Getting Your Own Domain Name

What is a domain name?

A domain name is your website's address, like yourcompany.com. It is what people type into their browser (or see on your truck and business cards) to find you. You own it, and it stays yours even if you ever change who builds or hosts your site.

Who buys it?

You do. You buy the domain yourself from a registrar, which is a company that sells domain names. That way you are the owner and it is registered in your name. A domain usually costs about $10 to $15 a year.

Popular registrars include Namecheap, Porkbun, GoDaddy and Cloudflare. Any of them will work.

Steps

1. Pick a name. Short and easy to say is best. Your business name with .com is a good first choice. If it is taken, try adding your city or trade (for example smithplumbingdenver.com).
2. Choose a registrar and create an account with your own email and a strong password. Keep your login details somewhere safe.
3. Search for the name on the registrar's site and add it to your cart.
4. Check out. You will pay about $10 to $15 for the first year. Make sure the contact details on the domain are yours.
5. Tell us it is bought. Send us the domain name (for example yourcompany.com). Do not send us your password.
6. We send you the DNS record values. These are a few short lines of text (a type, a name and a value). We will tell you exactly what to enter.
7. Add the records. In your registrar account, find the section called "DNS" or "DNS settings" or "Manage DNS". Add the records exactly as we gave them to you, and remove any older record we tell you to replace. If you get stuck, send us a screenshot and we will tell you what to click.
8. Wait and check. Once the records are saved, your domain will start showing your new site. We will check it with you.

How long does it take?

Usually a few minutes to a few hours. Sometimes it can take longer for the change to reach everyone, so if it does not work right away, give it a little time before worrying. If it still is not working after a day, contact us.

Good to know

• Domains renew every year. Turn on auto-renew at your registrar so you do not lose the name by accident.
• Your registrar may offer extras (email, privacy, "site builders"). You do not need these for your website. Feel free to skip them.
• If you are unsure about any step, ask us before paying for anything.