Free Domain Registration: Pros and Cons

Websites on the web are identified through each one's unique protocol address, which is a unique address composed of a series of symbols and numbers. This address can be used by an internet user to search for a website on the web. However, due to the difficulty in remembering the protocol due to its composition, which does not relate to the site's content or name, and also because of its length, domain registrars came up with a solution. A domain name or domain is an alternative name for the protocol address, presenting a logical name that reflects the content and is easier for internet users to remember. In this article, we will introduce you more to the domain name and discuss some companies that offer free domain registration without a subscription.

Can You Get a Professional Free Domain?

It depends on what you expect to get from your website's domain, whether you want it to appear at the top of search lists, or if you want it to be eligible for AdSense ads. Continuity without risking your domain name being deleted is another matter to consider.

The most professional domain is .com, not just because it's one of the first domain extensions on the market since the early 1990s, but also for many reasons that make it the most professional domain extension. The .com extension is associated with global companies and major brands, making it the most searched on the internet.

Here are some reasons why .com is the best domain extension:

• Internet users assume any domain name ends with .com, which increases your site's chance of appearing in search engines, which also assume the first results should end with .com.
• The competition is higher if your domain does not end with .com. A similar domain name to yours but ending with .com will appear first in search engine results.
• Global appearance and not limited to specific countries or geographical locations, which is a feature of the .com extension.
• Using a .com extension will make more users trust your brand, as this extension is considered more reliable and professional from the user's perspective.

But before we tell you about companies offering free domains, it's important to know the disadvantages of a non-professional domain and what a free domain can offer you.

Why Should You Avoid a Non-Professional Domain?

If you're preparing to create your own website or a professional blog that attracts many visitors, you should choose a professional domain that ensures appearance in search results and enhances visitors' trust in your site.

What are the disadvantages of a non-professional domain name? The main problem is that unknown extensions like .io, .online, and .info will not appear on the first page of search engine results, affecting the number of visits to the site.

You cannot add AdSense to a non-professional domain, which will undoubtedly affect the website or blog's earnings. Another factor that can affect the number of visits is that social media sites may refuse to publish a link ending with those extensions.

Free Domain Registration: A Good Option, But!

Getting a free domain is not difficult, but is a free domain sufficient to achieve its purpose? This depends on what you expect from having a domain and the purpose of your website or blog.

Initially, several domain registration services offer the chance to get a free domain, but not all provide a .com extension, which is the downside of these services. However, we will discuss a group of services that offer the required extensions to achieve the spread and success you hope for your site without any subscription or with a very minimal subscription.

The subscription period for a free domain is usually at least one year, which is good for websites designed for a specific event or to register for a time-limited competition. Thus, the website will not last long and will be used for a short time only. If this is what you need, you can resort to registering a free domain sufficient for a one-year subscription.

Registering a free domain is a good idea for small blogs that do not require advanced features, as well as for those working in the field of website development, who need to test the site on a free domain.

As for the negatives of a free domain, these are issues we have previously mentioned if the free domain is non-professional and does not guarantee the website's appearance within the first search engine results.

Among the disadvantages is also that free domain registration services may offer the chance to get a free domain with only a one-year subscription, and then the domain becomes paid, making changing the domain name a complicated step that could result in data loss or loss of the previous domain name's spread.

Free domains are generally not useful when it comes to search engine optimization, which leads to the site not appearing in the first results and not receiving many visits.

List of the Best Free Domain Registration Services

The Several.com team has researched, compared, and evaluated several services that offer the chance to get a free domain, and we have chosen this list for you:

Freenom
For a long time, Freenom's name has been associated with free domain registration, now being one of the most used sites to get a completely free domain for anyone wanting to start a blog or website.

Freenom specializes in offering a large number of domain names for free for a full year. After the annual subscription ends, renewal can also be done for free.

However, it's important to know that the domain names provided by Freenom are indeed free but not professional, meaning they won't accept Google ads or AdSense, nor will they guarantee appearing on the first page of search engine results. Of course, there are other steps that can be taken to increase your website's visits and its place in search engine results, including paid online marketing campaigns and marketing on social media platforms, which can compensate for the fact that the domain is not professional.

Dot.tk
Dot.tk is also a free domain registration service, offering the chance to subscribe to paid and free domain names, including .com, .etc, and .in.

Although the domain becomes operational quickly and with high speed, there's a problem that all those wishing to get a free domain face: the site will not appear on search engines, or to be precise, not in the first search engine results, resulting in few or non-beneficial visits.

As previously mentioned, if you plan to run paid advertising campaigns to promote the site, it's okay, but if we do a simple calculation, finding a professional paid domain with a minimal subscription is better than spending a lot on promotional campaigns.

BlueHost
BlueHost is among the best hosting services in the market, owned by Endurance International Group, which also owns HostGator, known for its long history in hosting services, domain registration, and website creation.

Why BlueHost? While not entirely free, if you want a free domain, this likely means you need to host your website on a server and reserve a space for it on the internet, necessitating a hosting company, which is what BlueHost offers at a competitive price. But how is this related to a free domain? When hosting with BlueHost, you can get a free domain with any hosting plan you choose. Another reason to choose BlueHost is that the company offers reliable domain names.

The initial price for subscribing to BlueHost's hosting service is $2.95, and BlueHost ensures your website is secure by providing a free SSL certificate, making your website suitable for financial transactions or registrations.

If you want to subscribe to BlueHost just for the domain without using hosting services, BlueHost might not be the most cost-effective solution. In this case, we suggest a specialized domain registration service at a very low price, which is our next option: NameSilo.

NameSilo
At first glance, NameSilo's subscription might seem relatively high compared to other domain registration services, but there's a reason NameSilo is our top choice on this list. Besides being a specialized domain registration company with a history of reliable services and a significant user base, it also offers fixed subscription prices, meaning the subscription price will not change after the first year, a feature not found in many domain registration companies.

Most domain registration companies offer their services at an introductory price, then significantly increase the subscription fee, which many subscribers might not be aware of, and might find themselves forced to renew to avoid losing data or the spread achieved by the first domain name.

NameSilo offers fixed subscription prices from the start and throughout your use of the NameSilo service. Generally, the price offered is $8.99 for a .com extension, which is of course the best. If you want to subscribe to other extensions, you can get a .top extension for only one dollar!

Wix
Wix is one of our optimal choices when it comes to creating a website. If you visit our website, you'll know it's our top choice, due to the multiple advanced options it offers, making your website unique and highly professional.

Regarding domain name registration, Wix offers the chance to get a free domain if you choose it to build your website, a necessary step if you want to design your website and present it in a way that reflects your vision and the content of the website.

Getting a free domain through Wix not only provides you with a free domain but also the opportunity to host your website for free, making it a great option to start with.