How to get a free domain name in just 3 steps

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Your domain is what makes your site unique. It's where your website lives online and how visitors find you.

One of the most important steps in building a website is to register a domain name. It can be expensive, but I will show you how to get one free of charge. Also, make sure you choose something that is relevant to your business niche.

This article will show you how to get your domain for free.

Your 2-Minute Cheat Sheet

Do you need a quick answer to how to get your domain name for free? Let me cut to the chase.

A web hosting company is necessary if you plan to launch a blog or website. Hostinger is my choice when it comes to choosing from the many options.

The company offers excellent speed and reliability. It also offers a no-cost domain name for the first year.

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Hostinger makes it easy to get your domain and hosting setup in one go. Hosting is still available for a small fee, but the domain name is yours for nothing.

Click here to create a Hostinger Account and sign up. The entire process is quick and easy with the guided setup.

You'll then have hosting, a domain and a basic site ready to go.

You might also be able to use a subdomain for free if your budget is tight.

Wix and WordPress are great website builders. There's one catch: instead of a simple.com website like mine (NeilPatel.com), your site will look something like.

yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress or yourdomainname.wordpress.com.

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This is not ideal. There are some downsides to not having a clean.com

• I don't have a URL that is well-branded. My URL (neilpatel.com) is synonymous with my brand. My name is all that's required to find me online. My brand is confirmed by everything on my website, from my bio and picture to my name in my browser bar. This builds authority, which is important for SEO and connecting with visitors. You can't create authoritative content without a clean.com. You can, but having your own URL with branding is a great way to get started.
• Making it harder for people to find you: What's easier to remember — coffeemugdesigns.wordpress.com or coffeemugdesigns.com? Although it's not a big deal, people need to remember a lot of information. It's a small thing you can do to make your URL more easy to remember. A clean domain name can help people find you later, for example, if your coffee shop has a table at the local farmers market.
• Reducing trust in site visitors. Taking the initiative to have your domain name removed from other brands such as WordPress is a sign of professionalism and dedication. This helps to build trust with your audience. It is especially important if you want people paying with credit cards or other payment methods directly on your website.

A subdomain is a good option if you are looking to try out the features of the website builder. This may be used temporarily to put your content online, so that you can build a website without having to invest in a.com. You can often convert your site to your domain or other hosting options later.

Don't be discouraged if a clean domain is not something you can afford to have. Hostinger makes it easy to get your domain.

Follow these steps to obtain a domain name for free.

1. Visit the Hostinger's website
2. Choose your hosting type
3. Claim Your Free Domain

Hostinger will allow you to do everything in one place. While I'll be able to show you some other options, it is possible that you will need to interact with multiple vendors in order to complete all the steps.

Step 1 – Go to the Hostinger's website

Click here to go to Hostinger.

Click Start Here to be taken directly to the checkout page.

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This checkout page has been set up with my recommendation. Premium shared hosting is the most affordable plan and includes a domain name.

For the best rate, I recommend choosing the longest term. You can lock in a very attractive rate of $2.59 per monthly if you sign up for four years of hosting.

To get the best deal, click on the box to the right.

Check out the add-ons listed below to see if they are of any use to you. They aren't essential, but they are useful features like priority support and daily backups.

Once you have completed that, click Submit Secure payment and you will be able to proceed with setup.

Step 2 – Select Your Hosting Type

Hostinger's shared hosting is available at a discounted price. You don't even have to choose a type of hosting. All premium shared hosting is ready for you.

You may be able to identify the needs of your website and determine that shared hosting is not enough.

If you don't know what hosting is, continue reading to find out more about the differences and who each type of hosting is best for.

Shared Hosting

If you are starting a new site, I recommend shared hosting.

These plans are not only cheap but can also be used to accommodate low-traffic sites. Your website is shared with many other websites. By sharing server resources with other tenants, you can save money.

It's almost like having your own home but living in an apartment. It's less expensive and requires no maintenance.

Your site may experience performance problems if one of the shared servers starts using too many resources. This is why shared hosting doesn't work well for very large, complex websites.

