Your domain name is your address on the internet. It's the thing people type into their browser to find you. It's what shows up on your business card, your Google listing, and every search result. And yet most business owners spend more time picking a paint color for their bathroom than they do picking their domain.
I've registered domains for myself and for clients, and I've seen what happens when this step gets rushed or handed off to someone who doesn't explain the details. Let me walk you through what actually matters.
Domain vs. Hosting (Quick Clarification)
Before we go further, let me clear up the most common confusion. Your domain name is your address. Your hosting is the house. The domain (like orlovdigital.com) tells the internet where to find you. The hosting is the server where your actual website files live.
You need both, but they're separate things. You can buy them from the same company or different companies. I wrote a whole article on what hosting actually means if you want the full breakdown.
Keep It Short and Simple
The best domain names are short, easy to spell, and easy to say out loud. Think about it: if you tell someone your website at a networking event or over the phone, can they type it in without asking you to repeat it?
When I helped my client Nathan register his domain for Lemko Coating, we went with lemkocoating.com. Short, matches the business name, easy to remember. No confusion.
Here are the basics:
- Match your business name. If your business is called Sedalia Plumbing, your domain should be sedaliaplumbing.com. People will try to guess your URL based on your name, so make it easy for them.
- Use .com if you can. People trust .com. Other extensions like .net, .co, or .biz exist, but .com is still the default. When someone tries to remember your website, their brain fills in .com automatically.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers. sedalia-plumbing.com and sedaliaplumbing1.com are harder to remember and look less professional. If your ideal .com is taken, try a slight variation before resorting to hyphens or numbers.
- Skip the clever spelling. Creative spelling might seem fun, but it creates problems. Every time you say your domain out loud, you'll have to spell it out letter by letter.
A Real Example of What Not to Do
I was looking at local business websites in Sedalia and found a painting company with a typo in their domain. Their URL has a double "i" where there should only be one. That means every time someone tries to find them by typing what they'd expect, they get a broken page. Every business card, every Google listing, every mention of their website points to a misspelled address.
That's the kind of mistake that costs you customers without you ever knowing it. Nobody calls to tell you they couldn't find your website. They just move on to the next option.
Before you finalize your domain, check it three times. Type it out. Say it out loud. Have someone else try to spell it after you say it. If there's any confusion, pick something clearer.
Where to Buy a Domain
You don't need anything fancy. A .com domain costs about $10 to $15 per year. That's it. If someone is charging you $200 a year for a "premium domain and hosting package," you're overpaying.
A few reputable registrars:
- Namecheap. My personal favorite. Straightforward pricing, no hidden upsells, free privacy protection included. I use them for my own domains.
- Squarespace Domains (formerly Google Domains). Clean interface, easy to use, fair pricing. Google sold the service to Squarespace in 2023, but it still works well.
- GoDaddy. The biggest name in domains, but be careful. They're aggressive with upsells at checkout. You'll get offered email hosting, website builders, SSL certificates, and a dozen other add-ons you probably don't need. The domain itself is fine, just decline everything else.
Make Sure YOU Own Your Domain
This is the most important thing in this entire article. When your domain is registered, it should be registered under YOUR name, YOUR email, and YOUR account. Not your web developer's. Not your marketing company's. Not your nephew's.
I've talked to business owners who wanted to switch web developers and discovered they didn't actually own their domain. The previous developer registered it under their own account, and now the business owner has to negotiate to get access to their own web address. Sometimes they can't get it back at all.
When I help clients register domains, the domain goes in their name. I walk them through creating their own account at the registrar, and the login credentials are theirs. If they ever decide to work with someone else, they take their domain with them. No questions asked. That's how it should be.
Set Auto-Renew (Seriously)
Domains expire. Every year, your registration comes up for renewal. If you miss it, your domain goes back on the open market and anyone can buy it. I've seen businesses lose their domain because the credit card on file expired and nobody noticed the renewal emails.
The fix is simple: turn on auto-renew and make sure the payment method stays current. It's $10 to $15 a year. Don't lose your web address over a missed payment.
What About Privacy Protection?
When you register a domain, your name, address, email, and phone number get added to a public database called WHOIS. Anyone can look it up. Privacy protection (sometimes called WHOIS privacy) replaces your personal info with the registrar's info so your details stay hidden.
Namecheap includes this for free. Some registrars charge $10 to $15 per year extra. It's worth having, especially if you're using your home address for your business registration.
I Help With This
Domain registration is part of what I do for every client. When you work with me on a website, I help you pick the right domain, register it under your name, connect it to your hosting, and make sure everything is configured correctly. It's one less thing for you to worry about, and you always maintain full ownership.
If you need help picking or registering a domain for your business, or if you're not sure who actually owns your current domain, reach out. I'll help you figure it out.