Search for and claim your domain name

A domain name of a website is like a home address. People find your website by typing your domain name into a web browser or search engine.

Just like Google.com and Facebook.com, Hostinger.com is a domain. Ideally, a domain should be registered under the same name as the brand it represents.

Having domain names is essential to help potential site visitors find your website without difficulties. Without it, one would only be able to access a website by entering its IP address, which is significantly harder to remember.

When searching for a domain, you can improve your chances by including relevant keywords or brand names.

There are some practical steps to help you buy the right domain name:

Length. Keep the website name between two to three words.

Simple. Use simple and easy-to-spell words.

Keyword. Include a keyword related to your business niche. For example, if you run a cafe in Karachi, go with karachicafe.com.

Avoid numbers. Numbers make your name more complex and difficult to remember.

Brand name. Add your brand name for maximum recognition.

Unfortunately, you cannot change a domain once it’s registered. However, you can buy another domain name and migrate your website there.

Domain names have a minimum registration period of one year. When registering with Hostinger, popular extensions such as .com, .net, and .org can be extended for up to three years.

To maintain ownership of your domain and ensure that it’s consistently registered for your website, we highly suggest enabling automated renewal.

No. The www in a URL is not a part of your domain.

Adding www to your domain will result in an awkward website address, such as www.wwwexample.com. Therefore, you should avoid doing that.

Check domain availability by typing it into the domain name search tool.

If the domain is available, you can add it to your cart and proceed with registration. Otherwise, we’ll provide excellent alternatives for you.

There are no special requirements to register a domain with us. We only require basic contact information and a valid payment method.

You can also buy domains with us and point them to another hosting provider.

TLD stands for top-level domain. It is the final component of a domain name, like .com.

A ccTLD represents a country-code top-level domain and identifies specific countries. For instance, extensions like .co.uk, .de, .mx, and .fr are all ccTLDs.

A gTLD, or generic top-level domain, is common among domain names, with .com being the most popular one. In fact, the number of registrations for .com domains surpasses that of all ccTLDs combined.

In the past, the primary gTLDs were .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov, and .mil. However, as time has passed, various extensions have been added to the mix, such as .online, .xyz, and .name, among others.

Hostinger offers instant domain registration and activation. We guarantee that your brand-new domain will be ready to use immediately.

We streamlined the process to make it a breeze! It takes just a few moments to check domain name availability and register it without any hassle.

Sign up for a Premium or Business web hosting plan for 12 months or more. These web hosting plans come with free domain registration for the first year.

Learn how to claim your free domain.

Definitely. When you register a domain, it fully belongs to you and not the domain registrar.

Switching to Hostinger is a breeze with our domain transfer service. Our expert team will guide you through every step to ensure a seamless transition.

If the website name you want is already taken, simply use another extension. Popular ones might be off the table, but there are plenty of alternatives. For instance, you could try country-specific extensions or less common ones like .xyz. If you’re not sure where to start, our website domain search tool will give you some great available suggestions.

Privacy protection, also known as WHOIS protection, hides a domain owner’s information. Without privacy protection, the owner’s details will be discoverable through a WHOIS lookup.

Privacy protection guards your privacy by replacing your name, address, phone number, email address, and business with a set of non-identifiable information.

Select a gTLD that best reflects your website purpose, as each gTLD conveys different meanings.

Domains ending with .com are widely associated with commerce due to the trust they convey, making them a popular choice for businesses. .net domains were primarily used by network companies, such as internet service providers, but now serve various purposes.

The .org domain continues to serve its original purpose, often catering to charities, local groups, and communities. In contrast, the .info domain aims to support informational websites such as wikis and tutorial sites.

The world of gTLDs is full of possibilities! Fortunately, there are no strict rules on which type of domain name to use. Think of the above info as guidelines for your website.

Your domain name is essentially your digital address, while web hosting serves as the physical structure. If you’re launching a website, you’ll require both elements: a domain that can help people locate you and hosting to store your website files.

While it’s technically possible to have a domain name separate from hosting services, they work best together. This is why many hosting companies offer domain names and vice versa.

Think of your domain name as your home address and web hosting as the physical structure, like a house. A domain can help people find your site; hosting is the online space to store your website data. To publish a website, you'll need to buy domain and hosting services so that visitors have an easier time finding your site on the internet.

While it’s technically possible to have one without the other, they work best together. This is why many hosting companies offer domain names and many domain registrars offer hosting services.

Want to learn more? Check out our full guide on the differences between domain names and hosting.

Premium domain names are high-value domains that are short, easy to remember, or include popular keywords (like media.tech or store.online). Due to their market value, they cost more upfront and often have higher renewal fees.