This is a great option for anyone who's just starting a website, or if they're looking to revamp a local business or site. If you don't expect high traffic volumes or lack technical knowledge, shared hosting is the best option. Shared hosting is suitable for businesses that have less than 10,000 monthly visitors to their websites.

Shared hosting is a good option if you are building a website to promote a local business. If your site grows beyond the capacity of shared hosting, you can always change to another model later.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting gives you better performance without paying for more expensive options.

Cloud hosting is the same as shared hosting. However, multiple servers are connected via the cloud so that no one server gets hampered by a resource-hungry, bulky or popular site.

This can lead to better uptime and speed, as you don't share the resources of one server. Although this might work well if you don't expect a lot of traffic, it is critical to your business model that you have reliable speed and uptime no matter what other sites are doing.

Cloud hosting is half the price of shared hosting, but it's not as reliable and powerful as the next option.

VPS Hosting

VPS hosting is virtual private server hosting. This category covers plans that offer better performance at a higher price.

This hosting type offers you exclusive access to valuable resources. Technically, this means that you share a server with other websites but have a virtual server that has dedicated resources.

If you anticipate sudden spikes in traffic, this type of hosting is for you.

Dedicated Hosting

You have exclusive access to a server that is only for your website with dedicated hosting. It's not necessary to share it.

You will get premium performance from this subscription plan. However, you must also be willing to pay a premium price.

If your company is large and has high traffic, this is an excellent option. This is a great option for businesses that want total control over their hosting environment, such regulated industries like finance or healthcare.

This guide will recommend that you select the pre-selected premium shared hosting plan. You can also choose other plans to personalize how you set up your domain name and to pay for hosting.

Step 3 – Claim Your Free Domain

Once you have completed checkout and paid, you will be taken to your Hostinger control panels, hPanel.

You'll find an option right in the center to claim your domain.

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To search for your favorite free domain name, click Claim Dom. Click the purple box to the right of it.

You should consider a.com extension. It looks more professional and makes you seem more trustworthy to your visitors.

If the.com extension has already been taken and you are 100% set on the name, I wouldn't consider another domain extension.

A.com domain is essential for small businesses. Small blogs, personal websites, side hustles, and other sites may also benefit from a.com extension.

Then, you will need to fill in some information to register your domain name. Complete the form and send it. Hostinger will verify your registration details and send you an email with a link for verification.

Now you are ready to secure your domain name for free!

One more thing that I recommend.

Enable WHOIS protection. Once you have completed verification, you will be taken to your dashboard where you can find the section for your free domain name. Simply look for the slider button located under Privacy, and click it to make it purple and enable.

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This will hide your email address, phone number, and street address from public databases. It also provides important benefits such as:

• Reduce spam:Spammers can mine data from anywhere they can find it. Having your name, email and phone number in public databases can result in an infiltration of your inbox and an increase in robocalls. This is a time-consuming task.
• Lessening identity theft risks: Your personal information, including your phone numbers, email addresses, and telephone numbers, is useful fodder for fraudsters who might use this information to fuel their identity theft efforts.
• Make your physical location more difficult to find:Not all bloggers and small business owners want their physical address, home address or business address displayed for everyone to see. If you are an e-commerce dropshipper and operate a small business from your home, it may not be a good idea to let the world know where you live.
• Separating personal messaging from business messaging:WHOIS privacy allows you to create a separation between personal information and your business brand. This is important if your personal views, messages, and life are separate from your business.

You're done once you have completed the last step to protect your privacy.

Now you have a great hosting plan and a free domain. Hostinger is the best place to start if you haven't already.

There are other ways to get a free domain name

To be comprehensive, I will also talk about two other methods to get a domain free of charge. While I do not recommend them, it is always beneficial to have all the options.

• Get a subdomain for free
• Use a domain registrar for free (not recommended).

Below, I will explain each method in more detail. I'll also discuss the reasons I don't recommend them when it comes to how to get your domain free.

Option 1 – Get a free subdomain

Many website builders offer subdomains. This is a personal domain that exists inside an existing domain.

Remember the movie Inception in which Leonardo DiCaprio dreamed that he was in a dream? This is a similar story.

