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WPBeginner» Blog» Beginners Guide» How to Register a Domain Name (+ simple tip to get it for FREE)

How to Register a Domain Name (+ simple tip to get it for FREE)

Last updated on January 2nd, 2020 by Editorial Staff
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How to Register a Domain Name (+ simple tip to get it for FREE)

Do you want to start a blog or a new online business in 2019? If you do, then you’ll need to register a domain name.

The first step towards building a website is to find a good domain name and register it. In this article, we will show you how to register a domain name, step by step. We will also share a tip on how you can register a domain name for free.

How to register your own domain name and how to get one for free

Since this is a comprehensive guide on how to register a domain name, we have created a table of content, so you can easily skip to the section that you’re most interested in:

  • What is a domain name?
  • When is the right time to register a domain name?
  • How to choose the best domain name?
  • How to register a domain name (for free)
  • How to register a domain with Domain.com (25% off)
  • How to register a domain with GoDaddy

Before we get started, let’s cover the basics so we’re on the same page.

What is a Domain Name?

A domain name is the address of your website that people type in the browser to visit your website. For example, wpbeginner.com.

In simple term, if your website was a house, then your domain name will be its address.

The whole internet is a giant network of computers. Each computer is assigned a number which is called an IP address, and it looks like this:

66.249.66.1

Now, this is not an easy to remember address. Imagine if you had to use this kind of addresses to visit your favorite websites.

To fix this problem, domain names were invented.

Domain names can have alphabets and numbers, which helps business owners create brandable names for their website’s address.

How domain names work

To learn more about domain names, see our beginner’s guide on domain names and how do they work.

When Do You Need to Register a Domain Name?

Each day, over 46,000+ new .com domain names were registered during the third quarter of 2018.

Currently, there are over 140 million .com domain names already registered.

This means that all the good domain names are being registered as we speak. Chances are that someone may register a domain name that you’re thinking of, so it’s smart to register a domain name as soon as you think of an idea.

This is why all smart entrepreneurs proactively register domain names even before launching a business.

Domain names are cheap, and you can register them for a year. If you decide to not pursue the online business idea, then you can let them expire.

The bottom line is, if you are serious about building a business, then you should register a domain name right away.

It will help you protect your brand’s identity, business name, and even future business ideas.

How much does a domain name cost?

Normally, a .com domain name costs $14.99 / year. The cost of a domain varies based on each different extension. Some are even more expensive than this.

We don’t recommend using anything but .com domains because everybody remembers a .com domain, and your smartphone keyboards have a pre-built key for .com.

Do I Need a Website to Register a Domain Name?

No, you do not need a website to register a domain name. You can register a domain name and make a website later. You can also register a domain name and setup a temporary website or coming soon page with SeedProd.

A lot of entrepreneurs treat domain names like digital real-estate, so they register a good domain name and hold it for the right buyer to purchase it from them for profit.

How to Choose The Best Domain Name?

Domain names play a very important role in your website’s identity and success. This is why it’s important for you to carefully think about the domain name you choose.

However, it’s also important to not overthink it otherwise you will never get past the research phase.

Following are some general tips to keep in mind when searching for a domain name.

  • Make sure that your domain name is easy to pronounce, spell, and as short as possible.
  • Stick with the .com extension because most users find them easier to remember than any other domain extensions.
  • Use your keywords and brand name in the domain name search. For example, stargardeninghouston.com is more search engine friendly, than stargardeningcompany.com
  • Do not use numbers or hyphens in your domain name. It makes them harder to pronounce and difficult to remember.

Need more advice? See our expert tips on finding the best domain name for your website.

You can also use a domain name generator like Nameboy to speed up your search.

Video Tutorial

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If you’d prefer written instructions, just keep reading.

How to Register a Domain Name (Step by Step)

You can register a domain name from any of the top domain registrars that are authorized by ICANN to register domain names.

Since there are so many different registrars, we will cover the three most popular ways to register a domain name, and you can choose the one that best fits your need.

  1. How to register a domain name for free
  2. How to register a domain with Domain.com
  3. How to register a domain name with GoDaddy

1. How to Register a Domain Name for Free

If you want to register a domain name to start a blog or make a website, then this is the best option for you.

Normally, a domain name costs $14.99 / year and website hosting plans start from $7.99 / month. This is a lot of money if you are just starting out.

