Visit BlueHost<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Free domain name included with your hosting plan Bluehost<\/a> is the best way to get a free domain. In addition to a domain name, you\u2019ll also need to host your website online. Bluehost ranks first on our list of the best web hosting providers<\/a>.<\/p>\n When you sign up for hosting with Bluehost, you\u2019ll get a free domain. You\u2019re essentially killing two birds with one stone, and one of those birds is free.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll walk you through the step-by-step process of getting a free domain name with Bluehost.<\/p>\n Step #1: Go to <\/strong>Bluehost.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The first thing you need to do is visit the Bluehost website<\/a>. When you get here, you\u2019ll see several different menu navigation options.<\/p>\n One of those menus says, \u201cDomains.\u201d<\/p>\n Do NOT<\/u><\/em> go to the \u201cDomains\u201d page<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This is a common mistake. Since you\u2019re looking for a domain name, this would seem like the logical place to get it. But if you take this route, you won\u2019t get your domain for free.<\/p>\n Instead, click on the \u201cHosting\u201d menu.<\/p>\n Bluehost offers three different types of web hosting<\/a>; shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. All of these come with a free domain for one year.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re launching a new website from scratch, and you\u2019re interested in a free domain name, shared hosting will be the best option for you. The other hosting types are more expensive and provide resources you likely won\u2019t need right now.<\/p>\n Step #2: Select a Web Hosting Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you land on the shared hosting page, you\u2019ll still have options to choose.<\/p>\n Bluehost has four different shared hosting plans. Here\u2019s a look at the different price points for each of those plans:<\/p>\n I\u2019ll give you a quick overview of the features and benefits of each plan to help you decide which one is the best for your website.<\/p>\n Basic<\/strong><\/p>\n Plus<\/strong><\/p>\n Choice Plus<\/strong><\/p>\n Pro<\/strong><\/p>\n For the majority of you, the Basic hosting plan will be your best option. You can always upgrade to another plan down the road as your website scales. Check out our full Bluehost web hosting review<\/a> for more information about these plans.<\/p>\n Again, you\u2019ll get a free domain name for one year regardless of the plan you choose.<\/p>\n Step #3: Choose a Domain Name<\/strong><\/p>\n After selecting a hosting plan, you\u2019ll be redirected to the following page:<\/p>\n From here, you\u2019ll have three options:<\/p>\n If you already know what domain you want, go ahead and search for it in the box on the left side of the screen. Bluehost offers domains with different extensions, including:<\/p>\n In most instances, a .com domain will be the only one I recommend. There are two reasons why people consider an alternative domain extension; price and availability.<\/p>\n Getting a .site or .tech domain is cheaper than a .com extension. But in this case, you\u2019re getting a year for free anyways. Price aside, .com domains will be better for the long term success of your website.<\/p>\n Another reason why people consider an alternative extension is if the .com domain is unavailable. For example, if you try to create a domain using quicksprout.com, Bluehost will give you this alert:<\/p>\n Rather than using an alternative extension suggested below, you\u2019re better off coming up with a completely new .com domain. For more tips on choosing a domain, review our guide on how to buy a domain name<\/a>.<\/p>\n Step #4: Create Your Account<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve found a domain that\u2019s available, you\u2019ll be prompted to create a Bluehost account. As mentioned above, you can also skip the domain registration for now and go directly to this step. You\u2019ll still get a free domain when you eventually register it.<\/p>\n The account creation is about as straightforward as it gets. Simply fill out the form fields with the required information.<\/p>\n This is all pretty standard stuff. You\u2019ll be asked to fill out the same information on the checkout page of nearly any website.<\/p>\n You cannot get a free domain without creating a Bluehost account.<\/p>\n Step #5: Choose Your Billing Terms<\/strong><\/p>\n As you continue scrolling on the same page, you\u2019ll need to select the terms of your plan. The price varies based on your term length.<\/p>\n Bluehost offers web hosting for 12, 24, and 36-month contracts.<\/p>\n These are the price points for the entry-level Bluehost shared plan:<\/p>\n These rates are only valid for your first contract. Bluehost Basic renews at $7.99 per month.<\/p>\n The 36-month contract gives you the best overall rate but requires you to pay the most upfront when you sign up. This is just a matter of personal preference. Some people would rather pay more to avoid a long-term contract. Others are happy to pay extra today for the best deal over three years.