What is a domain name? (And why it is not a website)
A domain name is your address on the internet, like yourbusiness.co.uk. It is not the website itself. Think of it like a street address: the address tells people where to find the building, but it is not the building.
The address, not the building
Your website is a set of files sitting on a computer somewhere (that computer is your hosting). Your domain is the human-friendly address that points at those files. When someone types yourbusiness.co.uk, the internet looks up where that address points and loads your site from there.
Because the two are separate, you can move your website to a completely different hosting company and keep the same domain. Your customers never notice a thing.
How do I get one?
You buy (technically rent) a domain from a registrar. Well-known ones include Namecheap, GoDaddy, 123 Reg and Cloudflare. You search for the name you want, pay for a year, and it is yours for as long as you keep renewing it.
Typical UK costs
What to watch for
- Register it in your own name, not your web designer’s. Whoever controls the domain controls your online presence.
- Cheap first-year offers often renew at a much higher price. Check the renewal cost before you buy.
- Keep the login details safe. Losing access to your registrar account is losing access to your address.
The takeaway
- A domain is your address; hosting is the building your site lives in.
- Expect roughly £5 to £20 a year for a normal .co.uk or .com.
- Always register it in your own name and keep the login details.
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