Feature guide5 min read

How to register a domain name — step-by-step guide

Registering a domain name takes 10 minutes and £8–£15 a year. Here's exactly where to buy, what to watch out for, and how to connect it to your website.

Quick answer

Register your domain at Cloudflare Registrar (cheapest, no upsells, slightly technical) or Namecheap (more user-friendly, slightly more expensive). Costs £8–£15/year for typical .com or country-specific TLD. Avoid GoDaddy (aggressive upsells, expensive renewals) and free domain offers from web hosting companies (you don't truly own them). Don't buy hosting and domain together — keep them separate for portability.

Step-by-step

Pick your domain name first

Before registering, decide your name. Three rules. Match your business name as closely as possible — yourbusiness.com is far better than yourbusiness-online.com. Pick a strong TLD: .com is the global default; .co.uk is fine for UK-only businesses; country TLDs (.com.au, .ca, .ie) signal local. Avoid hyphens and numbers if possible — they're harder to remember and dictate awkwardly. Check trademark availability for your name in your country (UK IPO, USPTO in US) before committing.

Check availability with a non-registrar tool

Don't search for domains directly on registrar sites — there are persistent rumours (some confirmed) of 'domain front-running' where searched-but-unbought names get registered by third parties hoping to sell them back. Use a neutral check via your hosting provider or a tool like Namecheckr or LeanDomainSearch. Once you find your domain available, register it immediately on a trusted registrar — don't 'think about it for a few days'.

Best registrar: Cloudflare Registrar

Cloudflare Registrar (cloudflare.com/products/registrar) offers domains at wholesale cost — typically £8/year for .com, £6–£15 for major TLDs, with no upsells or hidden fees. The catch: it requires you to use Cloudflare's DNS (free, excellent, but technical for absolute beginners). The interface is functional rather than friendly. Best for: anyone comfortable with technical setup, or anyone who wants the best long-term price with predictable renewals.

Best user-friendly registrar: Namecheap

Namecheap (namecheap.com) is the user-friendly alternative. £10–£13/year for .com on renewal (intro prices lower). Clean interface, simple DNS management, free WHOIS privacy. Honest about renewal pricing (no bait-and-switch). Best for: most users who want a clean interface and don't want to deal with Cloudflare's technical layer.

Avoid: GoDaddy and bundled domain offers

GoDaddy is the largest registrar but has a long history of: intro pricing that doubles or triples at renewal, aggressive upselling during checkout (privacy add-ons that should be free, 'premium' services you don't need), poor customer support. Their domains aren't bad, but you'll pay more for the privilege. Worse: free domain offers from web hosting companies (e.g., 'free domain with first year of hosting') — you don't truly own these, they're tied to your hosting account, and migrating later becomes expensive. Always buy your domain from a dedicated registrar.

Set up WHOIS privacy

WHOIS is the public database of domain owners. Without privacy, your name, address, phone, and email appear publicly — and get scraped by spammers within hours. Modern registrars (Cloudflare, Namecheap) include WHOIS privacy free. Older or aggressive registrars charge for it. Enable WHOIS privacy on every domain you register; the only legitimate use case for public WHOIS is large brand-protection operations, not small businesses.

Connect your domain to your website

Your domain points to your hosting via DNS records. Two common setups. For modern website builders (Adviita, Wix, Squarespace, Shopify): the builder provides specific records to add at your registrar — A records pointing to their IP, sometimes CNAME records. Adviita's domain instructions tell you exactly what to add to Cloudflare or Namecheap. For DIY hosting: A records pointing to your server's IP, plus an MX record if you want email. DNS changes can take 4–48 hours to propagate globally — don't panic if it doesn't work instantly.

Set up auto-renewal

Lost domains are typically irretrievable — once expired, they can be re-registered by anyone, and 'domain back-order' services exist specifically to grab them. Set every domain to auto-renew with a card that won't expire. Set calendar reminders for 60 and 30 days before renewal as backup. Lost domains have ended businesses; the £10/year cost is nothing compared to losing your established brand URL.

Tips & best practices

▸Buy your domain for multiple years upfront if you can afford it (typically £8–£15/year × 5 years). It's slightly cheaper and protects against forgetting to renew.
▸Grab both .com and your country TLD (.co.uk, .com.au) if both are available. Both cost £15–£30 combined and prevent competitors from grabbing the other.
▸Don't buy domains through your hosting company unless you specifically have to. Keeping registrar and hosting separate makes switching either one painless.

Common questions

How much should a domain cost?

£8–£15/year for typical .com or country-specific TLDs from a reputable registrar. Premium domains (short, dictionary-word names) can cost hundreds or thousands. Avoid registrars charging more than £20/year for standard domains — they're overcharging.

Cloudflare or Namecheap — which is better?

Cloudflare is cheaper and more technical; Namecheap is friendlier and slightly more expensive. For most non-technical users, Namecheap is the right answer. For users comfortable with DNS management, Cloudflare offers the best long-term pricing.

Should I buy a .com or my country's TLD?

Ideally both. .com is the universal default and most recognisable globally. Country TLDs (.co.uk, .com.au, .ie) signal local trust. If both are available, grab both and point one to the other.

What happens if I let my domain expire?

Most registrars provide a 30–45 day 'redemption period' after expiry where you can recover it at a higher cost. After that, the domain becomes publicly available and can be registered by anyone. Domain hunters routinely watch expiring domains, especially established business URLs — never let a domain you actually use expire.