There are companies, which claim to offer a free domain. Is it really possible to get a domain totally free of charge with no hidden costs? First, what is a domain? It is the address of your website, but that’s not all that it is to it. It must be a name that does not include anything else but the name chosen by you and the TLD. A TLD is .com, for example and also .co.uk. There are many TLD’s, some are country-specific, others are industry-specific, such as the .tv or the newly introduced .xxx TLDs.

So a domain is a name, which only includes the name chosen by you and the TLD. Companies, which offer domain registration pay fees either to a middle-man (a domain reseller) or to ICANN directly but fees are always applicable. So if a company truly offers a free domain this means that it is losing money from the registration, not making any. So a free domain offer usually comes with additional fees implied that cover this loss.

Let’s take a look at how we at FreeHostia do business. We offer a free domain if you buy a Wildhoney or a Supernatural web hosting plan. We use the domain as a bargaining chip these paid hosting plans – you get a free bonus, we get to make a sale. Unlike FreeHostia, where it is clear what you get and what the additional costs that are involved are, there are companies, which do not make it clear what you truly sign up for.

There are several things that you should consider before signing up for a free domain:

- Are there any renewal fees?  In some cases you are given a free domain for one year but then you are required to pay expensive renewal fees.

- Is it really a domain? Not everything that has a dot is a domain Some companies actually give you a free subdomain. They register a very short domain with an exotic TLD and give you a free subdomain that looks like and in some ways could be configured to work like a domain but it’s still a subdomain.

- What additional fees (hidden costs) are there?

- Are there any forced ads or restrictions regarding the use of the domain?

Make sure to get these questions answered first. The address of your website is of great importance for the success of your website in the long run. Having to change the address would affect your visitors significantly and you may loose most of them because of the change.

That said, if you decide to signup for any of the paid hosting plans offered by FreeHostia, which come with a free domain, rest assured – it is an actual domain, in fact it is either a .com or one of the following TLDs: .net, org, .biz, .us, .info. There are no additional renewal fees – the domain is renewed for free every time you renew your hosting plan. And also you can transfer the domain to another provider at any time – so there are no hidden fees, no risks at all.