How to Buy a Domain Name (and Get One Free With Hosting)
You’ve picked a niche and shortlisted a name. Now you need to actually own it. Buying a domain takes about ten minutes, but the choices you make at checkout decide whether you pay $10 or $40 a year from year two onwards. This lesson shows you where I buy domains, what each registrar really charges, and how to get your first year free.
To buy a domain name, search for your name at a registrar such as Hostinger, Bluehost or Namecheap, add the extension you want (usually .com) to your cart, check the renewal price and that privacy protection is on, create an account, pay with a card or PayPal, then verify your email address. If you’re also buying hosting, pick an annual Hostinger plan and the domain is free for the first year.
- A .com usually costs between about $12 and $20 a year at the big registrars. Cheap first-year deals are common, so compare renewal prices, not headline prices.
- On Hostinger’s annual web hosting plans, the domain is free for the first year, along with free email mailboxes.
- Always check that WHOIS privacy is on. Hostinger includes it free on supported extensions, Namecheap includes it free, and Bluehost charges for it.
- Turn on auto-renew the day you buy. Losing a domain you’ve built links to is one of the most expensive beginner mistakes.
- Building on Blogger or Shopify? You can still buy the domain from any registrar and connect it later.
- South African Visa and Mastercard cards work at all three registrars in this lesson. You pay in dollars, so your bank may add a small foreign transaction fee.
Where to buy a domain name: Hostinger vs Bluehost vs Namecheap
The best place to buy a domain name is a registrar that’s clear about renewal prices, includes free privacy protection and makes it easy to point the domain at your website. For most beginners that’s Hostinger, especially if you’re buying hosting at the same time.
I’ve bought domains at all three of these over the years. Here’s how they compare for a .com today.
| Registrar | .com first year | .com renewal | WHOIS privacy | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | $19.99, or $0.01 when you choose a 3-year term. Free for the first year with annual web hosting. | $19.99 a year | Free on supported extensions | Buying a domain and WordPress hosting together (my pick) |
| Bluehost | $12.99 | $23.99 a year | Paid add-on, listed at $15 | People already hosting on Bluehost |
| Namecheap | $12.08 regular, with new-customer promo codes often taking it lower | $19.98 a year | Free | A stand-alone domain you’ll connect to Blogger or Shopify |
| 1-Grid | .co.za: R109 a year | .co.za: R109 a year | Check at checkout | South African .co.za domains |
Prices checked 7 November 2026. Hostinger figures are from its domain search and pricing pages. Bluehost figures are from Bluehost’s domain pricing help article (updated July 2026). Namecheap figures are from DomainOffer’s price tracker, not Namecheap directly. Prices are in US dollars, exclude tax and change often, so check the total at checkout before you pay. 1-Grid .co.za price from 1-Grid, October 2026 pricing, in rand and including VAT.
Two things stand out. First, nobody is cheap forever: every .com renews somewhere around $20 to $24. Second, the biggest saving isn’t the registrar at all. It’s getting the domain bundled free with hosting, which I cover below.
Why I start people on Hostinger
Hostinger is where I send beginners because the domain, hosting, SSL certificate and email all live in one dashboard. There’s no copying DNS records between two companies, which is where most first-timers get stuck. If you go with an annual hosting plan, the domain costs nothing in year one.
When Bluehost makes sense
Bluehost is a solid choice if you’re already hosting there or you prefer its WordPress setup. Just budget for the higher renewal and the privacy add-on, because together they make it one of the pricier ways to hold a .com long term.
When Namecheap makes sense
Namecheap is a good home for a domain on its own: free privacy, a clean dashboard and fair renewals. I use it for domains I’m parking, or for sites on Blogger and Shopify where I don’t need separate hosting. I don’t have an affiliate link with Namecheap, so this is a plain recommendation.
Buying a .co.za domain in South Africa
If your site is for South Africans and you want a .co.za, I register mine through 1-Grid, a South African domain registrar. A .co.za there costs R109 a year including VAT, and it renews at the same R109, so there’s no renewal trap. Buying the domain at 1-Grid doesn’t mean you have to host there. You can still host the site on Hostinger, or Cloudways for bigger sites, by pointing the domain’s nameservers to your host in your 1-Grid account.
