How Much Does a Domain Name Cost?
On average, a typical domain name costs between £10-£15/year, but things like your chosen registrar or included add-ons can influence your price.
Investing in your domain name makes your business look trustworthy and professional online. Consistent branding is also key to creating a robust online presence and great user experience.
This tutorial will explain what a domain name is, how to register one, the different factors influencing the cost, and if you can get one for free. We will also explain how to redeem an expired domain.
Price Breakdown: How Much Does a Domain Name Cost in the UK?
The cost of domain names varies depending on where you get the domain from, which TLD you choose, and what other add-ons you purchase for your domain. To calculate the total cost for your dream domain, start with choosing the correct domain registrar.
1. Know Your Domain Registrar
To ensure your site’s safety and credibility, we recommend choosing an ICANN-accredited domain registrar like Hostinger.
ICANN is a non-profit organization managing all the available domain names and their different domain registrars. Each registrar is in charge of pricing the domain names they offer. Often, you can get a good deal for the first year of your domain registration if you keep an eye out.
To speed up your website-building process, you should choose a hosting provider who also acts as a registrar. Often you can save money by buying a hosting plan that comes with a discounted or free domain registration.
2. Pick the Right Top-Level Domain
Top-level domains (TLDs for short) refer to the domain extensions that appear at the end of your web address. .com and .org are some of the most popular and commonly used TLDs, but they can often cost a fair bit more than other, less popular TLDs.
While it’s true that a generic top-level domain is more esteemed and memorable, they don’t guarantee the success of your website. It’s relatively easy to create a domain hack that’s not just related to your niche but also simple to remember.
For example, .com domains cost £8.99/year through Hostinger. While a .com TLD might not seem that expensive at first, compared to a .store domain (starting at £0.99/year), you end up paying ten times as much every year.
| TLD | Registration | Renewal | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $9.99 | $16.99 | $9.99 |
| .co.uk | $7.99 | $11.99 | $0.99 |
| .info | $3.99 | $24.99 | $16.99 |
| .net | $14.99 | $15.99 | $14.99 |
| .xyz | $29.97 | $41.97 | $9.99 |
Often, it’s also harder to secure the perfect domain extension with the popular TLDs. Since the likes of .com and .net have been available for a long time, chances are that you won’t find your chosen domain name available for registration.
Suggested Reading
Want to learn more about TLDs and their pricing? We discuss the future of domains and TLD trends in one of our other blog posts.
3. Get Domain Privacy Protection
To guard your website and personal data against malicious activity, we recommend opting for domain privacy protection.
During the domain name registration process, your personal information is stored in the WHOIS database. These details include your phone number, address, email, domain name, IP address, and domain expiration date.
Since anyone can access these details in the database, you could become the prime target of spammers and email phishing attacks, or risk identity theft.
Often domain privacy protection costs around £10-£40/year, and hides your private information from the WHOIS database.
All domains purchased through Hostinger come with free domain privacy protection. Remember that not all TLDs support privacy protection. Others may have your personal details hidden by default, so we recommend getting familiar with your preferred extension before your domain purchase.
4. Think About the Domain Registration Duration
Chances are that you need your website to be available for many years to come.
Many fail to realize that the registration period of your domain also affects its total price. Most commonly, the minimum registration period is one year, but you tend to get the best value for your money by opting for a longer registration period.
Your TLD naturally influences the savings. For example, with Hostinger, you can save around 14% when you choose to register your .com domain for two years. With a .online extension, you’re saving almost 50% for the same time period.
5. Remember To Plan For Domain Transfers
If you’ve already got a domain name but want to transfer it between different registrars, it’s important to budget for transfer costs.
Most commonly, people change domain registrars for better maintenance or support services, refund policies, or for wanting to manage both their hosting plan and domain name from one place.
Most registrars won’t charge you for transferring elsewhere, but you might encounter transfer fees at your new registrar. Sometimes, you can score a free transfer service but might be expected to pay for a full year’s renewal upfront.
6. Budget For Custom Email Accounts
Domain-based email addresses are commonly purchased together with domain names. Custom email addresses not only look professional, but they also help build trust and credibility with customers.
Depending on your registrar, you can end up paying extra for each individual branded email address. To avoid ranking up unwanted costs, research which registrars offer email accounts and what exactly is included in the email packages.
