How does a domain name work?
Every website sits on a computer called a server, and each server has a numeric internet protocol (IP) address. A domain name is the memorable label that points to that number. When someone types your domain, the domain name system (DNS) looks up that number. It then sends them to your site in a fraction of a second.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) coordinates that system worldwide. Its guides for beginners explain that numbers are hard to remember. So the system "uses letters, numbers, and hyphens to form a name that is easier to remember".
A domain has two parts you can see. The name is the part you choose, such as example. The ending comes after it, such as .co.uk or .com. Together they make the address your customers remember and type.
What is the difference between a domain name, a website and hosting?
They are separate things that work together. The domain is the address. Hosting is the space on a server where your website's files live. The website is what people see when they arrive. You can move your website to new hosting and keep the same domain, which is why owning the domain matters so much.
- Domain name: the address people type, such as example.co.uk.
- Hosting: the server space that stores your pages and sends them to each visitor.
- Website: the pages, words and pictures your customers see.
- Business email: mailboxes on your domain, such as you@example.co.uk.
Our web hosting page explains the hosting side. Our guide to what a managed hosting plan includes sets out what you pay for each month.
Which domain ending should a UK business choose?
For most UK businesses, .co.uk is the safe choice, because people here know and trust it. A .com suits a business that sells abroad or wants a wider feel. Many owners register both, then point the spare at their main site so nobody else can take it.
Some endings are only open to qualifying bodies, such as .gov.uk for government. Others are newer and more playful. A newer ending can work, but customers may mistype it or type .co.uk out of habit. If your first choice is taken, a small change to the name is often better than an unusual ending.
Prices differ by ending and by year. Our guide to how much a domain name costs explains what you pay and why the renewal price matters more than the first year.
How do you choose a good domain name?
A good domain name is short, easy to say and hard to misspell. Read it aloud to a friend on the phone. If they can type it first time without asking you to spell it, you are on the right track.
- Start with your business name, or add your trade or town if the plain name is taken.
- Keep it short, so it fits on a van, a card and a shop sign.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers, which people forget or type wrongly.
- Run the words together and read them again, because some names spell something you did not intend.
- Check that nobody else holds a trade mark on the name.
- Register common misspellings and the other main ending if your budget allows.
The trade mark check matters. Registering a domain is not the same as owning the name as a brand. The government lets you search for a trade mark to "check if a similar trade mark to your brand already exists in the UK". This is general information, not legal advice. For your own name, follow the Intellectual Property Office guidance or speak to a qualified adviser.
Rather have it done for you? We build your website free, it goes live in days, and you pay nothing for the first 14 days. No card needed. See how the free 14-day trial works.
Who owns your domain name?
Whoever is named as the registrant owns it. That should be you or your company, not your web designer or agency. If someone else registered it in their own name, you may struggle to move your website or email when you want to leave them.
ICANN explains this in its information for domain name registrants. "A domain name registrant is an individual or entity who registers a domain name". It adds: "Upon registration of a domain name, a registrant enters into a contract with a registrar". The registrar is the company you pay to hold the name.
Check these details for your own domain today:
- The registrant is you or your company, written in full.
- The contact email is one you read, ideally on a different domain from the one it protects.
- Automatic renewal is on, with a payment card that will not expire first.
- You know the login for the account where the domain is held.
- The transfer lock is on, so nobody can move the name without your say.
What skills does looking after a domain take?
Buying a domain takes minutes. Looking after it well takes several skills, and most of them only matter on the day something goes wrong. One wrong setting can take your website or your email offline without warning.
- Domain records. Setting the DNS records that point your domain at your website and your email, without breaking either.
- Email security. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) publishes email security and anti-spoofing guidance. It aims at "making it difficult for fake emails to be sent from your organisation's domains". That means the right sender records on your domain.
- Security certificates. Keeping the padlock working so browsers do not warn visitors away.
- Renewals. Tracking renewal dates, payment cards and contact details for every domain you hold.
- Moves. Shifting a domain or its records between companies without losing a day of email.
- Spotting scams. Ignoring official-looking letters that ask you to renew a domain with a company you never used.
None of this is hard for someone who does it every day. For a busy owner, it is easy to forget until the morning your email stops arriving.
How much time does it take to look after a domain?
Less than a website, but more than most people expect, and it comes in bursts. The ranges below are planning figures from our own setup work, not measured averages, so treat them as a guide.
- Choosing a name and checking trade marks and other endings: 2 to 4 hours.
- Registering it and setting up the account, renewal and contacts: 1 to 2 hours.
- Pointing it at your website and setting up business email records: 2 to 5 hours, more if something breaks.
- Moving a domain or its email to a new company: 3 to 6 hours.
- Yearly checks of renewals, contacts and security settings: 1 to 2 hours.
A first setup adds up to roughly 5 to 11 hours. A move to new hosting can add most of a working day. The hours are not the real risk, though. The risk is a small slip that stops your email for days while you work out why.
What goes wrong when a domain is handled in a rush?
Most domain problems stay hidden until the worst moment. Your website vanishes, or customers' emails bounce, and nobody knows why for a day or two.
- The domain lapses because the renewal reminder went to an old email address, or the card expired.
- A past agency registered it in its own name and will not hand it over.
- A change made for the website wipes out the email records, so mail stops arriving.
- Missing email security records let fraudsters send emails that look like they came from you.
- A rushed name is hard to spell, so customers land on someone else's site.
Each of these is avoidable with the right setup, a clear record of who holds what and someone checking it every year.
Can you have your domain and hosting done for you?
Yes. You can hand the setup, records, renewals and moves to a team that does it every day. You keep ownership of the name, and we keep it working.
Buzzozo runs its own green UK hosting platform, with a free security certificate, daily backups and business email on your own domain. We set up the records that stop your emails landing in spam. Moving from another company? We move your site, email and domain records for you, with no downtime. Your domain stays registered to you, not to us.
Hosting is available on its own. It is also included in the Website plan, with a managed website that we design, write, build and look after for you. The Website plan starts from £149 a month at the founding price, with no contract, and you can cancel any time.
Want to see your business on its own domain? Compare the plans and prices, or start your free 14-day trial. We build your website first. It is free for 14 days, and no card needed.
Common questions
Is a domain name the same as a website?
No. The domain is the address, and the website is the pages people see when they arrive. You can own a domain with no website, or move a website to a new domain. Most businesses use one domain for both their website and their email.
Can I buy a domain name forever?
No. You rent a domain for a set period, usually a year at a time, and renew it to keep it. You can often pay for several years ahead. If a renewal is missed, the name can lapse and someone else may register it.
Does owning a domain name protect my business name?
Not on its own. A domain lets you use that web address while you keep renewing it. It does not stop others using a similar name in other ways. For brand protection, check the government trade mark guidance. This is general information, not legal advice.