How to buy a domain name on Hostinger, step by step
Buying a domain on Hostinger takes about ten minutes: search for your name, pick the extension, choose a term, check privacy is on, create an account, pay and verify your email. Here’s each step.
- Search for your domain
Go to Hostinger, open the domain search and type the name you shortlisted in lesson 5. If the .com is taken, go back to your shortlist rather than settling for a hyphenated version.
- Pick the extension and add it to your cart
Choose .com if it’s available. It’s the extension people trust and remember. A country extension such as .co.za only makes sense if your audience is entirely in one country.
- Choose the registration term
Hostinger lets you register for up to three years, and the $0.01 first-year .com price applies on a 3-year term. Look at the full total the cart shows before you commit, not the headline price.
- Check privacy protection and skip the extras
Make sure domain privacy is switched on. Untick add-ons you don’t need yet. If you’re buying hosting too, add an annual plan here instead and the domain becomes free.
- Create your account and pay
Sign up with an email you check daily, because renewal and verification emails go there. Pay by card or PayPal. South African Visa and Mastercard cards work; your bank may add a small foreign transaction fee.
- Verify your email and turn on auto-renew
Click the verification link the registrar sends within a few days, or the domain can be suspended. Then open the domain settings in hPanel and switch auto-renew on.
That’s it: you own the domain. If you’re going the WordPress route, my step-by-step guide from domain purchase to a live WordPress site picks up exactly where this leaves off.
The renewal-price trap
The renewal-price trap is when a domain is cheap in year one and costs two or three times as much every year after. Registrars use low first-year prices to win you, then make their margin on renewals. It isn’t a scam, but if you only compare headline prices you’ll pick the wrong registrar.
Look at the table again. Bluehost’s .com looks cheapest in year one at $12.99, but it renews at $23.99, and the privacy add-on is extra. Over five years that’s the most expensive of the three. Hostinger’s standard price looks high, but its first year is free with annual hosting and it renews at $19.99.
Always ask what the domain costs in year two. That’s the price you’ll pay for as long as the site exists.
Two more tips. Don’t buy a pile of extra extensions (.net, .org, .co) “to protect the brand”. For a new site that’s money you’ll renew every year for nothing. And if you ever move a domain, transfers usually add a year of registration, so time a transfer for just before renewal.
WHOIS privacy and auto-renew: the two settings to check
WHOIS privacy hides your name, address, phone number and email from the public domain records, and auto-renew stops your domain expiring by accident. Check both the day you buy.
WHOIS privacy
When you register a domain, your contact details can appear in public RDAP/WHOIS records (RDAP is the newer name for the same lookup). Privacy protection replaces them with the registrar’s generic details. Without it, expect spam emails, cold calls from “web designers” and scam renewal notices within days.
- Hostinger adds free privacy protection automatically on supported extensions. Check it’s switched on for your domain in hPanel.
- Bluehost sells domain privacy as an add-on. Its pricing page listed it at $15.
- Namecheap includes privacy free for life on eligible domains.
Auto-renew
Turn auto-renew on and keep a valid card on file. I’ve seen people lose domains with years of backlinks because a card expired and the reminders went to an old email address. Once a domain drops, someone else can register it, and expired domains with links get snapped up fast.
SA banks reissue cards regularly, and the new card usually has a different expiry date. Set a calendar reminder to update your card at your registrar whenever your bank sends you a new one.
How to get a free domain with hosting
You can get a free domain for the first year by buying an annual web hosting plan from Hostinger. On its pricing page today, the Premium plan is $1.99 a month on a 48-month term ($95.52 upfront) and includes a free domain for the first year and two free email mailboxes per website for the first year. It renews at $10.99 a month.
That’s how I’d do it if you’re building on WordPress, which is the path I recommend for SEO and affiliate sites. You’re paying for hosting anyway, so the domain comes along free, and everything is set up in one place.
- Read the term. The $1.99 price is for the 48-month term. Shorter terms cost more per month. Lesson 7 compares monthly vs annual hosting in detail.
- The domain is free for year one only. From year two it renews at the normal domain price, so leave room for that in your budget.
- Claim it straight away. After checkout, hPanel asks you to claim your free domain. Do it in the same sitting so nobody else registers your name.
Not sure yet which platform you’ll use? That’s fine. You can buy just the domain now and add hosting later, or wait until lesson 8 to choose your platform and buy both together.
