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.
Get A Free Domain Using Website Builder Platforms
We discussed getting the free domain with hosting plans in the previous section. Here is another way to get a domain name for free with website building platform. Many websites are building platforms like Wix for blogs or eCommerce sites, Shopify and many more.
All these All-in-one website building platforms offer tremendous benefits and support to website builders during their development and management journey.
Many beginners don’t know about the all-in-one web builder platforms.
So what is a website builder platform?
The all-in-one website building platform is a way to support developers who have minimal knowledge of coding. Moreover, it makes the process easy that no one needs to do the manual coding during the construction of their website.
Typically website builders fall into two primary categories. One is by the web hosting companies who offer all the proprietary tools, and the other is by the developer companies like Wix.com. The developing support from hosting services is enough for making the private sites.
But when you want to build a professional website, website builders services are preferable.
Wix.com is a cheap website builder software that offers ease to users with the combination of powerful features and continuous support.
Usually, it comes with premium plans to get the free domain name. So if you already have the basic or free plan of wix.com, then move towards the premium plans that offer domain name registration.
Step 2: Click on the premium plans.
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 you do get will 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.
Also Check: Can I Use My Domain Name With Wix
How To Register Your Website’s Domain Name
When you register a domain name for your site, you make it a lot easier for people to find you, ensuring that you reap the branding and marketing benefits of having an online presence.
A domain name is the address that visitors type into their browser address bar to arrive at your website. It replaces an IP address: a random, unique string of numbers that specifies where your sites files are located. While a website domain can be an investment, you can also find one for free, especially if you purchase it with hosting.
In this post, youll learn everything you need to know about registering your websites domain name either for free or for a low cost.
Evaluation Criteria For The Best Free Website Hosting Platforms
When you think about free website hosting, what are the first things that you look for? Is it the uptime, or perhaps the domain name?
Different people look for different things when it comes to free or cheap website hosting. However, there are a few key factors that a free hosting platform should possess for it to be functional and useful to the people that are going to use it. Ive taken the courtesy to pick and choose these essential free web hosting features, and Ill briefly go over them for your convenience.
These are some of the main, essential criteria that you should be looking for in free hosting sites. If anyone of these points fails – the site probably isnt worth your attention, especially when theres a wide variety of different free web hosting sites to choose from.
Additionally, it is important to mention that you shouldnt neglect the secondary features of free website hosting, either. Smaller things like disc space and customer support are very important and can add up in the bigger picture!
With all of that said, lets move on to the actual reviews of some of the best free web hosting sites available. Ill tell you mine experiences with the free hosting sites in this tutorial, and then evaluate each one of them according to the criteria provided above. In the end, Ill let you make up your mind if these free hosting platforms are worth your time or not. After all, it all boils down to what exactly you are looking for in web hosting .
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The Best Domain Registrars Of 2022
At the top of our best domain registrar list and perfect for small and medium businesses, Domain.com offers some of the most popular domains across over 25 country codes, and also sells premium domains as a broker.
With nearly two decades of online presence, the company – which is one of the worlds biggest domain name registrars – expanded in web hosting and now ranges a number of products including a full design service and web hosting.
Domain.com prices tend to be average but we have managed to blag a 25% discount off almost everything in your cart*. Non-premium TLD start from $2.99 for the first year . In line with the rest of the industry, they rise significantly after the second year).
You need to pay for privacy protection, a reasonable $8.99, plus you can add email, web hosting, SSL certificates and malware protection, none of which is compulsory. You can stick with its basic website builder which is free with every domain: you get a drag and drop website builder, tons of mobile-friendly templates, up to six pages, SEO tools , Paypal integration and even access to stock image library.
Support is more than adequate with 24/7 chat, email and phone support. Domain.com may not have the cheapest prices but it provides a very balanced offering.
Bluehost also gives you the option of auto-renewal, which saves you the trouble of manually renewing your website domain and ensures that there are no accidental lapses which could lead to the name being poached.
Read our
Whats The Difference Between Domain Extensions
Arguably, the most popular domain extension is .com, but other TLDs include .net, .org, .edu and .gov. There are literally hundreds more from which you can choose, and the less popular extensions are usually less expensive, with a few exceptions. The popularity of .io and .co has skyrocketed recently, so theyre pricier.
Some extensions are restricted and you cant purchase them unless you meet certain requirements. Restricted extensions include .edu and .gov. Overall, all extensions work the same. The .com extension is preferable because its easy to remember.
Also Check: How To Find Expired Domains With Backlinks
What Are The Pros Of A Free Domain
There are a few advantages of using free domain names, which is why its a popular option, especially amongst startups and small businesses. A free domain has the following pros:
- A free domain costs nothing, so for a small business or entrepreneur that wants to have an online presence with low cost, this is a viable option
- These are suitable for events, competitions and other similar activities which only require a website for the duration of the event
- Its often possible to find tropical domain names, ending with .tk for example, which would be extremely expensive or unavailable for .com or other popular domain extensions
Tips For Choosing A Domain Name
Because .com is so popular, you may have difficulty finding your business name available as a .com. You can try one of the more obscure extensions, such as .info, .store, .shop or any other of the hundreds available. If youre set on getting a .com, though, consider using modifications on your business name.
Lets assume ghostlycastle.com is not available, and then try these changes:
- Add articles, such as a the or an
- Try adding another word to your domain
- Possibly include a hyphen
Disclaimer: Its worth noting that many of the domain registrars we include in our list of the best domain name registrars are subsidiaries of Endurance International Group , including Bluehost, HostGator, Domain.com and BuyDomains. The fact that theyre all under one umbrella should not affect the service you receive for domain registration, but its good to know.
