58Domains

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

It's cheap: ordinary zones start at one or two dollars for 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 large registrars where domains are cheap and the panel is comprehensible. We have vetted ones in our section.

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 go into a public database by default. There's usually a free option to hide that - 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.