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A domain name is a name that you get within the domain name.

Squarespace, Wix and Weebly all offer subdomains. You can also get a free trial. If you love their services, you will be able to purchase premium plans which include everything you need to create, launch, and manage professional websites.

These options usually include a free domain name and a few other perks such as:

• Drag and drop site builder: Many of these sites make it simple to create a basic website using drag-and–drop widgets. You don't have to know any programming to make a professional-looking site.
• Web hosting The package that you purchase includes web hosting. This means that you have a complete solution for creating a website.
• Templates Many of these sites allow you to start with templates so that you don't have to build a new site. The template you choose will be customized to your specifications. However, customization options can be limited.
• Search engine optimization tools These site builders often offer basic SEO tools that can help you optimize your content with keywords, metadata, and other relevant information.

These perks aside, I find it hard to believe that this method isn't ideal.

Some of these perks can be somewhat restrictive, especially if your goal is to expand beyond the box for your website. Also, you run into the same problems as not having a clean.com that I mentioned earlier in this article.

Let's look at an example to help us understand these issues better.

Imagine that you can use Wix, a free website builder. Although you won't need to purchase a domain name, your site will be hosted on the Wix subdomain. It will look like this:

yourusername.wixsite.com/yoursiteaddress

Let's say your Wix username "My Stunning Website 123" and your free domain name is myblogsite. Here's what it will look like:

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Consider it: Does this look professional? Do you know of any websites with domains like that? Would this be a good place to enter your credit card information and personal information? Why would you expect customers do the same?

This is why I only recommend this method to those who want to try out new features and updates in your website builder.

WordPress is another option. It isn't as intrusive as Wix. The format for a free WordPress subdomain is: yourdomainname.wordpress.com

While this is an option when money is tight, it is not viable as a long-term strategy. Your free domain name should be short and memorable. This is impossible when you use a subdomain.

Another disadvantage is that visitors might not remember your domain name or find it difficult to remember. These site builders may offer SEO tools that can help boost your site's search engine results. However, this positive could turn into a negative if your visitors don't remember your domain.

Option 2 – Use a free domain name registrar (Not recommended)

Although you can obtain a domain name for free from a domain registrar it is not usually recommended. Particularly if your domain name should reflect professionalism and trustworthiness.

The truly free domains are those that use unusual extensions. You'll find.tk rather than.com.

Prospective customers will prefer a domain name that is yourbusiness.com to your yourbusiness.tk. Common extensions can be confusing and can cause trust to be eroded. Uncommon extensions can confuse consumers, especially in a world where many people are well-aware of scams and online phishing schemes.

You can also see why this is not a good option.

You don't even own the domain name. This defeats the purpose for launching a blog/website.

If you decide to go this route, however, you can also check out Freenom or GetFreeDomain.Name.

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Many domain registrars will offer you a free domain in return for your site running ads. Although there is nothing wrong in running ads on your website, it is not the best way. Here's why:

• You don't have complete control over the ads you see. You might see ads that you aren't interested in or that don't appeal to your target audience. People might click away from your website without ever having read your content or considered your products or services.
• You might not be able to control where your ads are placed. This could lead to ads being placed in the places you want your CTAs. This could also be a site that isn't visually appealing, or that appears spammy. This can lead to a lower customer experience which in turn drives up bounce rates.
• Potential loss of ad revenue Let's say you drive high traffic to your site and your ads receive one million views. The ads won't bring you any revenue, but you will get a free domain. It's not fair and you would be better off spending the money to get the domain name.
• You may lose potential conversions by adding clicks:Alternatively, you might want to completely avoid clicking on ads. If you are monetizing a blog, or any other site, clicks on ads that earn you money can be very lucrative. If you are setting up an online store, however, you do not want people clicking on your ads. Ads can make it difficult for people to click on your buy buttons.
• SEO Ranking potential damage: Poor customer experience due to inappropriate, too many or poorly placed ads can lead to poor behavioral metrics for your website. This means that people leave the site and click away before they interact. They won't click on any other pages on your website and they won't spend much time reading your content. These metrics can hurt your SEO performance and rank, since Google considers behavioral metrics when ranking pages.

