How Much To Domain Names Cost

$10 Or $10 Million The Choice Is Yours

At the end of the day, your new website will need a domain. There are different types of domains and price points associated with each. As a business owner, you will have to weigh your options and purchase a domain that both fits within your budget and is easy for your customers to remember. When in doubt, start with an unregistered domain name to keep your cost low. You can always upgrade to a premium domain name in a few years when your business is more established and can responsibly afford the cost.

Your Domain Name Shouldnt Break Any Legal Terms

There was a time when the Internet was the Wild West.

Those days are long gone. Now its full of corporations with deep pockets that will sue you into bankruptcy if you even look at them the wrong way. Thats why its important to be careful.

Imagine this. You come up with a great name. You register it. You launch your website. And then, just as your business starts gaining momentum, you are hit with a cease and desist letter.

What the ?? is your first thought.

But then, as you decipher the legalese, you realize that apparently your domain name is trademarked, which means that you are in a world of trouble.

You can avoid this by doing due diligence.

For example, you can check US trademarks on the United States Patent and Trademark Offices website.

Alternatively, you can check for the trademarks for whatever country you want to operate in through the local equivalent of the USPTO.

And, of course, Google can help you as well, because if nothing comes up on it, then you probably dont need to worry.

Now, unfortunately, if you came up with a cool name, the chances are that you are not the first person to do so, which means that you might end up having to go back to the drawing board.

However, keep in mind that finding yourself back at square one is much better than getting hit with a lawsuit, so dont cut corners here.

So How Much Does A Domain Name Cost

To find that out, we ran some tests. We went to the website of every single company in the list below and searched for domainpricearticle as our domain name.

We checked the prices of 10 common and not-so-common top-level domains, including: .com, .net, .org, .info, .ico, .xyz, .site, .store, .tech, and .work.

Weve compiled all of this pricing information into tables for your convenience and detailed our observations of the good and bad pricing trends out there.

Note: This is not a review of each service, just a comparison of their domain prices and pricing trends.

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Consider These Popular Domain Extensions:

.com

The most popular and professional extension for any kind of website.

Grow your network, and your business, with a .net domain.

Brand your site as an organization for greater good.

Show you’re at the forefront of todayâs tech scene with a highly relevant domain.

Get personal. Show off what you’re all about to your visitors.

Rep your company with a domain that’s globally recognized and memorable.

How Much Do Domain Names Cost At Namecheap

Whats made Namecheap well-known and reputable is their simple services covering domain registration and the friendly domain name prices they offer to customers.

Rates range from $0.88/year to $8.88/year to as high as $2,488/year . You can check out their website to see their full pricing list. Additional features include email forwarding, domain parking, web redirection and more, all in with the price.

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Why You Need To Renew Your Domain On Time

When you buy a domain name, you only register it in your name for a set amount of years.

Once this period expires, your domain name goes back on the market and anyone can buy it.

Your site will go offline and you stand to lose traffic, rankings, and revenue.

If you lose your domain name, you could end up spending a lot of time and energy trying to get it back. You should also know that there are many domain brokers that are watching domain names that are set to expire, especially top-level domains that are valuable.

If a domain name is SEO-friendly and would rank well in search engine results, its likely that there will be many takers as soon as the domain registration expires.

Now if youve trademarked the domain name, then no one else can use it. But this wont stop competitors from grabbing the expired domain at the first chance they get.

To avoid all these problems, its best to renew your domain name before the expiry date. Now, lets dive into the cost of renewing your domain name.

Domain Pricing On Site Builders

Site builders are those services that do it all:

• They let you build a website yourself .
• They host the website.
• The vast majority of them will let you buy domain names as well.

Pros:

• Again, its often convenient to have everything in one place, and the site builder usually handles all the technical stuff.
• Almost all site builders offer free subdomains to start with.
• Not sure what a subdomain is? Weve got you covered.

Cons:

• Domain prices on site builders are often a little higher than on domain registrars but definitely more standardized compared to hosting companies.
• You may or may not have full control over your domain and how it works.

Observations

• All Jimdo domains are 20 euros per year, but there are not a lot of TLD choices. Depending on the plan, you can get a free domain for the first year.

Shopifys domain pricing is very what you see is what you get, with no hidden fees. And its definitely one of the more affordable places to get a .store or .shop domain.

