How to Buy a Domain Name in 2025: Guide for Total Beginners

In this post, I will show you exactly how to buy your first domain name. There’s absolutely no tech knowledge required, and I’ll guide you through every step in the simplest way possible. Whether you want to start a blog, an online shop, or just claim your name online, you’ll find everything you need right here. Let’s get started!

P.S. If you have any questions or if something isn’t clear, just leave a comment, and I’ll be happy to help as soon as possible!

What is a domain

A domain name is the web address for your site. Think of it like your home address, but for your website. It helps people find your business online.

Examples of domain names:

• www.lovelyhandmadejewelry.com
• www.sallysbakery.com
• www.fitnessforwomen.fr

Domain Name & Extension

When you look at a website address, like www.myshop.com, it has two main parts: the name and the ending. The name is the part that comes before the dot, like “myshop.” This is what people will remember and type to find your website.

The ending, like “.com,” is called a domain extension. It shows what kind of website it is or where it’s from. For example, “.com” is the most common and used for all kinds of websites, while “.de” is for Germany. Choosing a good name and the right ending is important because it makes your website easier to find and trust.

Where to buy a domain name

You can buy a domain name from a domain registrar, which is a company that sells and manages domain names. Some popular registrars are GoDaddy, Cloudflare, and Namecheap. The process is simple: you search for the name you want, check if it’s available, and then buy it. It’s like using any other online shop.

Buying a domain together with hosting

So domain is the name of your website, and hosting is like renting space on the internet to store your website. When you create a website, all the pictures, text, and files need to be saved somewhere so people can visit it anytime.

There are providers like Bluehost and Hostinger and usually offer a free domain when you purchase their hosting. So if you also plan to start a new website, buying your domain together with hosting is a great choice. It’s usually very cheap, and your domain will be automatically connected to your new website, so you don’t need to configure it yourself.

How much does a domain cost

The cost of a domain name varies depending on the domain extension (like .com, .net) and the provider you choose to buy from. Typically, a standard .com domain costs between $10 to $20 per year. However, some registrars offer significant discounts, especially for the first year.

Just make sure that when you buy a discounted domain for the first year, you also check the price that you will pay for the following years. It’s usually clearly stated, like: 0.90$ for the first year, renewal at 12.99$/year.

And as I mentioned above, you can often get a free domain with your hosting, for example on Hostinger.

Bottom line: A domain will cost you 0$ – 20$ per year.

How to choose the right domain name

Picking the perfect domain name is extremely important! Once you decide on a domain, it’s quite hard to change it. Because you will probably put your web address on all your products and social accounts. So take your time to choose the right name for your business.

Here are a few tips:

• Keep it short and simple – Easy to type and remember.
• Easy to spell – Avoid complicated or unusual words.
• Recognizable and trustworthy – Your domain name should match your business.

Good:
www.sarahsdesigns.com
www.prettycakes.com

Not good:
www.sarahscreativeluxuriousdesigns.com
www.pr3tticak3s.com

Does a domain name help with SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It’s all about making your website easy to find on Google and other search engines. When people search for something, SEO helps your website show up higher in the results. Good SEO means more people can discover your site.

The domain name itself doesn’t directly help with SEO. Having keywords in your domain (like bestcakes.com for a cake shop) might help a little, but search engines look at many other things, like the content on your website.

So not having the exact keyword in the domain name is not a problem from the point of view of the search engine. Just make sure you don’t confuse your customers. Imagine you want to buy new shoes and come across a website called www.tvsandelectronics.com. Would you trust that it offers what you’re looking for?

bottom line: domain name doesn’t help with seo, so it’s okay not to have keywords in it

How to choose the right domain extension (what comes after the dot)

The most common domain extension is .com, and it’s usually the best choice because people trust it the most.

Other options include:
.net – Good for tech businesses.
.org – Often used for organizations.

Country-specific extensions like .uk, .de, or .ca are good if you are targeting local customers. It’s also easier to find a free domain with a local extension.

However, using a country extension (like .fr if you’re in France) might confuse customers from other countries, so if you are targeting an international audience, that’s not a great idea.

BOTTOM LINE: the .com extension is always the safest choice

What is WHOIS Protection and why it’s important

When you buy a domain, your personal details (like name, email, and phone number) are stored in a public database called WHOIS. You, and anyone else on the internet, can check the WHOIS information for any existing website (for example here).

WHOIS protection hides your personal details from the public. When WHOIS protection is activated, your personal information will be hidden and replaced with a generic information about your domain provider.

Is WHOIS Domain Protection worth it?

YES! And I can’t stress this enough! When you buy a domain, make sure that your WHOIS protection is enabled. Otherwise anyone on the internet can access your email address and phone number.

After publishing a domain without protection, you can expect to be attacked by spammers immediately. There’s plenty of horror stories online of people who ended up changing their phone numbers because of this. So please, always make sure that WHOIS protection is on.

Is WHOIS Protection free?

Some domain providers offer this for free, while others charge extra. Cloudflare and Hostinger include it in their domain price and set it up for you automatically. Bluehost charges extra and you need to specifically buy it.

Just be sure to check this before buying. Google your domain provider name + WHOIS Protection, and you will quickly see if it’s included in the price, and whether you need to do anything to activate it.

How to buy a domain – step by step

Buying a domain can feel like a big step, but it’s not much different than buying clothes online.

• Go to a domain registrar website (like GoDaddy or Namecheap) or a hosting provider website (like Hostinger)
• Search for your desired domain name (e.g., lovelyjewelry.com).
• Choose an available name and add it to your cart.
• Check if WHOIS protection is included (important!).
• Fill in your personal details (make sure they are correct, even if WHOIS protection is activated. It’s legally required).
• Pay for your domain.
• Once paid, the domain is yours!

What to do when all domain names are taken

Choosing a domain name can be the hardest part of starting your website. Or even – of starting your business!

I know this from experience—when I started my first two businesses, I spent hours and hours brainstorming the perfect name, only to find out that someone had already bought it. It’s so frustrating when you come up with something you love, and then it’s just… gone.

My only advice here is – don’t give up. If your first choices are taken, keep trying and get creative. One tip is to go for a name that’s at least 6 letters or longer, as shorter names are often already taken. You can also try adding simple words like “shop,” “hub,” or “world” to make it unique.

Another idea is to play around with different spellings, but make sure it’s still easy to read and not confusing. You don’t want people to struggle when typing your website name. If the exact name you want isn’t available, consider using your country’s domain extension (like .co.uk or .de) instead of .com, but remember this can sometimes be confusing if you have customers from different countries.

Most importantly, keep going—it might take a few tries, but with some patience and creativity, you’ll find the perfect domain that fits your business!

What’s Next After Buying a Domain

Once you have the domain, you will need to connect it to your website.

If you bought it together with a hosting plan, this is usually done automatically for you. You can now go ahead and add content to your new website.

If you bought your domain separately, you need to connect it to your website. This will require changing some settings and copy pasting some information between your domain provider and your hosting provider. It’s a very simple process and you will find a detailed documentation and tutorial videos that will show you how to do it step by step. Just Google your provider name + connect domain.

Remember to renew your domain after your subscription ends

Buying a domain is a subscription, which means you will need to pay for it every year. So make sure to turn on notifications or automatic renewals to make sure your subscription gets prolonged every year.

If you don’t prolong your subscription, you will lose the domain, which means someone else can buy it and start using it with their website.

If you don’t need your domain anymore, you can just let your subscription expire.

Congratulations! You now have your very own internet address 🙂 Now fill it up with great stuff!

Love,

The Business B.