is phenomenal. Highly recommended!
Alan Schaaf, founder and CEO, Imgur
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With a high value domain name like Privacy.com, it’s important to use a registrar that you trust. We can sleep at night knowing that Namecheap is keeping our asset secure.
Bo Jiang, CEO, Privacy.com
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Namecheap has quickly become our default registrar for the various domain names we use as part of our Buffer offering. A clear and intuitive dashboard combined with wide support across a number of top-level domains and a responsive team add up to an unbeatable experience.
Colin Ross, Engineering Manager, Buffer
Frequently asked questions
Above all else, we strive to deliver outstanding customer experiences. When you buy a domain name from Namecheap, we guarantee it will be handed over to you with superior standards of service and support. Our primary goal is to build a customer-focused atmosphere filled with the happiest customers in the galaxy. The Namecheap guarantee is our mark of excellence.
Products might be the same, but every customer is different. Thats why we tailor our deals to suit as many people as possible. So you get exactly what you need, for less.
Still have questions?
Also Check: How To Change Ownership Of Domain Name
How To Register A Domain Name With Hostgator
Next, well explain how to get a domain name on HostGator. Part of the same group as Bluehost, it offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder and feature-rich web hosting services.
The first step to buying a domain name on HostGator is to open the Domains page on their website. Insert a domain name and on the search field and press the Enter key.
If the domain is unavailable, pick a recommended alternative with a different domain extension or name variation.
The cost for a .com domain at HostGator is similar to Bluehost, starting from $12.95/year. Bundling the item with a privacy and protection feature is also possible, costing $14.95/year. Pick between one, two, or a three-year registration period, then click Continue To Checkout.
Now, create a HostGator account and fill in your billing information. HostGator has two payment options credit card and PayPal.
Before finalizing the purchase, HostGator will preview the order. Here, you can set custom nameservers to point the domain name to a third-party hosting account if desired. Click Place Your Order once everything looks right.
Finally, HostGator will send a domain ownership validation request to your registered email address. Remember to click on the link within 15 days to prevent the domain from temporary suspension.
Besides the steps above, HostGator also offers a domain name registration service via their support team. However, this alternative method is only applicable to certain TLDs.
Consider What Do You Do And Where You Do It
Your domain name should be indicative of your venture. To start, list out the following information to get a better idea of what you can possibly incorporate in your domain:
- Business industry
- Geographic location
- Words that describe your business
Use that list to brainstorm a variety of short, memorable and representative domain names. Be sure to check out industry- and geo-specific domain extensions including .catering and .nyc.
Also Check: Can I Transfer My Domain Name
Dreamhost Best WordPress Hosting
DreamHost is another web hosting service provider that offers a free domain name. Like some other web hosting companies, DreamHost also offers both regular shared web hosting and WordPress-specific hosting.
Regardless of which option you go for, youll receive a 97-day money back guarantee, along with unlimited storage and bandwidth.
The shared web hosting offerings are straightforward and easy to understand. You can pick from two packages: the shared starter and the shared unlimited.
Both packages come with a free domain as long as you sign up for a minimum of one year.
The starter package is $2.59 per month with a three-year web hosting plan and $3.95 per month with a one-year plan. If you need email, however, its an additional charge at $1.67 per month.
The unlimited package, which includes email, costs $4.95 per month for both the three-year and one-year plans.
If you prefer dedicated WordPress web hosting, there are three plans to choose from. The WordPress Basic plan is $2.59 per month with a three-year hosting sign up.
The DreamPress plan is $16.95 per month for a three-year term. The VPS for WordPress plan is $27.50 per month if you sign up for three years.
VPS stands for virtual private server. This means your site will be hosted on its own server rather than grouped with other sites. Because the site is managed on a single, dedicated server, it tends to be faster and more responsive.
Tips For Choosing A Registrar
Determine which services you require
You may want services like email hosting or support offered in French, so find out what each registrar offers. Remember, if you registered your .CA domain name as an individual you have free WHOIS privacy protection already included.
Check references
Seek out customer reviews and testimonials, and ask friends or colleagues for a recommendation. You may find that some registrars come highly recommended by your peers. If you make a mistake, you can always transfer your .CA domain to another registrar.
Shop around
Shop around to get a good understanding of how much your domain name, and additional services, will cost. Registrars may offer bundles, packages, or special promotions. Keep in mind that cheapest isnt always necessarily best.
Also Check: What Is Web Hosting Vs Domain
How To Get A Free Com Domain Name In 2020
Nowadays, you may see a bunch of blogs or YouTube videos telling ways to get a free .com domain name.
