[How to] Get a Free .co.uk Domain [UK Only]

Does your website or blog look unprofessional due to the lack of a premium domain name? My blog did for many months so attracted very little traffic. I wanted my site to be recognised and viewed so I could build up a community of readers. I knew it would be hard to do this with an 'example.blogspot.com' domain. I set about finding a free way to make a better website that would be more respectable. Here is what I found:

The website that provides these free .co.uk domain-names is not, as you may have suspected,  illegal or dangerous. It was created by some of the most respected companies on the web. BT, Google, E-Skills UK and Enterprise UK created a website to get British business online. The site was made to allow small British businesses to represent themselves online for free. The Getting British Business Online website can be found at http://www.gbbo.co.uk.

Once you have loaded GBBO, to create your domain, first type your desired address into the text field labelled "Choose a Web Address". Once you have done this, click "Get Started".

The next page will give you suggestions of web addresses you may like. Just click "Select" next to the address you would like to choose it.

The next page will present you with some information- I will explain several things associated with the business name etc. later. Click "Continue".

The terms and conditions are displayed on the next page. Here you can also choose whether or not you would like to be contacted after registering your address. Once finished, click "Continue".

When you have clicked "Continue", another page will load. This one will include several forms which should be filled in. If you wish to use the domain for a personal website or blog, I suggest selecting entertainer in the categories field. Also, the business name can be entered as your name or the name of the website if you are not creating a business website. With regards to Google Maps and PayPal: I suggest you disable both. All other information should be filled in truthfully.

When you click "Continue" once more, you will be requested to enter the verification code sent to the mobile number specified on the previous page. Once this has been done, click "Continue"- for the last time.

You will then receive two emails. One with a username and password which will allow you to repoint your domain from the GBBO website and another with more information. By default, a Google Site is given to you which you may use, but I would recommend repointing the domain to a WordPress Blog.

If you have any further questions about anything in this post, please comment or send me a tweet on Twitter- @GMacf33.