When you’re starting a business or building a new website, there are a lot of initial costs, like purchasing web hosting, getting a professional site design, and more. It can start to get expensive, fast, if you’re not careful.
That’s why many people start searching for a free domain name. As you’ll learn in this post, there are a few common ways you can get a free domain name for your new website.
Whether you’re on a budget and looking for the best deal possible, or simply want a new domain for a side project you’re launching, we’ll show you how to get a free domain name step by step.
Table of Contents
What is a Domain Name?
We’ll start at the very beginning. A domain name is the address for your website on the internet, like “supporthost.com”. It’s how people find and navigate to your website, and it’s an essential part of your brand.
There are a variety of domain name extensions (or top-level domains) available, like .com, .org, .net, .co.uk, .it, and many more. Choosing the right domain name extension is also an important part of your domain name. For example, some domain name extensions are associated with spam websites, like “.biz” and “.info”, while others represent countries like “.it”, “.co.uk”, and more.
Getting a domain name also gives you the ability to create a custom email address like “[email protected]” and can offer SEO benefits as well. Since people are much more likely to link out to and trust a professional domain name over a subdomain (more on this below).
When choosing a domain name, it’s important that the name is memorable, easy to spell, and either is or a close reflection of your brand name.
As you’ll learn below, there are some limits to certain types of free domain names, and they don’t offer the same level of customization. But they still make sense in certain situations.
Now that you have a better understanding of what a domain name is let’s show you how you can get one for free.
How to Get a Free Domain Name
Below, you’ll learn the three main ways you can get a free domain name for your new website or side project.
Let’s get into it!
1. Getting a Free Domain Name with Hosting
We’ll start with the best solution for getting a free domain name: purchasing website hosting that includes a free domain name.
If you haven’t signed up for web hosting yet, then this is the best option to get a free domain name. When you sign up for hosting, every provider will ask if you want to register a new domain name or connect an existing domain name to your new hosting plan.
However, a lot of hosting providers also run offers that include a free domain name when you sign up for hosting.
But, there are some important distinctions. A lot of hosting providers offer a free domain name, but only for the first year. After that, you’ll need to pay for the domain name, and the renewal fee can sometimes be incredibly high.
Plus, not all hosting plans include a free domain name. Usually, you’ll need to sign up for one of the higher-priced plans to get the free domain name.
So, when you choose a hosting plan that includes a free domain name, here’s what ends up happening.
In year one, you pay $79 for hosting and a free domain name. But, in year two, this will increase, so you’re paying $79 for hosting and $14.99 for the domain name.
Luckily, you can get around these sneaky price increases by signing up for a SupportHost hosting plan. All you need to do is sign up for a hosting plan for at least one year and you get a free domain name forever.
When you sign up, you can choose between any of the following domain name extensions: .com, .it, .eu, .us, .de, .fr, .ch, .es, .li, .be, .cc, .nl, and .ro.
The free domain forever offer includes any of the following hosting plans:
- Shared Hosting
- CMS Hosting (WordPress, WooCommerce, Drupal, Joomla, and PrestaShop)
- LiteSpeed Hosting
- Semi-dedicated Hosting
- Reseller Hosting
- LiteSpeed reseller Hosting
With both of the Magento and VPS hosting plans (managed and unmanaged) the free domain is only included for the first year.
Overall, purchasing a SupportHost hosting plan gets you a free domain name forever. If you’re looking for a free professional domain, then this is the best way to do it.
2. Getting a Free Subdomain with a Website Builder
A lot of website builders offer free subdomains when you sign up with a free plan to build a website. To build the site, you’ll get assigned a free subdomain that you can associate with the new site you’re building.
Subdomains are a little bit different than your standard domain name. For example, instead of having the URL “https://yourwebsite.com” it will be something like “yourwebsite.wordpress.com”.
Some common examples include:
- “yoursite.wordpress.com”
- “accountname.wixsite.com/yourdomain”
- “sitename.weebly.com”
Note that when you use a free subdomain, it’s tied to that tool or platform, and it cannot be transferred to another host. Plus, when you’re using a website builder on a free plan, then the features will be limited, and the platform may place ads on your site.
It can be an easy way to get a website online quickly without having to pay for a domain. But, long term, it’s going to be difficult to build a business or improve your SEO and get more traffic to a site that’s using a shared subdomain.
Although these domains are free, they can be difficult to build a brand around in the long-term and should be thought of as a short-term solution only.
3. Getting a Free Domain Name From a Registrar
Across the web, you’ll see people recommending using free domain registrars to get a free domain name. For example, the domain name registrar Freenom offered free domains for the .ml, .tk,. .ga, .cf, and .gq extensions. These are country-code domain name extensions for smaller countries. However, the domains have been abused by scammers and spammers in the past, and all registration for the domains has been suspended.
