Find a domain name for your business

How to choose a domain name customers remember

• Match your business name. If your sign says Lopez Dental, try lopezdental.com first.
• Make it easy to say on the phone. No hyphens, numbers or creative spellings you’ll have to explain.
• Keep it short. Under 15 characters before the dot is ideal; under 20 is fine.
• Taken? Add what you do or where. lopezdentalvancouver.com beats lopez-dent-al.net.
• Pick the right ending. .com for customers in many countries; your country’s ending if you serve one.
• Check social handles too. Matching names across your website and profiles makes you easier to find.

What a domain name really costs

Every registrar pays the .com registry the same wholesale fee: US$10.97 a year since November 1, 2026, plus a US$0.20 ICANN fee. What differs is the markup, and especially the renewal price.

Every domain from us includes DNS management, domain locking, forwarding and auto-renew protection, so your address doesn’t lapse by accident.

After you register: the 3 things to connect

1. A professional email address, so customers write to you@yourbusiness.com.
2. Hosting for your website, or point the domain at the website you already have.
3. Your Google Business Profile, so your website link and your listing match. This is where most local customers find you.

Domain name questions owners ask

How much does a domain name cost?

A .com usually costs US$12 to US$25 a year at retail. Every registrar pays the .com registry the same wholesale fee, US$10.97 a year since November 1, 2026, plus a US$0.20 ICANN fee. Watch for US$1 first-year deals that renew at US$20 or more; the renewal price is the one you’ll pay for years.

Should my domain name be the same as my business name?

Yes, when you can. Customers type what they remember, and a match makes your website, email and Google listing feel like one business. If your exact name is taken, add your trade or city (lopezdentalvancouver.com) rather than odd spellings or hyphens.

Is .com still the best ending for a small business?

If you serve customers in several countries, .com is still the one people assume. If you serve one country, your country’s ending (.ca, .co.uk, .com.au) tells customers and search engines you’re local. Many businesses own both and point one to the other.

Do I need a domain name if I only use Facebook or Instagram?

You can run on social media alone, but you don’t own those pages. A domain gives you a professional email address, a website customers can find on Google, and an address that keeps working if a platform changes its rules.

What's the difference between a domain and hosting?

The domain is your address (yourbusiness.com). Hosting is the space where your website’s files live. You need both for a website, plus email if you want you@yourbusiness.com. Think of it as the street address, the building, and the mailbox.

Can I transfer a domain I already own?

Yes. Most domains can move between registrars 60 days after they were registered or last transferred. You’ll need the authorization code from your current registrar, and the transfer usually adds a year to the registration.

Should I buy more than one domain?

Buy the common misspelling and your country’s ending if they’re cheap, and point them at your main site. It protects your name and catches customers who mistype it. Don’t pay premium prices for variations nobody will type.

Sources: Verisign .com wholesale price increase to US$10.97, effective November 1, 2026 (Q1 2026 results); ICANN transfer policy. Zolo prices checked November 2026; they exclude taxes and ICANN fees, and the term you choose at checkout can change the monthly rate.