Luckily, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users a free domain name, SSL Certificate, and 60% discount on web hosting.

Basically, you can pay $2.75 per month for web hosting, and you will get a domain name for free, so you can start your website without a lot of money.

→ Click Here to Get Free Domain with Bluehost ←

Bluehost is one of the biggest web hosting companies in the world. They are in business since 2003 and host more than 2 million websites. Not to mention, they’re officially recommended by WordPress.

To get started, you need to visit the Bluehost website and click on the Get Started button.

Get started with Bluehost

This will bring you to the pricing page. Their Basic and Plus plans are popular among our users.

Bluehost pricing

Click on the ‘Select’ button below a plan to continue.

On the next page, you will be asked to choose a domain name. Simply type the domain name in the “New Domain” box because that will get you a free domain name.

Select domain name you want to register

If the domain name you entered is available, then you will be taken to the signup page. From here you need to enter your account information like name, address, email, etc.

Below the account information, you will notice some hosting extras. We don’t recommend buying them, so you can safely uncheck them for now. If you feel that you need them, then you can always add them later.

Uncheck hosting extras

After that, you can enter your payment information to finish the purchase.

Bluehost will now register your domain name, set up your hosting account and send you an email with a link to your hosting control panel.

Since you need both a domain name and web hosting to start any type of website, it makes a lot of sense to purchase them together, so you can get the domain name for free.

If for some reason you don’t want to use Bluehost to get a free domain name, then you can use HostGator, Dreamhost, GreenGeeks or InMotion Hosting. All of these companies are also offering our readers a free domain name with web hosting.

Related: See the difference between domain and web hosting to understand why you need both to build a website.

2. How to Register a Domain Name with Domain.com

If you only want to register a domain name at the moment without creating a website, then Domain.com is your best option.

It offers an easy way to manage your domain name without creating a website.

Once you are ready, you can just point the domain name to your preferred WordPress hosting company.

First, you need to visit the Domain.com website and search for your desired domain name.

Search for domain name on Domain.com

If your desired domain name is available, then it will be automatically added to your cart.

You can adjust the registration period to 1 year. You can either choose to keep or remove the privacy protection. Removing it will reduce your domain registration cost.

Domain.com is offering WPBeginner readers a 25% discount, and our domain.com coupon should be automatically applied.

Add domain name to cart

Click on the continue button to check out.

On the checkout page, you can review your order and click on the ‘Proceed to billing’ button.

Proceed to billing section

Next, you need will be asked to enter your account and payment information to finish the domain purchase.

Complete your domain registration

Domain.com will now register your domain name, and it will send you an email with the link to your domain control panel.

3. How to Register a Domain Name with GoDaddy

Godaddy is the largest domain name registrar in the world. They currently manage over 77 million domain names for 18 million users from around the world.

They offer an easy domain control panel, which allows you to point your domain to any hosting provider when you are ready to build a website.

Here is how to register a domain name with GoDaddy (step by step).

First, you need to visit the GoDaddy website and enter the domain name you want to register in the search box.

Search domain name on GoDaddy

If your domain name is available, then you will see a success message with your domain name listed on top. You can now go ahead and add it to the cart.

Add domain name to cart

Next, click on the continue to cart button to checkout.

GoDaddy will now show you some additional services that you can purchase with your domain name. You can skip those by selecting ‘No thanks’ and click on the continue button.

Continue checkout

On the next page, you will see your domain name and its registration period. You can change the registration period to up to 10 years if you want.

However, we don’t recommend that. You can always renew your domain name before it expires, so if you want to save money, then you can select just 1 year registration period.

Finish your domain registration

You will need to create a Godaddy account to proceed.

After you have created an account, you will be able to enter your billing address and make a payment for your domain name.

GoDaddy will now register your domain name, and they will send you an email with a link to your domain control panel.

Pro Tip: You should make sure that auto-renew on your domain is turned on, so Godaddy can automatically bill your account and renew your domain name. This way you won’t lose your domain if you forget to renew it.

Related: See 7 best GoDaddy alternatives that are cheaper and more reliable.

Domain Name Registration FAQs

Since we have helped over 200,000 people start a website, we have gotten just about every question you can possibly think of. Below are the answers to some of the top domain name questions:

Which is the best domain name registrar?

We believe that Domain.com is the best registrar right now because they have the features you need, and they’re offering a 25% off discount.