• Square Online is only available in a few select countries. The list is expanding, but customers all over the globe should take note.
• While WordPress has low initial prices, there are super-high renewal prices.
• Zyros first-year prices are also lower, though the renewals are not as expensive as WordPress.

Note: The table below includes the name of the cheapest free plan on every site builder that offers a free domain for the first year.

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How Should I Choose My Domain Name

At first, you might think its annoying that the most relevant domain names for your site are probably taken. But now that the obvious names are out of the equation, were forced to think outside the box which can lead to some memorably creative results.

The most important point to keep in mind while you brainstorm is the radio test: in other words, could potential site visitors spell your domain name just by hearing it? By asking yourself this question, youll avoid common pitfalls like including numbers and words with multiple spellings .

Your Domain Name Should Be Easy To Type On Mobile Devices

Do you know what happened on June 29th, 2007?

Ill give you a few hints: Apple. Steve Jobs. iPhone. Yes, you guessed it: on that day Steve Jobs presented the first iPhone, which changed the world forever.

Now, a little bit more than a decade later, we are all struggling with smartphone addiction, and we got to the point where dumbphones are making a comeback. But what does this have to do with domain names?

Well, in the first quarter of 2019, mobile traffic accounted for 48.71% of global website traffic and its safe to say that this number is only going to increase.

This means that its best if your domain name is easy to type on a mobile phone.

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Do I Need More Than One Domain Name

This is more a business decision than a necessity. You only need one domain name for your website. However, you might want to buy multiple domains with spelling variants andredirect them to your site, just in case people misspell your main address.

You might also have unique domain names for different aspects of your business to help your users find what they need more easily. An alternate domain can also serve as an easier-to-remember variant of the original domain.

And if youre in a business where the competition is stiff say youre running for elected office it can be worth it to buy several variations of your domain so that the opposition cant use them.

Picking The Right Tld

Top Level Domains are the letters you see furthest to the right of a web address. They are also known as domain extensions or domain endings i.e. your domain ends in it eg: onlydomains.com ends in .COM, seths.blog ends in .BLOG.There are different categories of domain endings you can choose from:

• Country specific domains: These represent countries or territories like .NZ, .US, .UK .COM.AU or .AE . They are also known as country code top-level domains and pretty much every country out there has one.Many ccTLDs are repurposed as global extensions eg: .IO and .AI , have become popular domain names for tech companies and stand for Input/Output and Artificial Intelligence respectively.
• Generic domain endings: Chances are youve heard and interacted with a lot of websites that use these domain endings
• .COM for businesses and everything under the sun
• .NET for organizations using network technologies
• .ORG for non-profits and organisations
• .EDU for educational institutions
• .GOV for government agencies

The categories are in no way watertight, you can be as creative as you like.

Not all TLDs are not created equal. .COM is still leading the way when it comes to trust, but there is a sea of options with ample of hidden gems available.

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How Much Does A Premium Domain Name Cost

Premium domain names are domains that are already registered and are up for sale on a domain aftermarket service. The price for premium domain names can vary widely, depending on the current demand. As such, the pricing can range from a 3-figure number up to a 7-figure number.

When it comes to choosing a domain name, there are a few things to consider:

How Does Domain Name Hosting Work

To understand how domain name hosting works, it is essential to understand how a domain name actually works. When you enter a domain name into your internet browser, it sends a request to the Domain Name System.

The Domain Name System then looks up the name servers associated with that domain name. It communicates your request to the name servers, which then forward that request to the web server hosting the site. The web server then relays the information associated with that site back to the browser.

The name servers are managed by the domain web host, and the web server is managed by your website host. The domain name hosts responsibility is to register your domain name with the DNS and maintain the name servers so that your domain name remains active online.

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How Much Does A Domain Name Cost A Breakdown Of Domain Pricing

Your domain name is essentially where you live onlineand in order for people to find you easily, your online address needs to be clear, descriptive, and available. Domain registration prices vary depending on factors such as which domain registrar you choose, your domain extension, and whether someone else has already registered the name before you.

However, pricing isnt the only factor at play when registering a domain. Customer service of the provider, ease of use, cost transparency, and being able to manage everything in one place are other key considerations when it comes to investing in a domain thats right for your personal brand or business. Learn more about how domain registration pricing depends on different TLDs, premium domains, renewal fees, and moreso you can make the best choice for your needs.

