Free domain names are here to stay on the World Wide Web, especially free top-level domains bundled with web hosting packages. However, it is not surprising that in each corner there are two sides. While there are merits to free names, there are demerits and this piece intends to reveal them both.
One of the main merits of a free domain is profitability, which is very essential for any website owner. By reducing expenses to create a website, the owner will be able to save costs and have more funds for other web development tasks. Also, since most free names are for one year, you’ll have plenty of time to fundraise for renewal when they expire, and you can renew for one, two, or three years or more. For a short-term site, it’s like a gift because there may be no need for renewal. Therefore, free names are very useful for special events and festivals because once the events are over, there is no need to renew them.
Also, web developers aren’t kidding about free domains because they make their work better. Most web developers register multiple domain names for a website in order to defeat cybersquatters. What cybersquatters do is register many variations of popular websites with the intention of selling them to website owners or profiting from their popularity.
On the other hand, a big drawback of a free domain is the limited service. If you get a free TLD attached to a web hosting plan, you can only use it for one year and then renew it. If you get a subdomain (not recommended for serious online businesses), you won’t have access to the Domain Management System (DMS), which is the basic proof of domain ownership. Also, a free subdomain can be inundated with wanted and unwanted ads that may not be ideal for your business. It may also not be dependent because the domain owner can ban you at any time and this can lead to loss of rank, visitors, backlinks, etc.
Consequently, special caution should be taken when opting for free domain names. It is very important that you get your free names from a trusted source, especially if you are getting a TLD attached to a web hosting package. It is highly recommended to stay away from free subdomains unless you want to be online for fun. Subdomains aren’t ideal for online businesses, so you can pay to register a name (it’s not expensive, after all) or get a free one bundled with a web hosting package.