If you are seriously considering running ads on your site, I recommend that you do it through an authorized advertising network. It can provide a great source for income. Do not exchange ads for a domain.

Don't Forget To Renew Your Domain Name

Be sure to check the term for your first domain purchase. This is something I cannot emphasize enough.

It is not easy to set up a blog or website. It takes a lot of work to create a website or blog, find the right URL and design it, and then publish the relevant content.

Imagine the horror that you will feel when you wake up to find out that someone has purchased your domain.

Why? The reason?

Tragic.

This mistake has been made many times before and it has cost people a lot.

Here's one example of the bizarre things that can happen when domains expire. Vidme, a video embedding site, failed to renew in July 2021 and left behind expired embeds. This means that embedded videos on websites ranging from New York Magazine to the Washington Post were "naked".

A website for adult content bought the Vidme domain. This action eventually led to embedded video content from adult websites appearing on older news stories. This was not only a failure for Vidme but also a problem for all websites with embedded videos.

How can you prevent this?

First, note your initial term. Many registrars offer a one-year registration. However, some allow you to purchase five, 10, 20 or even 100 year registrations at checkout.

You don't need to worry about renewal if your initial term is longer. You also lock in the annual rate for the entire duration. This can help you save money in the long-term because domain name prices are subject to change.

A reminder for one month is also important, even if you don’t purchase a multiyear term immediately.

This will allow you to prepare for renewal without having your registration expire.

You can also review your domain registrar's renewal rates with a one-month head-up. Sometimes the renewal rate can jump quite a bit. You have at least a few weeks to look at your options and budget if it is higher than you expected.

Last but not least, if your budget is tight, I recommend setting up auto-renew for your domain.

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Most providers allow you to see in your dashboard your domain's expiry date, renewal cost and the option to enable autorenewal. Hostinger's services menu under billing settings makes it easy to do this, as you can see in the above image.

Auto-renewal is available with all the other providers I reviewed.

It is a good idea to check the renewal rate of your domain before it expires, in order to avoid any unexpected budget surprises if the rate increases.

It is also important to make sure that your payment method doesn't expire prior to the renewal date.

Sites won't automatically remove your domain name if your payment method has expired. You will typically receive an email informing you that the payment has expired and giving you a time period to make any necessary changes.

Emails can sometimes get lost in the shuffle and you may lose your domain name. If you want to avoid this, make sure to use a credit card with expiration dates or other payment methods.

FAQs

Can I get a domain free of charge?

Which domain is the best free?

How do I auto-renew my domain?

Conclusion

Hostinger will get you a domain name for free. One that you don't have to give up even if your web host changes.

Another option is to use subdomains with reliable web builders such as WordPress or Wix.

You'll be able to get a reliable web hosting company and a free domain name in a matter of seconds. Trust me, it's not worth the effort to look unprofessional, run a spammy site, or get hacked.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are 3 examples in internet marketing?

Internet Marketing is a term that encompasses online activities intended to promote products, services, and other related topics. Internet marketing includes email marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click advertising (PPC), and website design.

It is important to understand that these terms don't necessarily imply that you need to spend cash to make money. There are many methods to generate income, and you don't have to spend any cash. However, the more you invest in each method, the better return you'll receive.

The most common form of internet marketing is email marketing. This involves sending emails out to potential clients, informing them of your business and any new offers.

Another popular way of advertising is through Social Media Marketing. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and LinkedIn allow users to interact with friends and families and share information. These sites are a great way for businesses to increase awareness of their products and services, as well as to establish relationships with their clients.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a technique used to improve the visibility of websites within major search engines. Webmasters can increase traffic to their websites by increasing the quantity and quality of relevant backlinks.

Website Design is the art or creating a website that looks good and works well. Website designers design the website's layout. Website designers also ensure accessibility standards are met and that technical specifications are adhered to.

Advertisers can bid on keywords that are related to their products and services through Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC). Advertisers earn a commission when someone clicks their ad. PPC ads are usually found at the top and bottom of search results pages.