The sad reality is there are very less chances of getting a free .com domain without spending something.
If you want to get a free .com domain name, you have to spend money on hosting. And then, you can expect free .com domain.
But remember! Not all web hosting companies offer a free .com domain.
Dont worry, Im here to show you the best way to get a free domain name.
The Best Domain Registrar: How We Choose Them
- Pricing structures can be complicated. A low headline figure could become expensive on renewal, for instance. Prices vary between domain extensions, too, so a registrar that offers great value for a .com domain might give you a poor deal on when it comes to .org.
- There may be extra costs for tasks like transferring your domain to another registrar, too. Read the small print before you sign up.
- Look for any bundled or optional extras. A Whois privacy service prevents your address, phone number and email address appearing as public contact details for the domain, something which could otherwise get you a significant amount of spam email and phone calls. We’ve seen this cost as much as $11.20 a year, but several registrars provide it for free.
- Many domain registrars offer hosting as an extra, but keep in mind that web hosting companies can also register domains. If you have an idea of which web host you’d like to use, check the details of its plans: you may be able to register a domain for free when you buy hosting, and that’s often the cheapest option.
- Finally, take a look at the support a registrar offers. You may never need any help at all, but if anything critical crops up maybe an issue which might cause a problem with renewal it’s important that your provider is on hand to ably assist.
- Balancing all these priorities can be tricky, so that’s why we’ve created this list of top domain registrars to help point you in the right direction.
Also Check: How To Figure Out Who Owns A Domain
How Can I Get A Free Domain For Com
You only need to register for any of the web hosting plans that offer a free domain name. However, make sure the value is enough for you to buy the .com TLD.For example, if you sign up for Hostingers Premium or Business shared hosting plans, you will get a free domain for one year with the value equivalent of a .com TLD.
Communicate With Your Clients
Its vital to prepare your clients for the change. Whether you choose to change your domain name after purchase, or months later, assess every point of contact email, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and be sure to regularly communicate before the big switch.
Tell them why youre changing, engage with them. This will help to calm your loyal customers and keep them trusting you as a brand.
Read Also: How To Create A Domain Email With Gmail
Bluehost Web Hosting With Free Domain
Bluehost is one of the oldest web hosting companies, which belongs to Endurance International Group.
EIG is the group that runs over 20 largest web hosting services across the globe.
To get a free domain name from Bluehost, go to hosting > choose $3.95/month plan.
Once you select a plan, you will be redirected to the domain selection page. From there, you can select your domain name for free.
If the domain name is available, you will be able to get it. If not, you will have to look for alternatives.
After domain name selection, fill up the basic account information. Now Choose your billing terms. It could be for 12, 24, or even 36 months.
As you increase the duration, the price would decrease.
Before you make it to the final payment page, you will get an extra package page. If you want any of those services, you may get them. In case if you lack budget, you may just untick everything and move forward to the final payment page.
Namecheap: Cheap Prices Decent Service
NameCheap is as cheap as the name suggests. They offer great deals starting at just $8.88 for most .com domains, with some more obscure extensions even being under a dollar. Their DNS isnt bad either, offering free WhoIs protection and a robust DNS provider thats easy to manage and transfer.
They have a bulk search option that lets you search up to 50 domain names at once, so if you have a whole list of ideas, you can enter them all in, see which ones might be taken, and check the prices for different TLDs.
They do offer managed WordPress hosting through EasyWP, though its probably best to go with a better WordPress provider and forward the domain to that site.
Image Credits: Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock
Also Check: What Is My Google Apps Domain
Our Top Recommendations For Getting A Free Domain
If youre looking for an all-in-one website builder, a Wix paid plan is the best way to get a free domain name. However, if you want to go the self-hosted route, Hostinger and DreamHost are excellent choices for most users.
Equipped with your free domain and affordable web hosting, you have everything you need to get your new website up and running in no time.
How To Buy A Domain Name For Less Than You Think
Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.
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.
Read Also: How Much Should I Offer For A Domain Name
Managing Editor Techradar Pro
Désiré has been musing and writing about technology in a career spanning four decades. Following an eight-year stint at ITProPortal.com where he discovered the joys of global techfests, Désiré now heads up TechRadar Pro. He has an affinity for anything hardware and staunchly refuses to stop writing reviews of obscure products or cover niche B2B software-as-a-service providers.
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.
Also Check: Can You Change A Domain Name On WordPress