Free Domain Names: What's the Catch?

My high school economics teacher used to say, "There is no such thing as a free lunch". He implied that someone, somewhere, was paying for it.

Advertising offers for free domain names popup often on websites. Are users paying for that free name in some form? Is there a catch to having a free domain name?

There are several issues to be aware of when considering a free domain offer:

First, is it a real domain or a subdomain? The physical difference is [http://www.yourdomain.com] versus yourdomain.theirservice.com. The former is far easier for users to read and remember. The functional difference is a matter of ownership. You would own yourdomain.com, but the service would own the subdomain version. Owning a real legitimate domain name is critical to any websites success. MAny people fail to realize this fact. Buy a real domain for your website and your future success won't be hampered by a lousy subdomain domain.

A lot of free "real" domains are offered by web hosting companies. Web hosts will offer free domains with a web hosting package. Be careful signing up for such service. You may end up with a free domain but a year's worth of junky web hosting service. The best advice is to keep your domains registered and web sites hosted with different companies. As my high school economic teacher also used to say, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Finally, seriously consider what domain ownership means. Domain ownership means possessing virtual real estate. Domain names have value and can be bought, sold, traded and developed. They are an investment. Don't let anyone or anything keep you from true domain ownership even if the offer is free.

Paul Flyer writes about domain name registration [http://www.recommendedwebtools.com/index.php/domain-names] on his Recommended Web Tools website. For more information on choosing, registering and managing domain names, download his free ebook, The Domain Name Handbook at [http://www.recommendedwebtools.com/index.php/domain-name-handbook/]

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Why a Free Domain Name is Convenient

You do not have to pay for a domain name because you can find a free domain name. The free services come with different features and you can get to read some of the details on the internet. The free domain name gives you the opportunity to have a name in the most convenient way. There are things to consider while choosing the free domain name so that you can achieve what you wish with the domain. You may want to facilitate the growth of your business by getting a huge web traffic. You may also want to increase your presence and build a formidable brand name. You can achieve all this but, you need to create an address that will attract many people to your site.

The first thing you should consider when deciding a free domain name is what message you expect the potential customers to perceive when they see your domain and they should perceive several things. They should know what kind of business you deal with and know the products and services, they should remember the domain without having to struggle and they should appreciate it for serving a marketing purpose. A good domain name should be short, concise and appealing. It should be able to draw people and make them curious of what you are offering. There are domains that you might see and not get curious and it is obvious that the names are missing something.

If you have a serious business, you need to have a name that is not goofy. This is because the customers need to take you seriously. If you are in show business, an informal way of presenting your domain will be helpful and this reflects the nature of the business. It is good to take the tips that are usually available on sites. Do not use symbols or abbreviations but instead, you can use hyphens and letters to create your free domain. You must be very careful when companies announce they are offering free services. There might be hidden costs and therefore, before you get it, you must know what the deal entails. They will also have free registrations and this can provide a very good opportunity for you to acquire a name with ease.

If you wish to have your free domain name registered privately, then you need to find out whether the company offers this service and if they do not, find another free domain with a private plan. If you find that you need to pay for the private policy, it will be worth it because you will be protecting very vital personal information from the scrutiny of the public. Many people continue to abuse this privilege and cause so much harm to businesses and individuals. When you are protected, the people trying to connect to you will be directed to the company that has registered your domain, and they will alert you. It is a helpful way to protect your business. If you do not have a domain name, get one for free and you do not have to start a site immediately.

Peter Gitundu Creates Interesting And Thought Provoking Content on Search Engine Optimization. For More Information, Read More Of His Articles Here INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES If You Enjoyed Reading This Article, Make Sure You SUBSCRIBE TO MY RSS FEED! To Receive My Most Recent Posts & Updates.

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Web Hosting With Free Domain Name

When signing up for a web hosting account, be sure to take advantage of the promotional items. Many hosting companies offer free domain names to entice new customers to sign up. Along with your hosting, you should be getting a free domain name. A domain name cost about $10 a year. So that means you are getting a $10 discount upfront on your hosting plan.

What happens if you wish to change web host?

