Creating a WordPress Website Without a Domain
Can you create a WordPress website without a domain?
Well, the answer is… yes and no. WordPress comes in two flavors. You have WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress.org is the open source, free version of WordPress. If you want to use this platform, you'll need to set up hosting and register a domain name.
If you choose WordPress.com and use the free version, you can start a site without your own domain. However, this isn't a good option for most websites.
Creating a WordPress website without a domain using WordPress.com
You can get a WordPress site online with the free version of WordPress.com without having your own domain name. Your site will then be hosted on a WordPress.com subdomain, which looks like this:
I did this myself more than a decade ago. It was a simple travel blog about a trip I took to Vietnam at the time. A fun fact: WordPress.com has never taken this site offline, even though I've never done anything with it since.
Within just a click, you can have a free WordPress site up and running without needing your own domain. Simply visit the WordPress.com website and click the blue button to get started.
These are the types of websites for which this is a suitable option:
- Hobby projects such as a travel blog that you only share with your family or friends
- Websites for which you don't consider organic traffic from Google important
- Websites that don't involve any commercial interests
Why your wordPress site should have a domain name and proper hosting
Self-hosting a WordPress website through WordPress.org and attaching your own domain name is a better option for your site in 99% of cases.
First of all, a WordPress site without a domain looks unprofessional. You can't use such a site for business purposes. Additionally, this type of site isn't suitable for SEO and won't attract any traffic through Google.
Even if your site isn't business-oriented, you'll likely outgrow the free version of WordPress.com very quickly. It's extremely limited in what you can do. You're severely restricted in your choice of themes, templates, and additional functionality. You won't be able to create much more than the basic blog example you can see above.
These days, you can host your website for just a few euros per month. A .nl domain name costs about ten dollars per year. The costs have become so low that there's no real barrier anymore to creating a self-hosted WordPress site with your own domain.
If you're going to host a WordPress site yourself, choose a provider that scores highly on the following points:
- Speed and uptime. Speed directly impacts your Google ranking. Additionally, fast websites convert better than slow ones. Uptime refers to the amount of time your site is operational and accessible online.
- Customer Support. You often don't think about a hosting provider's support until you suddenly need it. When that moment comes, you want a provider that's easy to reach and has sufficient technical expertise.
- Features. This includes a free SSL certificate, test environment, and caching.
Check out the recommendations in our hosting review section to find hosting providers that meet these requirements.
