Find out how to get a free area title
Disclosure: This content is endorsed by the reader. So if you click on some of our links we may receive a commission.
You need a solid online presence these days. The best way to achieve this is by starting a blog, website, or ecommerce store.
Before you can start this, however, you'll need a domain name, as well as other things like a web host and website builder.
But what exactly is a domain name?
Do you recognize 74,125,739,116? Probably not.
But I bet you know Google.com.
74.125.739.116 is Google's numeric IP address. Because it would be difficult to remember such complicated numbers to say the least, domain names were introduced.
A domain name is especially useful for establishing your brand.
You see, no two domain names can be exactly the same. They can be similar, but never exactly the same.
As a result, you will get the opportunity to create a distinctive online presence that is exclusive to you and your business.
Plus, you don't have to pay to register your domain! There are several ways to get a free domain name.
Your 2 minute cheat sheet
Want a quick answer on how to get a free domain name? I'll get to the point in a moment.
If you want to start a blog or start a website, you need a web hosting company. When it comes to making a choice, I suggest that you go with Bluehost.
In addition to great speed and availability reliability, the company also offers free domain names. Unlike other companies who only extend this service for as long as you are their customer, Bluehost won't take your domain name away.
In the general terms and conditions it says:
"If you are dissatisfied with your experience at Bluehost, do not lose your domain name. You can transfer it as you wish or simply move it to another location. You will retain ownership of your domain until the end of the registration period, if you do not opt for an extension. "
Talk about a company with good ethics.
Click here to create your Bluehost account. The whole process takes about 60 seconds and you have a web host as well as a free domain.
If you don't like this, you can also use a free subdomain.
This is where website builders like WordPress and Wix come in. The only catch is that instead of a .com site like mine (NeilPatel.com) you have something like your username.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress or yourdomainname.wordpress.com.
This is not an ideal situation. However, this can be a viable option if you want to experiment with free website builder features.
And that's it! If you want to find out more about how it all works, read on.
Step 1: Go to the Bluehost website
The very first thing you have to do is go to Bluehost.
Choose Hosting from the top menu bar.
You have to wonder why you shouldn't click Domains if it is a free domain that you want. This is because you don't want to bundle your hosting plan with domain registration.
In the end, you pay for your domain, which is NOT what we aim for.
Just trust the process.
Step 2: choose your hosting type
Bluehost offers you three types of hosting plans: shared hosting, dedicated hosting and VPS hosting.
Shared hosting
I would recommend shared hosting if you are a newbie just getting started.
Not only are the plans in this category cheap, but they can also serve the needs of low traffic websites quite efficiently.
It allows multiple websites to share the same server resources. This is the main reason shared hosting is so affordable, but it can also cause slow load times and performance issues.
This type of hosting is good for someone who doesn't expect high traffic and has no technical knowledge.
VPS hosting
VPS hosting stands for Virtual Private Service Hosting. This category includes plans for websites that want better performance and may offer a higher price.
The good thing about this type of hosting is that it only guarantees you useful resources. Technically, you still share a server with other websites, but you have a “virtual” server that contains dedicated resources.
You can consider this type of hosting if you expect sudden spikes in traffic.
Special hosting
Dedicated hosting gives you exclusive access to an entire server that is reserved only for your website. You don't have to share it with anyone.
Understandably, you get premium performance with this subscription – but you also have to be willing to pay the premium price.
This can be a good option if you are a large company that regularly handles high traffic. It's also great for those who want complete control over the hosting environment.
In this guide, I recommend that you choose shared hosting. However, if you prefer other plans, you can go ahead and go with these too.
Do not worry! You get a free domain with every Bluehost plan.
Step 3: choose your web hosting plan
Bluehost offers four different shared web hosting plans: Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro.
I suggest going for the basic entry-level plan as this is cheaper and better suited for beginners.
It's very budget-friendly, starting at $ 2.95 per month. However, you have to pay three years in advance if you want to receive this price. That sounds scary at first, but believe me, it's worth it.
If you are planning on setting up a larger website for your business, I would recommend the Choice Plus plan. While you have to pay more money, the added features are well worth it.
Then click on Choose under the plan you want to proceed with.
Step 4: Register your domain
After choosing a subscription, Bluehost will ask you to set up your domain.
You have two options here:
- Create a new domain
- Use a domain you own
Choose "Create a new domain"Possibility. This way you can search for available domains.
Enter the domain you want to buy in the search bar and choose your domain extension. Your options include:
- .com
- .Network
- .blog
- .Sector
- .the information
- .Business
- .co
- .us
… you get the drift.
I encourage you to choose a .com extension as it will look more professional and will help you appear more reliable to your visitors.
I would only consider an alternate domain extension if the .com extension is already taken and you are absolutely committed to the name.
The other reason you might consider an alternative domain extension is if the domain is no longer in your budget. In all fairness there are a lot of extensions that are cheaper than a .com domain, but sometimes it is worth the extra money.
