How To Get A Domain Name For Free
Domain Name – When you’re building a website, there are a number of steps you need to take. The first thing to do is to acquire a domain name.
All websites require a domain name. You’re going to want to choose something that is unique and represents your brand. It should also be easy to remember.
Once you come up with a domain name, you need to do some research to ensure another website is not already using it. You also need to decide what domain name extension you’re going to use. For example .com, .ca, .org, etc.
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How To Get a Domain Name for Free
When building a website, there are some costs you can’t avoid, like web hosting. Fortunately, there are several ways to get a domain name for free.
The first way to get a free domain is to use a free domain registrar such as Freenom. This will give you a domain with a .tk extension. However, despite being free, it’s not really a great choice if you’re looking for a domain for a business website because .tk doesn’t look trustworthy or professional.
The second option is to get a free domain through a web hosting plan. Every website needs a web host, and many hosting providers include a free domain with their plans. For instance, GreenGeeks offers a free domain with VPS hosting.
The third option is to acquire a free domain name with an all-in-one site builder plan.
Let’s review these options in a bit more detail.
Use a Free Domain Name Registrar
Free domain registrars do exist, but they really aren’t suitable for business use. This is because they use sketchy-looking extensions like .tk instead of standard ones like .com. So although you’re saving $12 a year, you’re going to look untrustworthy and unprofessional to your prospective customers.
However, if this is the way you want to go, here are three free domain name providers you can use:
- Freenom
- Dot TK
- GetFreeDomain.Name
That being said, if your budget is so tight that there’s no way you can proceed except to use a free domain, we suggest considering a subdomain instead. A subdomain, like yourwebsite.wordpress.com or yourwebsite.wix.com, will look more credible than yourwebsite.tk because people know WordPress and Wix. Plus, both are free to use. Using a WordPress or Wix subdomain is a great way to get your website started. Then, once you’ve acquired some revenue and can extend your budget, you can simply transfer over to a WordPress web hosting plan or a premium Wix plan.
Get a Domain Name with a Web Hosting Plan
Unless you use a subdomain for your website, you will need to get a web host for your site. Fortunately, web hosts generally offer plans that include a free domain name. This is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. Additionally, you will get a professional and credible-looking extension, and you will own the domain outright.
Acquire a Free Domain Through a Site Builder Plan
A good option for building a website quickly and efficiently is to use a site builder like Squarespace, Weebly, or Wix. These sites usually offer a free trial, so you can see whether you like the setup and if you do, their plans generally start around $12 a month. This price includes everything you need to create, launch and manage a professional-looking business website. In general, these plans come with a drag-and-drop site builder, templates, search engine optimization tools, web hosting, and top of all, a free domain name.
Conclusion
While it’s possible to get a completely free domain name, this option will make your site appear less professional and trustworthy to users because of the unfamiliar .tk extension. Therefore, we recommend choosing a web hosting plan that includes a free [domain name. Alternatively, there are various site builder plans that include web hosting and free domain names.
Reference: Tockhop