To buy a domain name, check that the name you want is available, pick a registrar or web host, then pay for at least a year of registration. At the six providers we checked, a .com costs $5 to $13 in its first year but renews at $20 to $24.
A domain name is the address people type into a browser to reach your site, so it's worth getting right. With more than 411 million domains already registered, there's a fair chance your first choice is taken.
Below, I'll walk you through the process step by step. I'll also show you how to buy a domain from Hostinger, Bluehost, HostGator, Wix, GoDaddy and Namecheap.
How much does a .com domain cost?
Here's what each provider charges for a standard .com, before tax and ICANN fees, as of November 2026. Most first-year prices are promotional, so budget for a price increase on the renewal rate.
Provider |
First year |
Renewal (per year) |
GoDaddy |
$4.99 |
$22.99 |
Wix |
$7.90 |
$21.35 |
Hostinger |
$8.49 |
$19.99 |
Namecheap |
$12.08 |
$19.98 |
Bluehost |
$12.99 |
$23.99 |
HostGator |
$12.99 |
$22.99 |
How to buy a domain name in five steps
While the process of buying a domain name is relatively simple, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
When put together properly, a domain should be catchy, give the target audience an idea of what the website offers, and entice them to visit it.
Follow these steps to buy a domain name:
- Determine the purpose of the website. From there, brainstorm a list of potential domain names that are relevant and ideally include a keyword of your website’s niche.
- Pick a brandable name. From the list, select a domain name that sounds concise, memorable, and easy to spell and pronounce. It should be catchy enough that users can share it easily with others. Avoid long, complicated names and symbols.
- Check the domain name’s availability. Use a checker tool to see if it’s available and which TLDs or domain extensions are available. The most popular TLD is .com, as most users are familiar with it.
- Choose one of the best domain registrars or best web hosting providers to buy the domain from. For the best domain registrar, we recommend Namecheap.com because it's a versatile provider that provides excellent value for money. If you choose to go down the web hosting provider route, we recommend Hostinger as it includes a free domain with annual hosting plans and it's the best web host overall based on our experience. Make sure it offers basic features like DNS management and email forwarding. Also, compare the pricing, renewal rates, add-ons, and support to see which one offers the best value for money.
- Register the domain name. Complete the payment and domain registration process. A domain name can be available for use between one and ten years, depending on your preferences. Finally, remember to check your email to verify the domain ownership.
After finalizing the domain purchase, start building your website. If you buy a domain name and web hosting plan from separate vendors, make sure to point the domain to your hosting account so that visitors can open your website correctly.
Now that you’re familiar with the general steps, we’ll explain how to buy a domain name from top domain registrar and web hosting service providers.
How to register a domain name with Hostinger
Known for its fast and user-friendly web hosting, Hostinger also provides affordable domain registration services. This European company has .com domains from $8.49 for the first year, renewing at $19.99 a year. You also get a free domain for the first year with its annual hosting plans.
Hostinger offers alternative TLDs such as .online, .xyz, .tech, and .store, so there are more options to experiment with if the .com domain names are unavailable.
To buy a domain name with Hostinger, navigate to their domain checker page. Then enter your desired name in the field and press Search.
Click Make it Yours and you'll be directed to the cart where you can choose the duration of the domain and add additional purchases like email or hosting.
Press the Checkout Now button to finalize the payment and create a Hostinger account. Once that’s done, the system will redirect you to the domain control panel to complete the domain registration process.
The required contact details include your name, email address, physical address, and phone number. If the domain is for commercial purposes, insert the business name. Review the information and click Finish registration.
Don't leave this step for later. Hostinger only reserves the domain for you once registration is complete. Its terms give you 96 hours to finish it.
Once finished, Hostinger will send a message to your email address asking to verify the domain ownership through a link. The system will temporarily suspend the domain if it’s not validated within 15 days, so it’s best to complete this step immediately.
How to register a domain name with Bluehost
Bluehost is a web hosting company based in the United States. Like Hostinger, it also offers a domain registration service. It also includes a free domain name for the first year with its annual hosting plans.
