How to Get a Free Domain Name
By Neil Patel
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You need a solid online presence in this day and age. The best way to get this is to start a blog, a website, or an ecommerce store.
But before you can launch any of this, you’ll require a domain name, along with other things like a web host and a 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 numerical IP address, and since remembering such complicated numbers would be difficult, to say the least, domain names were introduced.
A domain name is particularly useful for establishing your brand.
You see, no two domain names can be exactly alike. They can be similar, but never the exact same.
As a result, you get the opportunity to create a distinctive online presence exclusive to you and your business.
What’s more, you don’t have to pay to register your domain! There are several ways you can get a free domain name.
Your 2-Minute Cheat Sheet
Want a quick answer on how to get a free domain name? I’ll cut to the chase.
If you’re planning to start a blog or launch a website, you’ll need a web hosting company. When it comes to making a choice, I suggest you choose Bluehost.
Not only does the company provide excellent speed and uptime reliability, but it also offers free domain names. Moreover, unlike other companies that extend this service only as long as you are their customer, Bluehost won’t take away your domain name.
Here’s what its terms and conditions state:
“If you’re dissatisfied with your experience at Bluehost, you won’t lose your domain name. You’ll be free to transmit or simply point it elsewhere at your convenience. You retain ownership of your domain until the end of its registration period unless you elect to extend it.“
Talk about a company with good ethics.
To create your Bluehost account, click here. The whole process takes about 60 seconds, and you’ll have a web host as well as a free domain.
If this doesn’t appeal to you, you can also consider using a free subdomain.
This is where website builders like WordPress and Wix come into play. The only catch is that instead of having a .com site like mine (NeilPatel.com), you‘ll have something like yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress or yourdomainname.wordpress.com.
This isn’t an ideal situation. But it can be a viable option for when you want to experiment with free features of the website builder.
And that’s it! Now, if you want to learn how the whole thing works in more detail, read on.
Step 1: Go to Bluehost’s Website
The very first thing you need to do is head over to Bluehost.
Select Hosting from the top menu bar.