Don't worry, your domain name won't be stuck with your hosting company. But you must transfer your domain name out to your favorite registrar (like GoDaddy or NameCheap) after you sign up for your hosting. The domain is free - it is given to you. You should have full control over the domain name. The only way to regain control is to request for a transfer. Send a support ticket to your hosting company, mentioning that you would like the domain to be transferred to your registrar. They will revert with the transfer instructions.

Once the domain has been transferred out, remember to change your domain name servers to point back to your servers. Otherwise, you will experience down time.

A domain name can become a very valuable brand. So even though it's offered to you free of charge, don't just register for any domain name. Make sure you pick one that suits your business.

You can make as many searches as you like on the web hosting site to see if the names that you want are available. Try to choose domain names that contain your primary keywords in it. For example, if you are selling "basketball shoes", you may wish to register something like "basketballshoes dot com". Always choose a dot com extension if it's available. A dot net or dot org will do as well, but they are not really meant for commercial sites.

After you have transferred the domain name to your registrar, you can switch hosting companies any time you like.

To do so, start by signing up for a new hosting account. Don't terminate your existing hosting account yet. Transfer all the files and databases to the new server. Sometimes, if you give the login details to the support department of the new company, they may even transfer everything for you. Test out the site on the new server. If everything works out fine, it's time to make changes to your domain name servers (DNS).

Go to your registrar, and make a request to change the DNS. You have to modify at least two fields - the primary DNS and the secondary DNS. Once the changes have been made, the site migration will take place. Do be patient and allow up to 48 hours for the information to be updated. If the domain name still point to your old server after 48 hours, recheck the DNS, and send an email to your registrar to see what could have gone wrong.

Usually, when done correctly, the domain name will point to the new site within a few hours.

Its common to have free domain registration when you signup annual hosting plan. You can transfer out the domain to your favourite registrar when you decided to change hosting company. Search for unlimited domain hosting plan from our top web hosting comparison and review site.

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How To Register A Domain Name And Host Your Website

How to register a domain name and host your website is the first thing that you should learn when committing to an online business or forum. It is also one of the simplest-until you start to examine the options. There are a score of web host companies out there vying for your business and each one of them will tell you what you want to hear, but what do the ones that actually deliver look like? In order to know how to register a domain name and host your website in a way that actually benefits you, it is important to start with the features that you absolutely must have.

First, look at the maintenance and safety record of the potential host. Ask the owners for statistics regarding up time. Talk to some of the site owners who operate under their banner, and make sure that you have a legitimately unbiased opinion before moving on to the next step.

Secondly, find out what security measures the provider takes on a daily basis to keep out malicious spyware, trojans, worms, and viruses. There are a lot of predators online, and each one can set your site back weeks in both functionality and traffic. Before you concede these all important features, make sure that your host is in business to keep you safe.

Thirdly, decide what type of server you need for your business. Larger organizations typically choose dedicated servers. Although these cost more, they also offer a more hands free approach to maintenance updates, security and uptime. If you have a smaller venture, however, this may not be feasible. In that case opt for a shared host. You can still get a high level of commitment when it comes to keeping the site running effectively. You just may have to share the help with some of the other sites on their list.

Fourthly, know your limits. Each hosting company promises a certain degree of functionality. It is up to you to decide what you need. Some hosts give you unlimited file transfer and data storage while others will let you pay for only what you need. Budget is an important part of picking out the right plan. And that brings you to the last step for how to register a domain name and host your website:

Do it! Comparing the rates out there against the features that your site needs to operate at maximum efficiency comes down to this simple step. Use the host's search functions to see if your name is available, and once you've decided it is, use the checkout system. Paying by credit or debit is often a secure way to gain instant access, so you can start your online venture today.

The web professional recommends ipage web hosting, an affordable and reliable web hosting services for beginner and professional. You get free domain name from ipage hosting when choosing ipage.com annual hosting plan!

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Beware Of The Strings Attached To Getting A Free Domain Name For Life

There are a few web hosting companies around that offer a free domain name for life as part of their marketing technique or as a special deal, but in reality they are not really free as there are usually strings attached to the free domain name for life promotion. In this article we will look at how these promotions work and what they actually mean in terms of what you have to do to keep the free domain name for life.

Firstly, if you ever see the offer of a free domain name for life the first thing that you must check out before you do anything else is find out who actually owns the domain. You may think that it will be you but some companies will register the name themselves then let you use it while you are using them, but if you try to leave and move the domain name you will suddenly find that you can not as it is not yours, or they will try and sell it to you.

