How to register a domain – a common question on any beginner webmaster’s mind. The answer isn’t that complicated! Anyone can register a domain name with a few clicks, sometimes even free. Sit tight, let’s learn how you can register your very own domain name!
What Is a Domain Name
A domain name is what you type in the address bar if you want to reach a website. It points to an IP address – a series of numbers identifying a specific website. Instead of memorizing numbers, a domain name makes it easy to get to your favorite sites.
In general, a domain may consist of two or more parts, each separated by a dot. Take a look at the example below:
hostinger.com
The first part – hostinger – is the second-level domain otherwise known as a label. The second part – .com – is the top-level domain (TLD).
There are two different types of TLDs – country code and generic. ccTLDs use country codes like .us (United States), .ru (Russia), .fr (France), and more.
Generic top-level domains more commonly indicate the type of website – .edu (education), .gov (government), .org (organization), etc.
Definition aside, a domain name is your visual address and should be easy to find. Here are some tips that should help decide the perfect address for your project
- Avoid long and complicated names which may include numbers and hyphens. The easier to remember, the better.
- Make sure it represents your website. If it’s a business website, you should name your site after your brand, or something your brand is associated with.
- Don’t copy other domain names. For example, although you could pick starbucks.net, you might run into problems in the future, as it contains the copyrighted name of a company.
- Check if competitors already registered domain names similar to your idea. If there’s any, or some, try to be more unique so your potential visitors won’t mistake your website with those of the competitors.
On top of that, your domain name should be available to purchase.
How to Register a Domain Name
Now that you know the basic rules, it’s time to register a domain name. If you think you haven’t come up with the best name, consider using a domain name generator for further assistance.
We’ll guide you through registering a premium domain name on Hostinger and the free web hosting provider 000webhost. For the latter, the service includes a free subdomain – adding the .000webhost label to your domain name (example.000webhost.com).
Register Domain Name on Hostinger
These are the steps to register a domain name on Hostinger:
- Go to Hostinger’s Domain Name Search tool.
- Enter your desired domain name on the box and hit Check It.
- If it’s available, click on Add to Chart. You can also explore more options beforehand. If the one you want is taken, try exploring a little bit more.
- If that’s all you need, click on View Cart & Checkout.
- Apart from the domain name, there are some great additional features on offer. Once ready to proceed, click on Checkout Now.
- You will then have to choose your payment method and fill in your credentials.
- Make the payment and wait for confirmation.
That’s it! Your domain name will be registered in a few minutes.
Get Free Subdomain on 000webhost
Steps to get a free subdomain on 000webhost:
- Go to 000webhost.com and choose Sign Up for Free Hosting.
- Fill in your credentials and click on Get Free Hosting. You can also sign up with Facebook or Google+.
- 000webhost will send you an email. Open it and confirm your registration.
- You will then be redirected to a new page. A pop-up form might appear, if it does, fill it out and hit Create.
- Click on Create your first website in the middle of the page.
- Click on the highlighted box to start setting up your website. You can also use the Build Website menu on the top of the page.
- Configure your free website using the available options, install WordPress or use the website builder. In this case, the free subdomain we use is ninefoodies.000webhost.com.
How to Point a Domain Name to 000webhost
After completing the steps above, you will get two things – a premium domain name on Hostinger and free web hosting on 000webhost. You can then link both and use the premium domain name instead of the free 000webhost subdomain.
This can be achieved through domain parking or CNAME pointing. For this tutorial, we will use domain parking, which is way more straightforward and beginner-friendly.
Domain Parking
Simply put, we need to copy 000webhost’s nameservers and paste them to Hostinger’s control panel. No technical background knowledge is needed. Note that 000webhost’s nameservers are NS01.000WEBHOST.COM and NS02.000WEBHOST.COM
- Log into Hostinger’s control panel and head to Domain.
- Find your domain name and scroll down to find the list of nameservers.
- Input 000webhost’s nameservers to the first two rows of the list and leave the remaining rows blank. Hit Update to verify.
- Log in to 000webhost’s control panel and head to Set web address > Domain > Add domain.
- Choose Park domain when a popup form appears and input your domain name. Click on Next to verify.
- The system will then verify if your domain is pointed to the correct nameservers. This step may take from 24 to 48 hours.
- Once verified, the status on the Domain bar will say “ready”.
- Click on Manage > Link website and choose the website you want to link.
Conclusions
A domain name is what sets your website apart from others. It should be easy to remember and represents your core purpose.
You now know how to register a domain name with both Hostinger and 000webhost. While the former provides free hosting, you will additionally get a free subdomain name, which might be inconvenient.
Therefore, connecting a premium domain name and free web hosting could be the solution that fits your first project.
