Your Name. Your Brand. Your Site. No Strings Attached.
Choosing your domain name is the first real step in owning your business presence online. Get this part right, and you’ll be set up with something that grows with you, not locks you down.
First, a Word of Warning: Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
I’ve seen registrars disappear. I’ve seen hosting companies vanish overnight. Years ago, I lost a domain I legally owned because the registrar folded and someone else snatched it up in the chaos.
I was told I’d have to sue — or pay the then-$2,500 domain dispute fee through ICANN — just to try to reclaim it. I walked away. Lesson learned.
That’s why I recommend using a separate company for domain registration and web hosting. You’ll reduce your risk, increase your control, and keep your business from being held hostage if something goes wrong.
Who Can You Trust to Register Your Domain?
There are a lot of registrars out there. Some are decent. Some are outright sketchy. Some try to upsell you on services you don’t need or bury “gotcha” language in the fine print.
My personal choice — and the one I’ve used for years — is GoDaddy.com.
It’s not the cheapest, but here’s what I like about them:
- They don’t sneak control of your domain or content in the terms of service
- Their admin panel is easy to use
- They’ve been around long enough to be stable
- And most importantly, they let you transfer your domain whenever you want
That said, GoDaddy is one of the most expensive registrars out there. You’ll often pay $18 to $20 per year (or more) compared to other registrars that might offer similar domains for half that. And it is easy to get encouraged to buy ‘premium’ domain names costing thousands or tens of thousands each year if you are not careful to keep to the name you have chosen for your site.
If cost is your top concern, there are cheaper options — but be careful who you trust.
❌ DO NOT Sign Up for Hosting or Email at GoDaddy
GoDaddy will aggressively try to bundle in email accounts, hosting plans, and “site builders.”
Avoid all of it.
These extras are:
- Expensive
- Limited
- And harder to manage or migrate later
For what we need these are unnecessary. I’ll show you how to get unlimited email accounts and much more powerful hosting for far less money by using my preferred host — one that offers full WordPress support, reasonable level of security, and none of the “page count” or “feature” limits you often get stuck with on bundled plans.
You’ll save hundreds per year by not falling into those traps.
Quick Tips for Choosing a Domain Name
- Keep it short, easy to spell, and easy to remember
- Avoid hyphens or numbers (unless they’re essential to your brand)
- Try to stick with a .com if possible — it’s still the most trusted
- If your name is taken, try a variation that makes sense (e.g.
getYourName.com,YourNameHQ.com) - Don’t overthink it. You can always rebrand later — just make sure you own the domain
What’s Next?
Once you’ve chosen your name and registered your domain (I’ll walk you through that on the next page), you’ll be ready to connect it to your hosting account and begin building a real site that belongs to you.