Why buy the domain first
- The name you want may not be free next month.
- Business email can start right away.
- Printed materials and vehicle wraps can include it.
- Your developer can plan the launch around it.
Domains cost little per year for common extensions, so waiting saves almost nothing and risks losing the name.
What happens if you build first
Developers build sites on a staging address, a private or temporary URL. At launch, they point your domain to the new site. You can buy the domain any time before then. The only hard requirement is having it before launch day.
Who should buy it
You should. Buy the domain with your business's name as the registrant and your own login at the registrar. Add your web team as a user if the registrar allows it, or share access to the DNS settings only.
ICANN's rules make the registrant responsible for the domain and its contact details. Whoever holds the registrar account controls the address. If an agency buys it for you, ask for it in your name from day one.
Good example. A new physical therapy clinic buys its .com the day it chooses its name, under the clinic's business email. The web team later connects the site and email to it.
Bad example. The same clinic asks its designer to "handle the domain." Two years later, moving to a new designer takes weeks of emails to get the domain back.
If someone already owns your preferred name
- Add your city or service, like "smithplumbingtampa.com."
- Check if the owner sells it, but watch for inflated prices.
- Consider an industry extension like .law or .dental.
- Avoid names one letter away from a competitor.
Read what a domain name is. Our web design team helps set up domains, email and DNS, always in your name.