How much a domain name costs depends on a few things. You'll be able to search for each domain via their endings, too. Some domain endings will be more expensive than others. This is because they have different statuses as general top level domains (gTLDs), country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), and new top level domains (nTLDs).

Expiration date

A domain can be registered for up to five years in one go. It's a good idea to register your domain for as long as possible, first of all so you can put your mind at ease and have one less thing to think about, but secondly so you protect yourself against domain grabbing, in which other people register internet domains with the intention of selling them for more money rather than using them themselves. Domain grabbers target unprotected terms, but are still an inconvenience if you have to buy the domain you want for more money. Cybersquatting is more malicious, in which squatters concentrate on established trademarks and brands with the aim of selling the rights to their proper owner for a fee. This is why it's important to renew your domain in time, and to register it for as long as possible.

Furthermore, the damages incurred by losing your domain to someone whether via squatting, grabbing or an innocent mistake, are immense. Visitors may perceive your site to be less reliable than others if it's down for a longer period of time, or relocates to a new domain that they can't find. A good solution to this issue is to ensure that your domain gets auto-renewed at its point of expiry. This is the default setting with IONOS, meaning you don't have to change anything to ensure your domain stays yours.

Expired domains are often overlooked, but they may already have good backlinks and a lot of SEO work behind them. Always make sure you're not snatching a domain that the previous owner actually still wanted, but if an old domain is truly available again it might be worth looking into – just make sure it's worthwhile, and not associated with an old, untrustworthy business, for example.

Introductory offers

The IONOS shop offers certain domains at reduced prices for new customers. This is ideal to minimize the costs of getting up and running. You may have noticed that some nTLDs are more expensive than others, or classic TLDs in general. This is because nTLDs allow popular domains which have already been claimed to be opened again with the new extension. Although the registration fee for an nTLD may decrease over the next few years, buying the extension from someone who has it will become more expensive. For example, an exact match domain name will become more expensive as people become aware of its value. Furthermore, the domain name you want may be taken if you wait for too long – act quickly to avoid missing out.

Premium domains

Premium domains are already registered, and cost more than a usual domain registration, because they are perceived to have a higher value. But why invest in a premium domain? Like expired domains, these domains may already be SEO optimized, be keyword-rich, and contain backlinks. Furthermore, you may get the exact name you want, and add authenticity to your new project. In order to sell the domain, the owner will set a price at a marketplace like SEDO or Afternic, and those who want to buy the domain can head there to see the listing. These domains can cost thousands, but if you find the perfect domain, you'll thank yourself down the line for making a good investment.

Renewal prices

When registering your domain, make sure you take the renewal price into account. Is the renewal price for a flashy nTLD too high to be sustainable? On the other hand, you might be able to afford further domains, due to their lower registration and renewal costs. You must pay for the renewal for each domain, so it's worth making sure you know what fees are waiting for you down the line – the fees can be found in the comparison table above.

ICANN fees

The internet corporation for assigned names and numbers (ICANN) charges a fee of $0.18 per year for each domain that is registered, renewed or transferred. One-year registration costs $0.18, and accordingly, five-year registration costs $0.90.

Related questions for this topic / FAQ

What is domain grabbing?

What are the advantages of the new TLDs?

What are expired domains?

Buying a domain is a straightforward process, and it's also an important step in establishing your online presence.

Here is our step-by-step guide for all the things you need to do when registering with us:

1. Check if the domain name you want is appropriate and available. You can do this using our domain check tool. This will tell you if the domain contains invalid characters, or if it is already taken.
2. Select which domain ending you want to buy. You can buy more than one at a time. It may be a good idea to:

• a. Secure your domain name across the board
• b. Identify domain extensions that are already taken
• c. Consider whether you want to compete with the one that is already taken, or come up with a new domain name.

1. Add your extension to your shopping cart.
2. Verify your order for details such as

• a. the domain's expiration date
• b. how long you've bought it for
• c. how many domains you're planning to claim

1. Create your customer account, if you don't already have one.
2. Chooseyour payment method and purchase your domain, then you're all set.