Domain Name Cost: Final Thoughts

The simple answer to how much is a domain name is: it depends on your needs. Registering a new domain should never break the bank, though prices will increase after the first year. But if you need an aftermarket domain, be prepared to pay a lot more. In any case, privacy protection, domain transferring, and auto-renewal shouldnt add much, if anything, to the cost of your domain name.

Generally, the cost of a brand new domain name will be between $10-20 a year, which will fluctuate depending on introductory and renewal prices.

Choosing a registrar also depends on what youre looking for whether thats simply a registrar, a hosting provider included, or a registration with a website builder, there are options for every commitment level.

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How To Buy A Domain Name

You can change just about everything about your business, but changing the domain name down the road can be a serious headache. Because your website will function as the central hub of your online business, changing its domain is like pulling the bottom block of a Jenga tower. For that reason, take care when buying a domain name. Here are instructions for how to buy a domain name:

Breaking Down Our Top 10 Choices: Which Domain Hosting Service Is Best For You

• GoDaddy – Best Site Builder with Domain Hosting

• Bluehost – Best for Hosting WordPress Websites

• HostGator – Most Affordable Hosting with a Domain Registrar

• Network Solutions – Best Domain Hosting Tools

• IONOS– Best Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

• A2 Hosting – Best Website Builder for Beginners

• DreamHost – Best Email Hosting at Your Domain

• Hostinger – Best VPS Hosting Plans

• Domain.com – Best Domain Hosting for Website Security

• NameCheap – Most Affordable Registrar for Domain Names

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Can You Get A Free Domain

Yes, anyone can get a free domain name. However, like many other free offers, a free domain name isn’t really free. The free domain name usually comes with a package of other services that you still have to pay for. So, in reality, you’re still paying for the domain.

The real question is how much you need to invest in your new domain name. It is part of your cost of doing business if you want to have a presence online. Instead of looking for a free domain, it’s better to look for which domain provider has the best reputation, overall cost for domain names, and offers other optional services at a good price.

When comparing providers, make sure to include any “hidden” costs, how much guidance or help they provide, and what current clients think of their services.

Pros for getting a free domain

• It wont cost you anything extra up front
• Its included with your other services youre already paying for

Cons for getting a free domain

• It’s free, so it might not be the exact domain name you wanted
• It comes with a package of services that you have to pay for, and you probably don’t need all of them
• It sounds good, but might be a scam. Make sure you’re dealing with a reputable registrar

If your site’s user experience is less than great, your website can lose ranking in search engines. That means you’ll get less traffic and fewer sales.

How Much Does A Com Domain Cost What About Other Tlds

In 2022, a new, standard .com registration will typically cost $10-$20 per year, but registrars will often provide short-term promotional discounts, sometimes as low as $0.99. Domains can be registered for up to 10 years, and each additional year usually has the same pricing as Year 1.

There are hundreds of other TLDs, and pricing can swing to extremes. Some are typically very inexpensive, like .live, .online, and .xyzthese domains often have standard pricing below $5.

Other TLDs attempt to create exclusivity with very high standard pricing. TLDs like .cars, .inc, and .rich carry $1,000+ price tags.

However, most TLDs are priced in more comfortable price ranges. Popular TLDs like .org, .co, .net, and .io are usually in the $10-$30 range.

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Start Your Business With Shopify

Try Shopify for free, and explore all the tools and services you need to start, run, and grow your business.

The matter of how much a domain costs, like so many other tech-related questions, has an unsatisfying answer: It depends. Ahead, find research into 10 of the biggest domain registrars, 10 of the biggest hosting companies, and 10 of the most popular site builders. This insight will offer some more answersincluding where to find domain names for free. Note: If youve never registered a domain, check out this guide on how to register a domain name, for more information.

Recap: How Much Does A Domain Cost Really

In most cases, registering a domain should be a sub $15 affair. And for the happy few who are compelled to and can afford a premium domain name, the sky is truly the limit.

You may be a freelancer, a travel agency owner, an eCommerce business, or run a non-profit organization. But whatever you pay for a domain name, youre likely to make a great return on investment in the form of traffic, sales, and lifelong branding.

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