Forgive the ugly image, its my first attempt at photo editing 😉
If you’ve tried free website providers, you might have noticed that the end of your domain would have the provider’s name before the “.com”.
For example, if you use Site Rubix, any website you do will end with “.siterubix.com”.
Similarly if you’re using Weebly, any websites that you create will end with “.weebly.com”.
Sounds familiar?
Good, because this guide will teach on how to get an independent “.com” domain that you’ve been longing for, or any other domains you desire.
But first, let’s make sure that we’re on the same page by learning…
What is a domain?
Whether it’s a “.com” or a “.org”, even a “.net”, you we have to learn that a website and a domain are actually separate, though combined.
Confused? Don’t worry, I too was confused for a long while.
You see, a domain is actually your website URL – Things like “mycomputerbaby.com” or even “imyourdaddy.com”.
A subdomain on the other hand, is an extension of a website which is usually used by free website providers which I’m sure you’re familiar with (If you don’t, an example of a subdomain is chickenrice.siterubix.com).
So why is domain a separate entity?
Because if you buy a “.com” domain from a provider, you will have to attach that domain to a Content Management System (CMS) which is just simply a website management system because how else are you going to save all your image files or publish your blog posts?
Is it Important to Get a “.com” Domain?
Yes, and with good reasons.
Getting a subdomain is alright and it works just as fine however it does come with certain risks depending on the provider.
If you are using free website providers such as Site Rubix and Webs which gives you complimentary subdomains, you will have no problems with your website.
However if you use Blogger or BlogSpot, your website will be at risk because the subdomain provided by them are controlled BY them!
Meaning that if your website makes money, they will get most of it which is totally unfair.
With that being said, here are some advantages of having your own independent “.com” domain…
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Having your own “.com” website will go well with Google hence giving you faster Google rankings.
- Freedom! – You have your own independent website and domain which you could brand and make business from.
- Brand-able – People will remember your website easier when it’s short and concise. For example, LoseWeight.com is much easier to remember compared to LoseWeight.MyInternetQuest.com!
- Your own email address! – Did you know that you can make your own email address using your website domain? Mine is Riaz [at] MyInternetQuest.com 😉 .
- Professional image – Having your own “.com” website is important for your image if you are planning to use it for a company, or start an online business.
Should I get a “.com” or a “.org” domain?
That depends on the purpose of your website.
A “.com” domain is more versatile as you can use it for literally ANY kinds of website.
However a “.org” on the other hand, is usually made for the benefit of the community, something like Wikipedia.org.
It is usually used for people who wants to set up info blogs that share helpful information, or non-profit organizations to get donations and let the world know of what they are doing offline.
“.net” is another domain that is hot on the web but lately, it is dropping in popularity so because of that, the newer generation who rarely sees this type of domain would be less inclined to visit the page.
This is because for them, “.net” seems like an ancient name so they would judge a book by its cover by thinking that your website is an old version.
Still, both the “.net” and “.org” domains are acceptable within Google so you won’t have any problems with that.
In popularity. “.com” domains are number one, “.org” comes second in line and “.net” are the third most chosen domains on the web.
There are of course other domains ending with “.tv” or “.my” which are just as good but these domains symbolizes their respective countries so the process is a bit troublesome although still doable.
Can I get a “.com” domain for free?
No, I’m afraid not.
If you’re wondering if there’s any way to get a free “.com” domain, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you because these domains are watched by an international organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which controls every domain registrations on the internet.
Think of it as the government body that you go to if you were to register an offline business that you are thinking of starting.
If you want to register your company, you need to pay a certain fee right?
Similarly, you need to pay in order to get a legitimate domain online and the organization for that, is ICANN.
If you’re wondering if you can buy domains from ICANN, I’m afraid you can’t do that because they do not provide that service.
This means that you have to buy from the authorized domain providers instead.
Think of it like buying a can of coke – If you go all the way to Coca Cola’s HQ, they wouldn’t sell you that and would turn you off to the supermarkets instead.
So now let’s get to the part you’ve been waiting for…
How to Get Your “.com” Website Up and Running?
Compared to 10 years ago where you would take days or even a week to set up a website, building a website today would take less than half an hour.
There are not many steps to this and literally anyone can start a great website without prior knowledge…
1) Get a .com domain
There are many authorized domain providers out there but the trustworthy ones are NameCheap.com and GoDaddy.com.
Both domain providers work well but I recommend NameCheap.com as it doesn’t have upsells as opposed to GoDaddy.com which stuffs upsells everywhere which can get pretty annoying.
Don’t worry about the price though, because “.com” domains are really cheap as they usually cost around $11 and they only charge you annually.
Here’s a video I made on how to buy a NameCheap domain…
And voilà! You have a “.com” domain already!
You can do anything with it but if you are thinking of building a quality website for an online business or a professional blog, you need to…
2) Transfer your domain and get started!
Oh, it’s that scary word again.
If you don’t understand how all of this works, don’t worry because you don’t have to as now there is an easier way to do that.
The traditional and time-consuming way was to move your domain name manually to your webhost and from there, install WordPress from the webhost which you have chosen.
This process however, will take you about an hour as there are mistakes to rectify and is very tricky that many people pay freelancers to do it for you.
However you can actually save more money by using Wealthy Affiliate’s servers to host your website.
Wealthy Affiliate is actually an Online Business course which provides tools and training for anyone who wants to build a quality website.
The idea is to build your “.com” website by leveraging Wealthy Affiliate, you can do so within 30 seconds here…
The video teaches you on how to build a website using a free subdomain, but you can simply type in your “.com” domain, go through the steps and you’re ready to go!
Lear How to Catapult Your Website! –Join an Online Classroom.
Not, just an online classroom, but an Online Business Classroom.
When you build a website, that is actually the beginning because in the long run, you would have to think of many things – How to write content, where to find images or even how to make your website look professional.
I highly recommend you to check out Wealthy Affiliate not only because of the updated lessons, but because of the community of like-minded people who you can mingle and get help or advice from.
Inside, you will learn how to build a website from scratch, how to tweak your site to make it Google-friendly and from there, learn how to make money out of any passion you have.
Take a look at this…
Google search results for “Lead Generation Mastery Review”
Using the knowledge I learned from Wealthy Affiliate, I managed to get my blog post on the first page of Google and this shows that hard work will pay off because once you get your website up there, loads of people will come non-stop.
Conclusion
Getting your own personal domain has many benefits in the long-run.
Although there are no ways on getting a “.com” domain for free, you can make up for it by building a quality website and learning how to turn your passion into profits.
If you’re interested in learning more on how to start a viable business online, check out my #1 recommended program here.
Thanks for reading, do share your thoughts below as I’ll be more than happy to reply.
