Free Domain Names

About Domain Names

First let’s see what domain names are. Every machine connected to the Internet has an IP address. They consist of numbers. The ip address of google.com e.g. is 173.194.33.104. If you copy that ip address to your browser and hit enter you will see google.com loading. A domain name is simply an easier way for us humans to reach websites, so we don’t have to type in god-forbid, remember those long strings of numbers.

Tips for choosing a domain name

What kind of domain name should you choose depends totally on what kind of site are you having in mind. Many register their names as a domain. On these types of domains are often family pictures, blogs, or in case of a celebrity, a fan-page is presented. You can check if your name is still available at Namecheap.

It’s common that businesses register their names as a domain. That’s a good move when a company has a well known brand. For start-up companies focusing mainly on Internet marketing, it’s a better idea to register a keyword-rich domain.

How long should it be?

There are no hard rules here. Theoretically a domain name can be 256 characters long at most. However, in practice many domain extensions have limits. The three most popular international extensions (.com, .org and .net) can be 63 characters long.

A couple things to consider here. If you want to build a community around your site, your domain name should not be more than 15-20 characters at max. The simple reason is that visitors have a hard time remembering longer domains, and often lazy to type in that much characters. A good practice is to include 1-3 keywords that you want to rank for.

Do you need web hosting with your domain?

The answer is no BUT if you want a website on that domain, you need hosting. Many hosting companies offer a free domain name if you purchase a certain hosting plan.

Where to find cheap domain names?

The cheapest would be with a hosting account. Some hosting companies even offer free domain for life. Others offer them for the first year. After the first year you have to renew the domain and pay a fee again. If you want to register a domain without web hosting, I recommend Netfirms ($6.95 domain) or Namecheap.