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If you’ve been searching for a way to register a free co.uk domain name, with no catches, keep reading.
In this post I’ll show you how you can get a free co.uk domain name. Surely no one gives away anything for free? You’ll be surprised.
Read on to find out how you can get your free co.uk domain…
Names.co.uk free co.uk domain name
Are you searching high and low for a free .co.uk domain name? Say hello to names.co.uk.
Names.co.uk are currently allowing all new users to register a brand new .co.uk or a .uk domain for free (for a year), with absolutely no commitments, hidden costs or small print.
The registration period is for one year, but you are not obliged to register the domain name for any period longer than that.
Most domain name registrars ask you to register a domain name for at least two years to qualify for a discounted first year, so this is a great offer.
Here’s the proof!
On the downside, they will try to insert additional products in to your basket.
However, as long as you keep an eye out for this and remove the items, you’re on your way to a free co.uk domain name!
LCN free .co.uk domain name
For a limited time only, and “whilst stocks last”, LCN are giving away co.uk domain names for FREE when registered for 1 year. This applies to new domain names only.
Again, just in case you’re skeptical and you’re questioning me a little bit, here’s the evidence this is real!
They will try to slip a few extras in to your basket, just be wise to it and remove them as soon as they appear.
LCN currently have just under 4% of the UK hosting market, currently lying 9th in the league table, so they clearly know their stuff.
This is another fantastic offer from a UK web host that you won’t want to miss.
Ionos (1&1) free domain name
Ionos are taking a slightly different offer to Names.co.uk and LCN.
Rather than offering a year free and trying to slip in extra like email, Ionos include the following with every .co.uk domain name:
- FREE matching email address included
- FREE privacy domain registration for a lifetime
- FREE Wildcard SSL Certificate
The minor catch is, to get the first year free you need to register for at least two years. The second year costs £10.
Unless you want to churn and burn website, you’re likely planning on having your domain name for a number of years.
If this is the case, I would say this is a better offer than Namesco and LCN. You get three features free the other hosts charge you for.
Your total saving over the two years is going to be much more through Ionos’ offer.
Free domain name with hosting
If you want to build a website, a free domain name on its own isn’t going to be much use.
You need some reliable, fast, secure and well-supported hosting as well.
The great news is, there are plenty of web hosts who bundle a free co.uk domain name their hosting plans.
Here are our top picks:
- Ionos – Up to 3 free domains for the lifetime of the hosting package
- 123 Reg – Up to 3 free domains for the lifetime of the hosting package
- Krystal – Free for lifetime on top shared hosting plan
- GoDaddy – Free with annual plans
Are domain names really free?
Finding a free domain name can feel like looking for a needle in a hay stack, but they are out there.
Free domain names are usually available for short-term promotions, part of a hosting bundle or used as an incentive to up-sell you to more products.
The offers listed above may come and go over the time, but they are all genuine and good value for money.
One word of caution; a free domain name is great, but that SHOULD NOT be the reason why you choose a web host.
Do your research in to their uptime, page load speeds and customer service. A bad web host will cost you more than the price of a domain name.
Top tips for buying a co.uk domain name
Use keywords
A ‘keyword’ is the search term someone uses in Google to find services like yours.
There are two reasons why keywords are important:
- It helps you rank higher in Google. This isn’t as important to Google as it used to be, but it definitely provides them with a signal as to your site topic. as it used to be.
- It is a signal to your customers/users. For example you own a gardening business, instead of calling it jamesanderson.co.uk, you should think along the lines of jimsgardening.co.uk. This domain name makes it clear what you do.
Shorter is better
Try and keep your domain name to the fewest number of character as possible. To start your brainstorming process, services like https://domainwheel.com/, https://www.shopify.co.uk/tools/domain-name-generator and https://www.namemesh.com/ let you to put in a seed keyword and then bring back hundreds of variations you could use.
Don’t use copyrighted names
When it come to buying a domain name, don’t try to piggy back on an existing brand’s equity.
You’ll certainly be able to register the domain name but you run the risk of confusing users or even being hit with legal action to have it taken from you.
There’s next to no benefit of taking this approach. Avoid!
Final thoughts
Hopefully you’ve found this article helpful. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch.
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