However it’s a smarter money decision to get a free domain with web hosting like Bluehost because it saves you time and money.

You can always transfer your domain name to another popular domain name registrar if you’re not happy with your existing provider.

Which domain extension I should buy?

You should always stick to .com domain names. They are the easiest to remember, and most mobile devices have a dedicated .com key in their keyboards. For more details, see our article on the difference between domain name extensions.

Should I register new domain name extensions?

Apart from the most common .com, .net, and .org, there are dozens more domain name extensions available. However, these new domain extensions are hard to remember and difficult to brand. To learn more, see our article on choosing a new domain extension for your website.

How can I buy a domain name permanently?

You cannot buy a domain name permanently. Domain name registration is done on a yearly basis. However, you can pre-pay for up to 10 years which guarantees that you will have a domain name for 10 years.

What happens to my domain name once its registration expires?

Unless you renew your domain name, it will automatically expire after the registration period you have paid for. Some domain name companies offer a grace period to renew your registration, but it is not guaranteed, and you can lose control of your domain name if you let it expire.

How do I renew my domain name?

You can renew your domain name from your domain control panel. We strongly recommend that you turn on auto-renew feature to automatically renew your domain name. You can always turn it off if you decide not to keep a domain name.

Even though your domain registrar would remind you to renew your domain registration before it expires, you may miss those emails and lose control of your domain name.

How can I reserve a domain name without buying it?

There is no way to reserve a domain name without purchasing it. You have to buy it if you want to reserve it. Considering the low cost of a domain name, it’s a small investment for a business.

Is there a way to buy an existing domain name?

Yes, you can use brokerage like Sedo.com to potentially acquire an existing domain name. However, it’s not guaranteed that you will get the domain name that you want because the seller may not want to sell it or ask for an outrageous price.

You can also purchase premium domains from a premium domain broker like BuyDomains.

We hope this article helped you learn how to register a domain name for your website. You may also want to see our tips on how to make money online with your new domain name and/or how to create a professional email address with your domain.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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About the Editorial Staff

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41 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Reem says:
    Dec 20, 2020 at 9:15 pm

    Great article But I have a question! I’m opening an online business and I want to secure my business name, is buying a domain through Shopify enough so no one take my business name?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 21, 2020 at 11:20 am

      You can purchase the domain name to prevent others from taking it but if you wanted there to be no site using your name, you would need to look into the trademark process.

      Reply
  2. Samm says:
    Dec 10, 2020 at 12:42 am

    if i buy a domain name just to secure it from either godaddy, wix, wordpress etc. can i use that name anywhere or i have to use it where i bought it from

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 10, 2020 at 9:48 am

      You can use your domain purchased from one registrar on a different host.

      Reply
  3. Jim Rossma says:
    Nov 22, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    If I buy a domain name.
    1. Is automatically registered?
    2. If I then put the domain name on my product can I stamp it with a T in a circle behind it to show the world it is a registered Trade Mark?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Nov 23, 2020 at 2:15 pm

      When you purchase your domain name it is registered but trademarking your domain is a different process than registering your domain name.

      Reply
  4. Albert says:
    Sep 13, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    If I were to register a domain, can I renew with a different registrar?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 15, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      You would want to first transfer the domain to your new registrar and then you would be able to renew it through them.

      Reply
  5. nefertari says:
    Aug 22, 2020 at 7:45 pm

    this was awesome and VERYYYYY informative especially for newbies , thanks alot

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Aug 24, 2020 at 3:47 pm

      You’re welcome :)

      Reply
  6. tomasfaircloth4 says:
    Dec 3, 2019 at 5:50 am

    Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any support is very much appreciated.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 3, 2019 at 10:11 am

      We do receive a large number of spam comments on our site and we use recommendations from our article here to combat them: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/vital-tips-and-tools-to-combat-comment-spam-in-wordpress/

      Reply
  7. keenanbenoit7 says:
    Dec 2, 2019 at 11:39 pm

    Appreciate it for all your efforts that you have put in this. Very interesting info.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Dec 3, 2019 at 10:06 am

      Glad you found our article helpful :)

      Reply
  8. Lisa says:
    Oct 16, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    I have a blog on wordpress.com and pay around $70 per year. Am I able to switch to wordpress.org and retain my domain name that is through wordpress.com? I love my domain name and do not want to give it up. Thanks.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Oct 17, 2019 at 11:43 am