<\/p>\n Step #6: Select Add-Ons (Optional)<\/strong><\/p>\n Before you enter your payment details and finalize the contract, Bluehost has a handful of extras that you might want to consider.<\/p>\n At a minimum, always get the domain privacy and protection. Without it, your personal information will be listed on a public database.<\/p>\n This includes your name, phone number, mailing address, and email address. So anyone, including spammers, can access it. With domain privacy and protection, this information is hidden from public view.<\/p>\n You could also opt-in for CodeGuard Basic. It handles things like daily backups, automatic monitoring, and one-click version restores. These features are available through other methods as well, such as WordPress plugins.<\/a> So don\u2019t feel pressured to get it now.<\/p>\n SiteLock Security Essential is another popular add-on. It covers added malware protection, blacklist monitoring, automated malware removal, file-level scanning, and things like that.<\/p>\n Again, you could always get this extra security at a later time using a plugin or another service.<\/p>\n The final step is entering your payment details. Bluehost lets you pay with a credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express) or via PayPal.<\/p>\n Once you agree to the terms of service, your hosting account will be set up, and you\u2019ll have a free domain name for one year.<\/p>\n Bluehost has a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you can get a full refund on your hosting costs if you change your mind during that time.<\/p>\n Other Ways to Get a Free Domain Name<\/strong><\/p>\n While Bluehost is definitely the best way to get a free domain name, it\u2019s not the only way. I\u2019ll show you some alternative methods for getting a free domain.<\/p>\n Use a Free Subdomain<\/strong><\/p>\n Lots of website builders and other services offer free subdomains.<\/p>\n For example, if you use a free website builder like Wix<\/a> to create your website, you won\u2019t have to pay anything for a domain. However, your site will have a subdomain in this format:<\/p>\n yourusername.wixsite.com\/yoursiteaddress<\/em><\/p>\n Here\u2019s what that would look like if your Wix username was \u201cMy Stunning Website 123\u201d and the domain you wanted was \u201cmyblogsite.\u201d<\/p>\n This is obviously not ideal. No credible website has a domain like this. The only time I would consider using this method for a free domain is if you were just experimenting with the free features of the website builder. But overall, this isn\u2019t a viable long-term strategy.<\/p>\n WordPress is another popular option for a free subdomain. It\u2019s not as invasive as Wix.<\/p>\n The format for a free WordPress subdomain is:<\/p>\n yoursitename.wordpress.com<\/em><\/p>\n You can get away with this for a while if you\u2019re using WordPress to run a small blog or personal site. But you\u2019ll eventually want to ditch the subdomain if you want to establish any sense of authority online.<\/p>\n Domain Registrar Ad Programs (Not Recommended)<\/strong><\/p>\n There are plenty of domain registrars that will give you a free domain in exchange for running ads on your website. While there is normally nothing wrong with having ads on your site, this is not the best way to do it.<\/p>\n In most cases, you won\u2019t have any control over the ads and their placement. This will not only hinder the experience for your website visitors, but it will also damage your SEO ranking.<\/p>\n Plus, what if your website got one million views? You wouldn\u2019t see a dime from those ads. All you get is a free domain.<\/p>\n If you want to run ads on your website, do it through a legitimate advertising network, like Google. Don\u2019t exchange ads for a free domain.<\/p>\n Free ccTLD Services (Not Recommended)<\/strong><\/p>\n The web is full of free TLD (top-level domain) services for different country codes (cc). This refers to the extension after your domain name.<\/p>\n So you can register your domain with country codes like:<\/p>\n You can get these from services like Freenom or Dok.tk. But I strongly advise against it.<\/p>\n Saying this is a sketchy way to get a free domain is an understatement. If you look up reviews on the web about these services, you\u2019ll find nothing but criticism. From malicious ads to adult content and randomly removing the domain, you won\u2019t have a pleasant experience.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n Bluehost is the best way to get a free domain name. Just sign up for a web hosting plan, and they\u2019ll give you a free domain for one year.<\/p>\n There are other ways to avoid paying for a domain, like using a free subdomain or joining an affiliate program. But I personally wouldn\u2019t recommend the majority of alternative options.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re thinking about getting a free domain using a random country code from some island in the South Pacific, don\u2019t do it. Saving a few dollars isn\u2019t worth the cost of running a spammy website.<\/p>\n Stick with Bluehost<\/a>, or check out the best domain registrars<\/a> for paid alternatives.<\/p>\n![\"BlueHost\"](\"https:\/\/quicksprout-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Bluehost-150x100.png\")
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