In fact, Freenom announced earlier this year that they’ve gotten out of the domain registration business due to a lawsuit. At the time of writing, the website is currently running. However, you’re unable to register any domains through the service.
Ultimately, if you’re thinking of using a domain registrar to register a free domain, just know that this can harm your reputation online if the domain extension is generally used for spam, scamming, and other nefarious activities.
What to Do After You Get a Free Domain
Once you get a free domain name, it’s time to put it to use. Here are the three things you need to do to get started:
1. Connect your domain to your hosting provider
If you purchased SupportHost hosting with a free domain, you’re already good to go. However, if you acquired a free domain using a different method, then you’ll need to connect your domain name to your hosting provider.
To do this you’ll need to point your domain name to the nameservers of your hosting server. If you’re unsure how to do this, extensive documentation will be available with your hosting provider.
2. Build and customize your new website
With your domain connected to your hosting provider, it’s time to start building your website. There are a few different options depending on the type of hosting you’re using. For example, if you’re using CMS hosting, you can use a WordPress or WooCommerce theme or a Joomla or Drupal template. Those on the Shared or LiteSpeed plans can also take advantage of the one-click cPanel installations to get a site up and running quickly.
3. Connect an email address to your domain
Depending on the type of free domain you have, you may also want to create an email account for your domain name. This will be an email address like “[email protected]”. Depending on your hosting provider this will either be included in your plan or available as an add-on.
If you want your business to be taken seriously, this is an important step since having a Gmail or even Yahoo email address won’t get you very far and can seem unprofessional.
Free Domain FAQs
What’s the best way to get a free domain?
The best way to get a free domain is to purchase a hosting plan with SupportHost that includes a free domain. This is one of the only ways to get a free domain name that you don’t have to pay for after the first year. This is the most affordable way to get a domain name, along with high-performance hosting, to get your site off the ground.
Can I get a .com domain for free?
Yes, you can get a free .com domain name when you sign up for a SupportHost hosting plan that includes a free domain.
What happens if you cancel the hosting that the free domain is associated with?
Ultimately, it depends on your hosting provider, but the end result will be similar. If you purchased a hosting plan with SupportHost and have a free domain, then there are two options if you cancel.
The first is canceling your hosting plan and your domain name. In this case, you no longer own the domain and it’s available to anyone to register.
The second option is canceling your hosting plan, but keeping the domain. Here, you’ll pay the standard cost of registering a domain. Note that without hosting, you’ll no longer have a website that your visitors can access.
The free domain provided by SupportHost will remain free as long as you have an active hosting plan. However, if you cancel your hosting, then you’ll need to pay the standard domain registration and renewal fees.
Can you switch hosting providers with the same domain name?
If your current free domain name is tied to your hosting provider or a specific website builder, then you might not be able to transfer your domain name. For example, free subdomains cannot be transferred to a different hosting provider, since part of the domain name is tied to the original platform. If you have a premium domain name, then it’s easy to point this domain name to a different hosting provider.
Can you get a free domain name without web hosting?
Currently, it’s very difficult to get a free domain without web hosting. Technically, you can get a free subdomain when you use a website builder, but the website builder is also acting as a host for your website. You can always purchase a domain name through a registrar, which doesn’t require hosting. But, the best way to get a free domain is to purchase hosting that includes a free domain, like here at SupportHost.
What are the limitations of free subdomains?
You can get a free subdomain when you create a site with a website builder like Wix, Weebly, or WordPress.com. This lets you create a simple website without spending any money. However, this isn’t the best scenario for building a professional website.
With free website builders, you don’t have access to all of the site-building features, you lack support, and your website may be covered in ads.
Can you register a domain without a website?
Yes, you can register a domain name at any time, even if you’re not planning on building a website. You may want to purchase a domain name for a future project. Or set up a domain name to redirect to any existing site or social media profile you have.
Can you change your domain name after registering it?
No, after you register your domain name you cannot change it. You can register another domain with a different spelling or a different domain name extension. To change your domain, you’ll have to register a new domain or wait until it expires and purchase a new domain once it lapses.
Closing Thoughts: Getting a Domain Name for Free
By now, you should have a better understanding of the best way to get a free domain name. The best way is to sign up for a hosting plan with a free forever domain name. SupportHost offers the best free domain name option on the market, but other hosting providers do offer a free domain for the length of your first term.
You can also get a free subdomain with a website builder or a domain registrar. However, no registrars currently support free domains (unless it’s during a promotional period). We also don’t recommend using a subdomain from a website builder unless it’s a short-term solution or for a side project where you’re not trying to build a brand around it.
Now, over to you. Do you have a free domain? Please share your experience or any questions in the comments below.
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