Otherwise .com is the best choice.
A .com domain is especially important for businesses – small blogs, personal websites, and sideline activities can potentially save a few bucks here.
Step 5: close the deal
After you've chosen an available domain name, all you need to do is create your Bluehost account and set your plan terms.
Pay careful attention to the Package Extras section. You don't need everything you see, but make sure you enable the Domain Privacy + Protection option.
This will prevent your name, email address, telephone number and address from being displayed in a public database. The $ 0.99 a month is worth it to keep hackers away if you ask me!
And you are done!
You now have an excellent hosting plan and a free domain. If you haven't started already, start at Bluehost now.
Other methods
For completeness, I will also discuss two other ways to get a free domain. While I don't recommend them, it's always good to know all of the options.
Option 1: Use a free subdomain
Several website builders offer subdomains. This is a personal domain that is present in an existing domain name.
Do you remember the movie Inception, in which Leonardo DiCaprio dreams that he is in a dream? Something similar happens here.
In the end, you will get a domain name within a domain name.
Site builders like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly offer subdomains to their users. They also have a free trial. So, if you like their services, you can purchase their premium plans which have everything you need to build, start, and maintain a professional business website.
You also get a free domain name from the various benefits offered such as drag and drop site builders, web hosting, templates, and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools.
But why am I still saying that this method is not ideal?
Let's discuss this using an example.
Imagine using a free website builder like Wix. You don't have to pay for a domain, yes, but your site will have the Wix subdomain. It will look something like this:
yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress
For example, let's say your Wix username is "My Stunning Website 123" and the domain name you want is myblogsite. Here's what you get:
Think about it: does this look professional? Have you seen a credible website have such a domain?
For this reason, I would only recommend this method if you want to experiment with your website builder's free features or new updates.
Hostinger and WordPress are your other options, and luckily, neither are as invasive as Wix.
- The format for a free WordPress subdomain is: yourdomainname.wordpress.com
- The format for a free Hostinger subdomain is: example.000webhostapp.com
This is a good option for situations where there is no money to be had, but it is not a viable long-term strategy. You want your domain name to be memorable and short. Both are not possible if you are using a subdomain.
Another disadvantage is the fact that your visitors will not remember your domain or will find it difficult to remember.
Option 2: use a free domain name registrar (not recommended)
I am discussing this option for the sake of completeness of this article and would not recommend it.
You can get a domain name from a free domain registrar, but it is still unsuitable.
You see, the really free domains use untrustworthy looking extensions. For example, you will get .tk instead of .com. Your prospects would prefer to work with a domain name that is yourbusiness.com instead of yourbusiness.tk.
While it's completely free, it looks unprofessional, untrustworthy, and is even vulnerable to hackers. Plus, you don't own a domain name, which also defeats the purpose of starting a blog or website.
However, if you choose to go this route, you can check Freenom, GetFreeDomain.Name, and Dot TK.
Several domain registrars offer you a free domain in exchange for showing ads on your website. There's nothing wrong with running ads, but this isn't the best way to do it.
You have no control over the ads (the types of ads played, length, etc.) or their placement. As a result, your visitors may not have the best experience on your website. This can even damage your SEO ranking.
Even if you look at the situation from a more optimistic perspective, it is not feasible.
Let's say you succeed in driving high traffic to your website and the ads get a million views. You won't get a single penny from these ads – you just get a free domain.
Not fair trade, is it?
If you are serious about playing with the idea of running ads on your website, I recommend doing it through a legitimate advertising network as it can be a great source of income. Don't exchange ads for a free domain.
Important: Don't forget to renew your domain!
Domains expire. This could take a year, two years, or three years depending on the package you purchased.
Setting up a website or blog is hard work. They put a lot of effort into finding the perfect URL, designing a website, and posting relevant content on it, among other things to rank high and attract customers.
Imagine the horror when you get up to find that a random stranger has bought it. The reason? You forgot to renew your domain.
Tragic.
Because of this, you need to understand the importance of renewing your domain. Many people have made this mistake in the past and it has cost them dearly.
For example, during one presidential election cycle, Jeb Bush and his team forgot to renew their JebBush.com domain, which Donald Trump had successfully bought and redirected Bush's visitors to his own presidential election website. It was a stellar business move by Trump, but a disaster that Bush's team could easily have averted.
Make sure the domain renewal is marked on your calendar a month in advance. You can also renew your domain automatically for security reasons.
Conclusion
Bluehost is the best way to get a free domain name – one you don't have to give up even if you switch web hosts. The other option is to use a subdomain with the help of reliable and reputable web builders like WordPress and Wix.
In a matter of seconds, you will receive a reliable web hosting service and a new domain for free. Trust me, saving a few dollars isn't worth the effort of looking unprofessional, running a spam website, or getting hacked.