Hint: As an existing customer, you can always add new domains if you need to by visiting the IONOS control panel and clicking "add new domain" from the domains drop-down menu.

Subdomains play a part in the way that the internet is organized. They are part of the overall domain name of a website's address, and are hierarchical. For example, the name "order.example.com" has three parts, each separated by a period. The first part is ".com", the second is "example" and the third part is "order". The third part is a subdomain of the second part, and the second part is a subdomain of the first. It's a bit like a Matryoshka doll. For more on how domains are structured, see the topic "What should you know about domains?".

Subdomains are useful for dividing your website into different categories. Here is a quick overview of some of the possible categories and advantages:

Target geographical areas, or language groups.

For example, if your website is in English and Spanish, a subdomain may be used to indicate that this section of your website will be in Spanish, and not English – instead of just domainname.com, es.domainname.com is used. Product-oriented sectionIf your website offers a variety of different services or products, you can create a subdomain for each one, for example: smartphone.domainname.com, or blog.domainname.com.

Gated content

Having a separate subdomain for logins or account pages on your website is a useful way of organizing your site, both for your clients as well as for yourself.

Better tracking

By using a subdomain, you'll be able to track the success of your website more specifically, by being able to see which exact area is doing well and where there's room for improvement.

Importance for SEO

Subdomains are quite a useful tool for SEO, and although subdirectory and subdomain optimization is not as significant for successful SEO as it was a few years ago, it's still worth doing. For example, you can insert keywords into your subdomain URL where they don't make sense in your main one. Furthermore, you can build up your website's authority in a smaller, niche market because subdomains are seen as their own entity. This will help boost the authority of your main domain too. It's helpful to have the option for several subdomains, because several subdomains also increase your chances of being visible in search engine results. IONOS offers 10,000 free subdomains with any domain name registration — a good number to get your website kicked off!

It depends on where you have registered your domain — if you're still researching, it's worth knowing that not every domain registrar will offer this service – sometimes not at all, and sometimes for an extra fee. IONOS offers this service for free, and so if you register a domain, or even a few, with IONOS, you'll have access to a free email account under the same name. For example, if your domain name is mycompany.com, having a customized email address such as myname@mycompany.com is a great way to show your professionalism and give the impression of a well-established, well-organized business.

You can set up your IONOS email address quickly and easily by visiting the IONOS control panel and selecting "create new email user." It's also possible to upgrade your mailbox features here in case you need more than the 2GB complimentary email storage.

It's easy for you to move your domains to IONOS, and you can start enjoying the benefits of our affordable hosting services right away. It's clear that you won't want to lose your unique domain name, or the hard work you've already put into your website — that's why we make every domain name registration or transfer hassle free. Start by selecting a hosting package from our website that best matches your needs, then enter your existing domain name into the domain checker.

At this point, you'll be informed that your domain already exists; simply select "transfer" and then enter the authentication code you'll receive from your former provider.

Make sure you have created backups of all your site's files, plus any databases or email accounts with your former domain provider before you initiate the transfer. This data will not transfer automatically with the domain. You should also copy your previous DNS settings and subdomains with that domain. There's no rush — as an existing IONOS customer you can easily transfer your domain from another provider at any time.

Additional advice

Transferring domains to IONOS

Every domain name is linked to an address on the internet called an IP Address, which is a long string of numbers. Domain names make it easier for internet users to visit websites without having to remember this numerical address. When you visit our .com website, your browser and computer read our site's DNS records in order to locate our website's files which are stored on a server.

This almost instantaneous directing process allows your browser to access and load websites. Like IONOS, most hosting providers automatically assign DNS records upon domain name registration. In some cases, you may wish to keep your registered domain with one company, but have your website's files and email accounts stored on a different hosting server.

This is called a DNS transfer, and can be arranged within a couple of days. You may wish to alter your DNS records if your domain registration was completed with an expensive hosting company. In this case, you can keep your registered domain but switch to a more affordable hosting provider such as IONOS. For an in depth introduction to DNS, including how to complete a DNS transfer with us, please visit the Help Center.