59Domains

Your address on the internet, for a couple of dollars

A domain is what a person types into the address bar. Without one you just have files on your computer.

It's cheap: a .com is about ten dollars a year, and plenty of other zones go for a dollar or two in the first year. Only short pretty names get expensive, and you don't need one of those at the start.

Where to get them: from the big registrars like Cloudflare, Porkbun or Namecheap. Cloudflare, for one, sells domains at cost, with no markup on renewals.

What to watch when buying.

The renewal price. The favourite trick: a dollar for the first year, thirty for the second. Look at the second number, not the first.

Privacy. Your name and phone can end up in the public database of domain owners. Hiding them is usually free - turn it on.

The zone. Don't chase fashionable endings. Familiar ordinary zones inspire more trust and sit better with search.

Pick a name that's short and can be said out loud. If you have to spell it letter by letter, it's a bad name.