Read Also: Is This Domain Name Taken
Choose A Web Hosting Plan
After selecting a domain registrar that offers free domain names along with their paid hosting plans , all you need to do is select a web hosting plan. Each web host offers a variety of different packages and feature sets, along with varying levels of customer support and additional helpful resources.
Small businesses should opt for shared hosting packages, which are cheaper and more than sufficient for lower levels of traffic. Shared hosting means a single servers resources can be shared by multiple websites. Larger sites with high visitor traffic should opt for a Virtual Private Server , or dedicated hosting, where a single server is dedicated to a single website.
Find A Domain Name Registrar
The non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers oversees the entire system of domain names, and it allows outside companies, called domain registrars, to sell and manage domain names. You will need to register your domain name through a registrar.
Some of the most popular domain registrars include GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Domain.com, although there are many more to choose from. Be sure to carefully consider pricing and policies for each one before choosing your domain registrar, as it will be managing your domain name.
Recommended Reading: Can Someone Steal Your Domain Name
What Is Domain Name Hosting
When you buy a domain name, you are purchasing the right to use that name exclusively for a certain predetermined length of time. On the back end, your domain name host will register that domain name using the Domain Name System , so that you can use it for websites, email, or other domain services.
Domain name hosts usually offer more than just domain name registration services. Many of them will offer hosting for websites as well as domain names. They will also provide data storage services and security features to protect your domain name from theft.
The most common way to use your domain name is for a website, but many hosts also allow you to use it for one or multiple email addresses, or to forward users to another domain.
Domain name hosts typically offer technical support, since you might need their help to set up security features for your site, connect a website builder, or do some other technical task.
Free Web Hosting: My Verdict
Although free web hosting can be good for you for short term project work, you cannot use them for long term serious projects.
In my experience, although these services may be free, to get them to work would really take up your valuable time.
In such a case, paying just a dollar /month to get a solid hardware configuration, prompt customer support, would really help you get the best value for your time and money.
Bottomline: If you want to save hours of frustration, rework, just go for a $2.95/month BlueHost Shared Hosting. You will thank me for this. Period.
Free Web Hosting Sites FAQs
Wix is so far the best option to rely upon if looking for a free web hosting site. Other sites offering free web hosting are SITE123, 000webhost, EzyWebs, etc.
Hosting a website in a pocket-friendly manner is always top choice. Bluehost is one of the best cheap web hosting sites starting at $2.95/Month offering 1 website, free domain for 1st year, free SSL Certificate and 50 GB SSD storage.
Wix is free with a lot many templates but has a limitation of 500 MB storage, no email account and a sub domain. But if you want to upgrade services, pricing starts from $13/Month for personal use or freelancers and $23/Month for Business/Enterprise.
Free WordPress hosting consists of wordpress as a sub-domain. WordPress hosting service starts with $3/Month to include free customized domain name for a year.
Not all, there are web hosting sites like SITE123, Biz.nf, Jimdo, etc that are ads-free.
Read Also: Can You Buy A Edu Domain
Buying Guide What To Look For In A Free Web Hosting Service
There are lots of things to keep in mind as you browse free and almost-free web hosting services. Lets break each of the major factors down one-by-one.
Hosting Types
Of course, your hosting type is possibly the most important factor to consider. Remember, all free hosting services will be shared, meaning youll have pretty low resources like bandwidth, storage space, and the like.
This will limit your ability to grow your site and the maximum number of visitors you can have per month.
Almost-free web hosting has more freedom. You can find shared, VPS, and even dedicated server hosting depending on where exactly you look. These are almost always better choices since youll get greater bandwidth, more storage space, and extra bonuses like free SSL certification.
If you run a WordPress site, keep an eye out for managed WordPress hosting. This is a unique type of web hosting specifically formatted for WordPress sites.
It includes management of your server and site and is a popular choice for business owners that need to focus more on big picture stuff rather than keeping their site up-to-date with the latest security patch.
Regular WordPress hosting is pretty similar without the management, but it still includes a lot of WordPress-specific goodies and bonuses, like plug-in functionality or faster download speeds for certain types of media.
Bandwidth and Storage
Domain Name Policies
Bonus Features
Control Panel
Sitey Websitebuildercom Sitebuildercom Triple Dj Vu
This is a bit of an odd company: they use three different brands that sell exactly the same site creator. And we couldnt find any company details as there is no about page on either of the three websites . At first glance Sitey & Co. looks pretty sweet: they offer a vast number of flawless templates. Once you get to the editor youll start to notice some similarities to another well-known player: Wix. Everything is really similar . However, we see little reason not to opt for the original. The free plan is limited to 5 pages only and their paid plans are all more expensive than Wixs.
Free Trial: sitey.com
Read Also: Where Do You Buy Website Domain
What Is A Domain Registrar
A domain registrar is a service that sells domain names. When you register a domain name, you dont really own it, rather you rent or lease it, which is why you have to renew your domain name every year or term. There are some add-on services you should know about before you choose a domain registrar.
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.
Originally published Jun 20, 2022 7:00:00 AM, updated June 23 2022
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What Are The Cons Of A Paid Domain
Drawbacks of paid domain name registration are as follows:
- Once a paid domain has been purchased, retaining ownership of that domain requires paying an annual fee. Depending on the host and traffic to that domain, it can get quite expensive.
- A paid domain can be very expensive if opting for a popular domain name that is short, memorable, and highly sought after. Such domain names are often sold at auction for large sums.
Whats The Best Way To Get A Free Domain Name
The best way to get domain names for free is through other services your business needs, such as web hosting. For example, Bluehost includes a free domain and five free email addresses with purchase of its $2.95 per month hosting plan. Select a hosting plan, follow the prompts to search for a domain, select an available domain, and buy web hosting. Learn more about the process with our step-by-step instructions for business domain name registration.
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