Besides the generic TLDs, this hosting company has a wide array of alternative extensions for various niches – such as .ink, .photo, and .guru. While they’re not as popular as .com, they can be an excellent touch to make your website stand out.
To get a domain name from Bluehost, open the Domains page on the site. Then insert a keyword paired with your desired domain name extension on the search bar.
The page will reveal if the domain name is available. If not, choose one of the other options below.
A .com extension costs $12.99 for the first year and renews at $23.99 a year. Privacy protection costs another $15 a year.
Click Proceed to start the checkout process. Bluehost will offer to bundle the domain name with a 30-day free trial for a shared web hosting service and a free SSL certificate. You'll also see a paid Microsoft 365 email add-on.
Press one of the Proceed buttons to complete the order. Fill in the billing information and choose a method to pay for the domain name registration fee.
Once done, Bluehost will send a verification email to your inbox to validate the domain ownership. Click on the link, and the domain name should now be usable.
Note that all Bluehost customers are subject to automatic renewals. You can switch this off in your account settings if you'd rather renew manually.
That said, we recommend enabling this feature anyway. If you forget to renew your domain, your website will become unavailable, and you could eventually lose the domain once the registrar's grace and redemption periods have expired.
How to register a domain name with HostGator
Next, we’ll explain how to get a domain name on HostGator. Part of the same group as Bluehost, it offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop website builder and feature-rich web hosting services.
The first step to buying a domain name on HostGator is to open the Domains page on their website. Insert a domain name in the search field and press the Enter key.
If the domain is unavailable, pick a recommended alternative with a different domain extension or name variation.
The cost for a .com domain at HostGator is similar to Bluehost, starting from $12.99 for the first year and renewing at $22.99. Bundling the item with a privacy and protection feature is also possible, costing $14.95/year. Pick between one, two, or a three-year registration period, then click Continue To Checkout.
Now, create a HostGator account and fill in your billing information. HostGator has two payment options – credit card and PayPal.
Before finalizing the purchase, HostGator will preview the order. Here, you can set custom nameservers to point the domain name to a third-party hosting account if desired. Click Place Your Order once everything looks right.
Finally, HostGator will send a domain ownership validation request to your registered email address. Remember to click on the link within 15 days to prevent the domain from temporary suspension.
Besides the steps above, HostGator also offers a domain name registration service via their support team. However, this alternative method is only applicable to certain TLDs.
How to register a domain name with Wix
Wix is one of the most widely-used website builders, having powered over 200 million users worldwide. While it allows creating a website for free, you will need a premium plan to connect a custom domain name.
A .com domain costs $7.90 for the first year and renews at $21.35. Wix's range of extensions is narrower than some registrars', but the common options are all there. Annual Wix plans also come with a voucher for a free domain in year one.
To start, go to Domains in your Wix account and click Buy a Domain. Enter the name you want with its extension and click Search. If someone else has taken the name, Wix will suggest other options.
After finding a domain name you like, click Get It. Then pick whether to register it for one, two, or three years. There's a discount for longer registration periods.
Then fill in the contact information, including your name, phone number, email, address, and postal code.
Now, pick whether to register the domain name for one, two, or three years. Wix offers a discount for longer registration periods.
Then fill in the contact information, including your name, phone number, email, address, and postal code.
Lastly, choose your payment method and click Submit Purchase. Check your registered email address inbox, as Wix will send a message to confirm the domain’s contact details.
How to register a domain name with GoDaddy
With over 20.5 million customers, GoDaddy is both a domain registrar and web hosting powerhouse. It has a wide array of domain extensions ranging from .com and .org to newer selections like .fun or .law. The company plans to add even more TLDs to its collection in the future.
To buy a domain on GoDaddy, start with a domain name search on their homepage. The system will reveal whether the name is available for purchase using your desired extension.