So, make sure that you know who owns the domain name before you do anything else.

Now that that important part is out of the way, here is how the free domain name for life offers and promotions usually work.

These companies that make this offer usually offer it as part of a package deal.

For example you have to sign up for a year hosting and when you renew your hosting after the first year, they will renew your domain - in effect giving you a free domain for life as long as you keep your hosting with them.

Another example that I came across the other day was that you had to get a new domain name with them - you could not transfer in a domain name that you already owned from somewhere else.

Registering a domain and hosting a domain are two separate things and can be done at two separate places.

If you want to move your hosting to another company you are free to do so, but you may then find out that your old hosting company that was offering the free domain name for life will not renew your domain name as you are no longer using them.

In this case you need to make sure that before you move a domain name away from a host that was offering a free domain name for life, that you have control of your domain and that you can update the Name Server records for your domain, else you will find that you have moved your domain but you can not get the new site showing in a browser as it is still pointing to the old site.

Further Reading:

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Disadvantages of Free Domain Names

There are certain benefits of using free domain names. However, you will rarely find a serious business thriving on a free domain name. According to Seoprofiler.com; domain name, domain age, and hosting providers may have an effect on search engine rankings. So, if you book a good domain name for 10 years, it shows search engines that you are serious about your business. Most domains are registered and in just 6 months, they are parked. It also happens with many free domain names. It is easy to start your blog/website with a free domain name and hosting service but, you cannot achieve high rankings with a free service.

You will never get full control over your content, website layout, and monetization options. Just suppose that you have established a blog on blogger. You have published your content, you are getting good traffic and hopefully the blog is generating good advertisement revenue. But, if the blogger just shuts down your Google account.You will not have your email address, your blog content, your audience and your money. You cannot contact anyone. I understand that it is a hopeless situation. It rarely happens, but, when it does, you have no other option then to stay silent.

A paid hosting service and domain registration may cost a few dollars, but it is worth your money if you are starting a business. If you just want to share your opinion with the world, then, a free domain is a good choice.

Most internet marketers and business professionals will guide you about purchasing your own domain name. Because, it rarely happens that a Blogspot website is doing a great business. Free domain names are not just limited to Blogspot. I forgot to mention the other names like webs.com, WordPress, and many others. These kind of domains are easy to get and at the same time it is easy to lose them. You can waste all of your SEO efforts, written articles, and research. So, is it better to purchase your own domain name?

The answer is yes. Because of spamming, Google does not give much credit to free domain names. Most businesses use such domains to get a few back links and you will hardly find good content on such websites. I am not trying to minimize the value of starting a free blog/website, but, if you want to start a reputable business, then, registering a free domain name is not a good choice.

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How to Register a Domain and Build a Website

In order to have a website you need to build one or have one built for you. Or maybe you just need to forward that domain, either way you still need hosting. Hosting is a service that allows for numerous people to browse your website. It is basically summarized to be space. Building a website requires little to a lot of attention, it all depends on what you want on the site. If you don't have the time to build a website, get a hosting and domain service to build one for you. Be sure when you register: check what you need, there are plans for 1 year, or choose for up to 10 years. While you are checking, look at the hosting plan before purchasing. Free domains won't cut it for a business or for a reliable site. Just go for a well put together plan or service.

Enough talk, if you need to get a domain and get one for a very reasonable price, you should know first that you will need other products to go with that new domain depending on your preference; weather it be an email account, extra web pages, or a dedicated IP. I know you can get domains starting at $8. 49 and depending on your entire purchase you can get free extras. This site that I currently use is very reliable, they even have a support number! Look, if you are serious about getting a website and don't have the time, or maybe you just want to run your business and not deal with building the website yourself, they will build one for you. Registering a domain is easy but you really need to choose the right services. The customer service is great and the products are reliable.

I can assure you that working with the online a site builder on was really easy and helpful. They also offer help while you are building. Experience is not required with the account. They also start you off with a pre-built site that you can completely edit yourself. If you are looking for a complete website make-over, this is the place. Remember, if you want reliable hosting and a great working website, deal with a pro I just mentioned is a professional site. Don't just take my word for it check me out and i can give you more info, you won't be disappointed.

Tanisa Landrm

[http://www.hostborg.com]

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