What are the seven steps of an internet marketing strategy.

Internet marketing strategies are used to achieve business goals through online media. These steps include research, planning, implementation, monitoring and analysis. Each step is essential for effective internet marketing and should be performed regularly.

1. Planning – This is the step that involves identifying your target market and creating a plan on how to reach them. Consider who might purchase your product/service.
2. You can understand the needs of your customer and help you choose the best products or services to meet them. You also gain valuable insight into consumer behavior and trends.
3. Implementation is as simple as choosing a platform such Facebook and deciding where to put your ads. After you have chosen the platforms that you want, make sure they are properly set up. Decide whether to spend money on advertising or pay per-click.
4. Monitoring – Monitoring lets you see how your efforts are performing. Google Analytics Analytics allows you to track traffic flows, conversions rates, and customer demographics.
5. This analysis will allow you to compare your results with benchmarks and past performance levels. This step allows you to determine where your areas are weak and how to improve them.
6. Optimization – Optimizing your website means making changes to improve its ability to attract visitors. You can add new features or alter how users navigate through your site.
7. Evaluation – Evaluating your progress lets you see how well your campaign performs. Is there room for improvement? If not then you may not have met your goal. If you still have issues to resolve, you will need another evaluation.

Why is it so important for your brand to be defined?

A brand is simply the promise your company makes to its clients. A brand promises specific qualities and benefits that make your company stand apart from other companies. Your brand is what distinguishes you from others within the same industry.

A brand establishes your authority and credibility. When prospective customers see your logo, they instantly recognize that your company stands behind its products and services. They trust your company because you have earned their respect.

Your company's culture is also part of your brand. If your employees feel passionate about your brand, it probably reflects your passion for your product or service.

Your brand isn't just words or pictures. It's a promise that you company will keep. It is a promise that you will provide value for your customers.

You need to take into account several things when you are attempting to build your brand. First, you need to choose a name which clearly describes the company's mission. Sweet Dreams Bakery, for example, would be a great name for a bakery. If you run a software business, however, you would probably choose DreamSpark Software.

Next, you will need to decide how your company will be represented. Are you going to use a familiar symbol? Are you going to use corporate colors? Are you going to use logos?

Finally, consider the perception of your brand by your target audience. Will you portray yourself as friendly and helpful? Do you project professionalism and trustworthiness? Are you able to communicate your knowledge and experience?

These are all important questions you should ask before building your brand.

What is eCommerce marketing?

Ecommerce marketing is online shopping. It is the act of selling products online. This can include buying products from companies and then selling them online. If you are an individual vendor, this includes selling on eBay. It is possible to also start a business and sell goods for profit. You want to make money online selling your products.

Here are more details on eCommerce marketing

It is important to determine what kind of products you wish to sell in order for your eCommerce site to be successful. Next, choose whether you want to sell a single item (e.g. a book) or multiple items (e.g. books and DVDs).

Once you know what you're offering, you'll need to find a supplier. A supplier is a company that makes and sells the product you want to sell. A supplier is a company that manufactures and sells the product you are looking to sell.

After finding a supplier, create a website to showcase the products and allow buyers buy them. Some suppliers will provide templates, while others will require that you design the template. Once you have your website online, you need to promote it to draw visitors. This could include publishing articles on blogs or forums, advertising on Google Adwords websites and sending emails relevant to contacts.

When it comes to marketing your eCommerce company, there are many channels. These channels include email, social media, search engines, and mobile apps.

• Email marketing can be a good option for most businesses. It's cost-effective, easy to implement, and delivers results. It takes time and effort to generate high quality leads.
• Search engine optimization (SEO), a technique to increase a website's rank for specific keywords, is what we call search engine optimization. It's usually done through link building, which helps pages rank higher in search engines.
• For businesses, social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook are increasingly important. These sites are used every day by many people to keep in touch with their loved ones and friends. If you post useful articles, you can reach thousands of people.
• Mobile apps are also a valuable tool for eCommerce marketers. People love to shop on their smartphones and tablets. An app allows customers to be reached wherever they may be.

eCommerce has grown to be a huge business. There are many options to promote your company. Make sure you choose wisely to reap the rewards of eCommerce marketing.