If the .com version is taken, GoDaddy offers a domain broker service, where a representative will negotiate with the owner to purchase the name for you. You will pay $99.99 and a 20% commission to hire the agent in addition to the domain registration fee.
Click Add to Cart on a domain name and continue to checkout. On the next page, GoDaddy will offer several add-ons to bundle the order with.
As an added bonus, GoDaddy includes free privacy protection. This can protect you from bad actors trying to steal your information for illicit gains.
Choose any of the extras and press the Continue to Cart button. Then, a review of the purchase will appear, which also includes a free trial to GoDaddy’s website builder for one month. It’s also possible to change the registration period to up to five years.
The next step is to create a GoDaddy account and fill in the billing information. GoDaddy accepts several payment methods, including credit cards and PayPal.
After completing the payment process, the domain name is yours. As with previous domain registrars and web hosts, GoDaddy will send an email with a link to validate the domain ownership.
How to register a domain name with Namecheap
As the name suggests, Namecheap offers great value for money. Its .com domains cost $12.08 for the first year and renew at $19.98, though new customers can get one for $6.48 with a promo code.
To buy a domain name on Namecheap, head over to the homepage and insert a name in the search field. Alternatively, head to the Beast Mode bulk search tool and enter up to 5,000 keywords and find multiple domains at once.
The site will redirect you to the search results page. Feel free to sort the available domains by cost, extension, or alphabetical order. Click Add to Cart on the name you want to register and click the Checkout button on the bottom-right corner to continue with the payment process.
The page will preview the order and suggest several add-ons to add to the cart, including PremiumDNS for a performance and security boost. This domain registrar also provides a free privacy and protection feature.
Confirm the order to move on to the next step – creating a Namecheap account. Insert your contact information, including your name, phone number, email, and physical address. Enter a company name and tick the I’m registering on behalf of a company box if applicable.
Press Continue to go to the Setup page. Here, specify the contact information for the domain’s registrant, administrator, technical, and billing contacts. If you’re responsible for all these things, select User default account contact. Otherwise, choose to Add new contact where appropriate.
Click Continue to complete the payment process. Choose between using a credit card, PayPal, or Namecheap Account Funds. Also, feel free to enable automatic renewal for the domain registration.
Finally, review the order and finalize the payment. Once finished, check for a verification email in your inbox and click on the link to validate the domain ownership.
Tips when registering a domain name
Obtaining the right domain name from the start is important, especially if you’re creating a business or personal brand website. Changing domains is not only expensive but also potentially damages search engine rankings and conversion rates.
With this in mind, here are some things to consider when buying a domain name:
- If the domain name is unavailable, use a name generator. Namelix is an excellent example of this. Insert the business name or website name, then choose a naming length and style. The tool will come up with some ideas based on your criteria.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers. They can make the domain name difficult to share via word-of-mouth.
- Include rhyme, rhythm, or alliteration. These poetic devices can make the domain name easier to remember.
- Check the trademark database. Steer clear from domain names that sound too similar to existing brands to avoid getting into legal trouble.
- Check for corresponding social media handles. To make your brand’s online presence easier to discover, it’s best to use the same name for all of your social profiles.
- If possible, buy the misspelled variations of the domain name. That way, you won’t miss out on any potential traffic. For instance, Google owns gogle.com so that people who mistype their URL can use the search engine immediately.
- Think long-term. Make sure the domain name can support your brand now and in the future. Avoid trending terms to leave room for growth.
- Choose a reliable domain registrar. Check their terms of service and reputation before making the purchase. If you’re new to domain name registration, it helps to pick a company with a responsive support team.
Conclusion
We’ve shown you how to buy a domain name with different registrars and web hosting providers – from Hostinger and HostGator to Namecheap. No matter which vendor you choose, make sure it offers the best service for your money.
Domain names are a long-term investment, so take your time to brainstorm the perfect one for your website. Most importantly, the name should be concise, catchy, and relevant to your business so that it remains top-of-mind for your target audience.
With the tips and tutorials explained above, you should be on your way to getting a great domain name. Best of luck.
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