Buying a domain for Blogger or Shopify
For Blogger or Shopify you only need the domain, not hosting, because Google and Shopify host the site for you. Buy it from any registrar, then connect it by adding the DNS records each platform gives you.
Blogger
Blogger is free and gives you a blogspot.com address, but a custom domain makes the blog look professional and builds your own brand instead of Google’s. Buy a stand-alone domain on Hostinger or Namecheap, then add the CNAME and A records Blogger shows you under Settings, Custom domain. Path A of this course (lesson A1) walks you through it.
Shopify
Shopify lets you buy a domain inside your store admin, which is the simplest route because it connects automatically. You can also buy one elsewhere and connect it, which is handy if you want all your domains in one registrar account. Path C (lesson C1) covers setting up the store itself.
Whichever platform you choose, the domain is yours. You can move it between Blogger, WordPress and Shopify later without losing it.
- Decide whether you’re buying the domain alone or with hosting.
- Search your top-choice name on Hostinger and check the renewal price, not just the first-year price.
- Buy the .com (or claim it free with an annual hosting plan).
- Confirm WHOIS privacy is switched on.
- Turn on auto-renew and put your card’s expiry date in your calendar.
- Click the verification email from your registrar.
Want me to walk you through the whole build?
You’ve got your domain. Module 2 is where most beginners stall, so if you’d rather follow my exact setup than piece it together, here are the two ways I can help.
The Fastest First Dollar SEO Strategy
My one-pager strategy: a single page built to rank for one keyword and send that traffic to a matching offer. Set up in a day.
- One complete strategy, start to finish
- Cheap and fast to test your first idea
- Your $30 comes off the full course within 90 days
The Complete SEO Affiliate Course
The full system I use to build and scale affiliate sites, with people building alongside you.
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Monthly vs annual hosting: what you really pay over four years, and where the free domain fits in.
Previous← How to choose a domain nameSummary
Buying a domain is simple once you know what to look at. Search your name, choose .com, check the renewal price and privacy, pay, verify your email and switch on auto-renew. If you’re building on WordPress, an annual Hostinger plan gives you the domain free for the first year. If you’re on Blogger or Shopify, buy the domain on its own and connect it. Want to see how the domain fits into a full build? My free website course home page maps every lesson, and the tools I use lists every service I pay for.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a domain name?
A .com usually costs between about $12 and $20 for the first year at the big registrars, and around $20 to $24 a year to renew. You can get it free for the first year if you buy an annual web hosting plan from Hostinger.
Where is the best place to buy a domain name?
For beginners building on WordPress, Hostinger is the easiest because the domain, hosting and email sit in one dashboard and the domain is free for the first year with annual hosting. Namecheap is a good choice for a stand-alone domain, and Bluehost suits people already hosting there.
Can I get a domain name for free?
Yes, for the first year. Hostinger includes a free domain for one year with its annual web hosting plans. After that it renews at the normal domain price. Free subdomains such as yourname.blogspot.com are also free, but they don’t look as professional.
Do I need WHOIS privacy protection?
Yes. Without it, your name, address, phone number and email can appear in public domain records, which attracts spam and scam renewal notices. Hostinger and Namecheap include privacy free on supported domains, while Bluehost charges for it.
Can I buy a domain now and build the website later?
Yes. A domain is just an address you own. You can buy it today, leave it parked and connect it to WordPress, Blogger or Shopify whenever you’re ready. Just turn on auto-renew so it doesn’t expire in the meantime.
Can I buy a domain from South Africa?
Yes. Hostinger, Bluehost and Namecheap all accept South African Visa and Mastercard cards, and you pay in US dollars. Your bank may charge a small foreign transaction fee, so check your card terms before you pay. If you want a .co.za, I register mine through 1-Grid, a South African registrar, where it costs R109 a year including VAT.
What happens if my domain expires?
Your website and email stop working. Most registrars give you a short grace period to renew, sometimes with a fee, and after that the domain can be released for anyone to register. Turning on auto-renew with a valid card prevents this.
About Eugene Madondo
Eugene is a Cape Town-based SEO specialist and digital entrepreneur who has been earning online since 2012. He has worked in SEO at a tech startup, an agency and in-house tech roles, ran a consulting business, and has generated over $1.4 million from his own affiliate websites since 2020. He teaches website operators through Rank to Earn.