Is there any risk associated with digital marketing

Yes, digital marketing comes with risks.

For starters, you must ensure you protect your online reputation by being careful about what you say on social networks.

It is important that you ensure your content is original, and not copied from others.

In addition, you risk losing control of your brand image if you do not monitor your online presence closely.

Finally, identity theft can occur if you give your permission for someone to use your personal information.

How to Protect Your Online Reputation:

1. Be careful about what you share on social networks
2. Ensure all Content Is Original and Doesn’t Infringe On Any Other Person’s Intellectual Property Rights
3. Monitor Brand Image
4. Strong Passwords
5. Use personal details only with permission
6. Report Any Unauthorized Activity Immediately
7. Don't Post Photos Of Yourself Or Others In A Disturbing Way
8. Never Give Out Your Social Security Number
9. Keep up to date with the most recent news
10. Stay Away from Scams
11. Secure Password
12. Always keep an eye out for new updates
13. Don't share too many details
14. Be Vigilant When Giving Out Credit Card Numbers
15. Don't send money via E-mail
16. Fake websites to avoid
17. Bad reviews can damage your business.
18. You should regularly check your credit reports
19. Pay attention to your privacy settings
20. Ask someone who really knows you before you share something.

Statistics

• This allows us to deliver CPCs that are 80% less than average and CTRs 4-5 times higher than average. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
• Many experts recommend you share 20% of your promotional content and 80% of other valuable content you find. (marketinginsidergroup.com)
• According to statistics, 60% of online shoppers worldwide actively search for coupons before purchasing from a virtual shop. (influencermarketinghub.com)
• A poll earlier this year found that 14% of older Gen Z's had bought an item in the previous six months based on an influencer's recommendation. (influencermarketinghub.com)
• 81% of brands employ affiliate marketing, and eCommerce sites are particularly good candidates. (blog.hubspot.com)

External Links

hubspot.com

• YouTube Marketing: Your Ultimate Guide
  
• Chatbot Builder Software Free
  

neilpatel.com

• How SEO can help you build your brand
  
• Marketing Automation: What is it, Examples & Tools [2022]
  

statista.com

• Statista
  
• Statista
  

influencermarketinghub.com

• The State of Influencer marketing 2021: Benchmark report
  

How To

Six Types Ecommerce Marketing

How do I market my eCommerce store?

Ecommerce marketing is one the most difficult marketing tasks. You need to learn about your customers' buying patterns and how they interact with you products and services. You can then create a strategy that will help you achieve your goals.

There are six kinds of eCommerce marketing strategies.

1. Product Strategy – This is the first step in determining the type of product that you want to sell online. There are three major categories: physical goods (things), virtual goods (services) and membership sites. Once you've decided which category you're going to work with, you'll need to decide whether to offer wholesale or retail prices. Wholesale pricing means you set the price you sell your products, while retail pricing means you charge customers directly for your products.
2. Pricing Strategy – Next, figure out how much revenue you would like to make by selling your products. Profit margins and competition are important. Shipping costs, taxes, and other fees should also be considered. You can increase your profits by lowering your cost per sale or increasing your sales volume when you are deciding on your pricing strategy.
3. Promotion Strategy – This is the fun part! Your business needs a promotion plan that is most effective. One strategy is to offer free shipping and special discounts. You can also brainstorm new promotional ideas if you don't already have them.
4. Shipping Strategy – Once you have figured out how to market your products, it is time to consider how you will get them to customers. Do you ship via USPS, FedEx, UPS, DHL, or another delivery service? Do you intend to use a fulfillment facility or do all the work yourself?
5. Merchandise Management System: Your merchandise management software includes software that allows you to manage inventory, track orders and fulfill orders. You have many options depending on your budget and preference.
6. Customer Service Strategy – You need to design a customer support strategy that will work for you business. What support options are available? Will they be via email or phone? Customers can reach you via phone, social media, or postal mail.

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By: Neil Patel
Title: How to Get a Free Domain Name in 3 Steps
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-get-a-free-domain/
Published Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000