Module 2: Domain and Hosting
Your domain is your address on the internet and your hosting is the land it's built on. This module walks through picking a name, registering it properly, and connecting it to hosting — the part that intimidates beginners but is really just three steps.
Picking a Good Domain Name
A good domain name is short, spellable, and matches your business name. Say it out loud: if you have to spell it twice on the phone, it's the wrong name. "MarloweBakery.com" beats "TheDeliciousMarloweBakeryShop.com" every time. Aim for under 15 characters before the dot, avoid hyphens entirely (nobody remembers them), and skip numbers unless they're truly part of your brand — "365cleaners.com" will get typed as "cleaners365.com" by half your callers.
The .com is still king for US businesses. Customers will try .com first out of habit, so register it if it's available. If your exact name is taken in .com, try adding a location or keyword before buying an exotic extension: "MarlowePlumbingNJ.com" beats "MarlowePlumbing.services" because people remember it. Acceptable fallbacks in order: .com with a modifier, then .net, then .co — anything more unusual and you'll spend your life spelling it.
Side by side
Say it out loud
| Weak domain | Strong domain | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Example | TheDeliciousMarloweBakeryShop.com | MarloweBakery.com | |
| Test | Must spell it twice | Sayable, spellable, under 15 characters |
Buying a clever domain that's impossible to spell over the phone — or buying it from your website builder at triple the price. Say it out loud once: if you'd have to spell it twice, it's the wrong name. And always buy the domain from a real registrar, never bundled with hosting.
Your path
Under 15 characters
Aim for under 15 characters before the dot.
No hyphens or numbers
Nobody remembers hyphens; numbers get mistyped by half your callers.
.com available
.com is still king — customers try it first out of habit.
Passes the phone test
Say it once out loud; if you have to spell it twice, it's the wrong name.
No trademark conflict
Search the USPTO database and check social handles before you register.
Build brief
What domain names are you considering? Write your top three, then say each one out loud — which one passes the phone test?
Saved
Registering Your Domain: A Registrar Walkthrough
Here's the actual walkthrough: create your account, search for your domain name, and add the .com to your cart. The registrar will offer extras — privacy protection, email hosting, a "premium" version of the name. Take domain privacy (free at Cloudflare and Porkbun) and decline everything else for now. At checkout, do NOT enable auto-renew? Actually, do enable it — a lapsed domain can be grabbed by squatters in days, and recovering it costs thousands. Auto-renew with a card that doesn't expire soon.
Two pitfalls to dodge. First, the upsell gauntlet: registrars make money selling you things you don't need at checkout — extra extensions, "domain security bundles," logo designers. Skip all of it; you can always add later. Second, the email you register with: use an address you'll keep forever, like your main Gmail, not a work address at a job you might leave. Set a calendar reminder one week before renewal each year even with auto-renew on, just to confirm the card still works. Total time for this lesson: about fifteen minutes and roughly twelve dollars.
The numbers that matter
A .com costs less than lunch
Build brief
Who will register and own your domain — you personally in your own account, or someone else? What's your plan for keeping control of it?
Saved
Hosting and Pointing Your DNS
Hosting is simply a computer that's always on, holding your website files so visitors can reach them. If you chose a website builder in Module 1, you already have hosting — the builder hosts your site, and you can skip most of this lesson. If you chose WordPress, you need a hosting plan: reputable entry-level hosts like SiteGround or Bluehost run $3–$10/month for the first year (expect $10–$20/month on renewal — read the fine print before you buy).
Connecting your domain to your hosting is called "pointing your DNS," and there are two ways to do it. The easy way: change your nameservers at your registrar to the ones your host gives you (they look like ns1.example.com). This hands all your domain's routing to the host — one change, usually working within a few hours. The precise way: keep your nameservers at the registrar and add an "A record" pointing your domain to your host's IP address. Use the easy way unless you have email or other services on the domain that you don't want to disturb.
Build brief
Based on the build path you picked in Module 1, what hosting do you actually need — and what's your monthly budget for domain plus hosting?
Saved
Domain checklist — copy and work through:
☐ Under 15 characters
☐ Matches business name (or close)
☐ Passes the phone test (say it once, no spelling needed)
☐ .com available (or a clean alternative)
☐ No hyphens, no numbers
☐ Bought at a real registrar (Porkbun / Cloudflare / Namecheap)
Check whether your ideal domain is available — search at Porkbun or Cloudflare Registrar (don't buy yet if you're torn between two names; sleep on it).
Why should you register your domain in your own account rather than letting a developer do it?
First-year website cost estimator
Play with the numbers — everything updates live.
Total first-year cost:0
That breaks down to, per month:0