      If you have a custom domain instead of a yoursite.wordpress.com domain then yes, the domain can be transferred to a new site and kept :)

      Reply
  9. Randy Chorvack says:
    Sep 5, 2019 at 10:08 am

    I think it’s interesting that you can’t permanently own a domain name and that the longest you can pay for is 10 years. Is there a reason for that? My guess is that people discontinue their websites so frequently that it’s almost a guarantee that you won’t need it permanently.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Sep 6, 2019 at 9:16 am

      loosely yes, if everyone could purchase a domain forever then eventually there would no longer be domain names available any many domains that are being unused

      Reply
  10. Ioana says:
    Aug 4, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    Thank you for the detailed article. I hope you can help me, I’m stuck on a step. I chose the option to skip the domain name and to choose it later. Now it assigner me a weird domain name as my primary one, something like ykg.pdy.bluehost.me Help how do I change that?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Aug 5, 2019 at 11:58 am

      If you reach out to BlueHost once you have your domain set up, they should be able to help you update your domain to the correct one :)

      Reply
  11. Luca says:
    Mar 12, 2019 at 10:42 pm

    Excellent article! We are linking to this particularly great post on our website. Keep up the great writing.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 13, 2019 at 10:33 am

      Glad you like our article :)

      Reply
  12. shanabrand460 says:
    Mar 3, 2019 at 7:24 pm

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    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 4, 2019 at 1:07 pm

      Thank you, glad our site can be helpful :)

      Reply
  13. lillagibb8 says:
    Mar 3, 2019 at 7:24 pm

    It is truly a great and helpful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you shared this useful information with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 4, 2019 at 1:41 pm

      You’re welcome :)

      Reply
  14. macie says:
    Mar 1, 2019 at 12:03 pm

    I have been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this blog. Thanks, I will try and check back more often. How frequently you update your site?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 4, 2019 at 11:00 am

      We do our best to publish a new post five days a week :)

      Reply
  15. glynis@a.gsaverifiedlist.download says:
    Mar 1, 2019 at 12:02 am

    I am impressed with this website, rattling I am a fan.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 1, 2019 at 10:22 am

      Thank you, glad you like our content

      Reply
  16. andy@b.wp-viralclick.com says:
    Mar 1, 2019 at 12:02 am

    Some really quality articles on this web site, saved to favorites.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Mar 1, 2019 at 10:22 am

      Thank you :)

      Reply
  17. BeaFeliz says:
    Feb 27, 2019 at 5:42 am

    Wonderful goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too magnificent. I really like what you have acquired here, really like what you’re stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take care of to keep it wise. I cant wait to read far more from you. This is actually a tremendous web site.

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Feb 27, 2019 at 11:19 am

      Thank you, we’ll certainly continue creating content :)

      Reply
  18. evan says:
    Jan 24, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    Hey,

    I want to transfer my WordPress.com site to WordPress.org … and keep the same domain name I have (I bought WordPress.com premium.)

    Im confused because I cannot buy it from Domain or GoDaddy since it is already taken by WordPress.com.

    What would the process be?

    thanks so much!
    Evan

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 25, 2019 at 10:25 am

      When signing up for hosting, there is an option when you already own your domain that you would select. When transferring your site you would either transfer the domain or change your domain’s nameservers.

      Reply
  19. Daniel says:
    Jan 11, 2019 at 2:13 am

    Nice post, is there anything to do, my website audio files cracks when uploaded, and my website is a music download site

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 11, 2019 at 1:15 pm

      It would depend on what you mean, if you mean the audio changes then there may be an issue with the file itself. If you’re looking to add an option to download then you would want to take a look at: https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-manage-track-control-file-downloads-wordpress/

      Reply
  20. PAUL says:
    Jan 10, 2019 at 2:24 am

    There are asterisks next to the Bluehost pricing in your screenshot.

    That means there’s a “catch” associated with the prices.
    What’s the “catch”?

    Reply
    • WPBeginner Support says:
      Jan 10, 2019 at 11:50 am

      You would need to check with BlueHost for the specifics of their asterisks but that is normally a statement about their renewal rates.

      Reply
  21. Sarah Parker says:
    May 29, 2018 at 7:56 am

    Very well explained..!

    Reply

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