For example, all Hostinger hosting plans include email accounts. The Premium Web Hosting package lets users create up to 100 email accounts based on their domain name.
Can I Get a Domain Name for Free?
Often when you purchase a web hosting plan, you can get a free custom domain name for the first year.
Many website builders offer free subdomains for their starter plans, meaning that you can create and publish a website without your own domain. For example, you could set up a WordPress website under hotel.wordpress.com instead of hotel.com.
It’s important to note that subdomains can negatively affect your brand image and overall credibility, as they are commonly associated with less serious ventures and hobbyists.
How to Buy a Domain Name That Is Already Registered
Even if your ideal domain name has been registered by someone else, there are ways to purchase an already registered domain.
You can try to contact the domain owner and make an offer. Use WHOIS to find the owner’s contact information or reach out to them via the contact form on the website.
Many registered domains also go back on sale. SnapNames is one of the websites listing multiple domains that have recently become available, letting users bid on already registered domain names.
Just because a particular TLD is taken doesn’t mean you can’t get your dream domain online. Consider choosing an alternative extension instead. Domain checkers generally recommend different TLDs or alternative titles, even if your initial one has already been registered.
For example, if the domain bestholidays.com has already been taken, you could consider other TLDs, like a country-code-specific extension (bestholidays.co.uk) or other generic top-level domains (bestholidays.info or bestholidays.world).
The Cost of Redeeming an Expired Domain Name
After a domain’s registration period is over, the owner can either renew the domain or others can pay to redeem the same domain name. The cost depends on the domain name cycle.
If you’re the domain owner, your registrar typically offers a grace period for around a month after the domain expiry. During this period, you can renew your domain for the standard renewal price.
The domain renewal prices depend on the registrar and domain extension, but they typically cost higher than the registration fee. For instance, Hostinger offers .com TLDs starting at £8.99 with a renewal cost of £12.99.
After the grace period, the domain enters a redemption period. During this time, the registrar typically charges extra fees on top of the renewal fee if the owner still wants to keep using their domain. The redemption fee and period depend on the registrar.
At Hostinger, the redemption fee is £65.69 for most extensions. In addition to the redemption fee, users must also pay the renewal fee.
After the redemption period ends, the domain is assigned a “pending deletion” status. The previous owner can’t make changes or redeem the domain once the redemption period is over. At this stage, the domain will be available for others to purchase, too.
To avoid losing your domain due to expiry issues, we recommend turning auto-renewals on in your domain dashboard.
Conclusion
The cost of your own domain name can vary from a few pounds to hundreds of pounds, but some of the factors that influence the price include:
- The domain registrar
- The top-level domain
- The duration of the registration period
- Renewal fees
- Add-ons, like domain privacy protection and business email accounts
- Transfer fees
- Package deals associated with buying hosting services
In order to get the best domain name for your website, think about how long you need a domain for, and how much you can afford to pay for one every year.
With the right domain, you can dominate the search engines and build a strong online presence for your business.
Additional Reading After Buying a Domain
I Bought a Domain, Now What?
Website Launch Checklist
How to Drive Traffic to Your Website?
Domain Name Cost FAQ
Find answers to some of the most common questions about domain name cost.
How Do I Permanently Buy a Domain Name?
Unfortunately, you can’t permanently buy a domain name. Most commonly, domains are registered for one year at a time. You can choose to register your domain for multiple years, depending on your registrar.
How Much Does a Domain Name Cost Per Month?
Most commonly, domain prices are listed per year. Since a domain typically costs between £10-£15/year, a standard TLD ends up costing around £1/month.
Why Are Domain Names Expensive?
While most domains can be purchased for less than £20/year, the most popular domain names can cost millions of dollars. This is often due to the high demand a particular domain has, or the company behind the domain.
Matleena is a seasoned Content Writer with 5 years of content marketing experience. She has a particular interest in emerging digital marketing trends, website building, and AI. In her free time, Matleena enjoys cups of good coffee, tends to her balcony garden, and studies Japanese. Follow her on LinkedIn
Comments
October 19 2023
Hi I’m looking for the cheapest domain renewal as my current provider are trying to charge between 25-30 per year I’m willing to do multi year to save money Would you be able to help me please? Thanks and best wishes
November 03 2023
Hi there! Thank you for being so interested. The cost of renewing your domain depends on the domain extension you choose, and you can find our sweet deals on our website here: Domain Name Search ?