Buy your perfect domain name

A domain name is the unique, human-friendly address of a website—what you type into a browser to find it. Its purpose is to make your site easy to access, remember and share online.

A domain name gives your brand a unique identity, builds credibility, looks professional, and can improve SEO and discoverability. For example, in www.wix.com, the domain name is “wix.com” and “.com” is the extension.

Domain names are categorized depending on the type, each serves a different purpose online:

1. Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD): These are the most common domains you see, like .com, .net, or .org. They’re versatile and open for general use.

2. Country Code Top-Level Domains (ccTLD): These two-letter domains represent countries or regions, like .us for the United States or .fr for France.

3. Generic-Restricted Top-Level Domains (grTLD): Similar to gTLDs but with restrictions. For example, .pro is intended for licensed professionals.

4. Sponsored Top-Level Domains (sTLD): These domains are managed by specific organizations with eligibility rules. For example, .edu is for accredited educational institutions.

5. Infrastructure Top-Level Domain (ARPA): This is a specialized domain used for internet infrastructure purposes, like technical networking and routing. It’s not something you’d use for a website.

6. Premium Domains: These are high-value domain names that are short, memorable or keyword-rich. They’re typically already registered but available for resale at a premium price. Investing in a premium domain can give your brand instant credibility, improve memorability and make your site easier to find.
   

Choosing the right type depends on your goals—whether it’s building a global brand, targeting a specific country or positioning your site for a professional audience.

Picking the right domain name is all about clarity, memorability and making sure it reflects your brand. Here’s a few key tips:

• Keep it short and simple: Shorter names are easier to remember and type.

• Make it memorable: Choose something catchy that sticks with your audience.

• Reflect your brand: Your domain should give visitors a sense of who you are or what you offer.

• Consider keywords: Including relevant words can help with search visibility, but avoid overstuffing.

• Choose the right extension: .com is classic, but country-specific or niche extensions can make sense depending on your audience.
  

Not sure where to start? Try our domain name generator to get instant, creative ideas tailored to your brand.

Domain name registration is the process of securing a unique website address online for a set period, usually one year, so only you can use it. Understanding the lifecycle of a domain, from available to registered, expired and redemption is helpful when planning purchases, transfers or recoveries.

Here’s how it works step by step:

1. Searching and checking availability: First, check if the domain you want is actually available. This makes sure your website address is unique and ready to be registered.

2. Choosing a TLD: Pick the extension that words for your site and brand. Like .com, .net, .ai or others. Each top-level domain (TLD) has a purpose and can affect branding, trust and SEO.

3. Registration: Choose an ICANN-accredited domain registrar like Wix, fill in your contact info, add WHOIS privacy if you want and complete your payment to register the domain.

4. DNS setup: Connect your domain to your website or email through the DNS settings. DNS settings connect your domain to your website hosting or email provider, directing traffic to the correct server.. 

5. Renewal: Domains are leased for a period and must be renewed to maintain ownership. At Wix, you’ll get automated reminders so you never miss a renewal date.

Yes. Wix is a fully ICANN-accredited domain registrar for .com and .net domain extensions though Wix also offers a wide range of other domain extensions. This means you can register and manage domain names directly through Wix, without needing a third-party service. Wix also offers WHOIS privacy protection, secure domain hosting, SSL and automatic domain renewal reminders—in other words, it’s a complete domain solution with everything you need in one place.

Before you purchase a domain name, choose one that's relevant, easy to remember and simple to spell. Pick the right extension (.com, .net, .org) based on your business and audience. Make sure that when you register a domain name you use important keywords to boost search visibility plus keep it short to avoid confusion. When browsing for a domain provider you should keep an eye out for if the provider has privacy protection. Also be on the lookout for other extras that are offered like cloud hosting, ICANN and SSL—with Wix these come included with all domains.

When it comes to choosing the right domain registrar you should keep the following in mind:

1. Compare pricing. Look at the initial domain pricing and renewal rates—and try to make sure the registrar offers transparent pricing. You can compare our domain prices here. 

2. Review the ease of the domain setup. Setting up a domain doesn’t have to be complicated but it can be a long and arduous process. Try to look for a provider that’s simple and quick to get set up. 3. Check the domain expiration policy to avoid accidentally losing your domain if you miss a renewal. It’s also smart to choose a registrar that offers WHOIS privacy protection to keep your personal information private on public databases. 4. Consider getting your domain, hosting and website all in one place. If you can find a domain registrar where you can purchase a domain, get hosting included and create your website, the whole process of getting online will be much smoother. 5. Evaluate the customer support. 24/7 live chat or phone support can make a big difference when issues arise. If you're planning to build a website, look for a registrar that offers services like web hosting, email, free SSL certificates or even an AI website builder. 6. Look into domain transfer policies in case you want to transfer your domain at a later stage as some providers make it easier than others.

7. Lastly, review the registrar’s reputation. Look for ICANN accreditation, strong customer support and reliable service. The right registrar will offer a balance of price, support, security, and additional features to help you grow online with confidence.

Finding out if a domain is available is simple. You can use a domain name search tool to quickly check if the name you want is available. Just type in the domain you want and the tool will show whether it’s free to register or already taken.

Behind the scenes, this process uses the DNS (Domain Name System) — the technology that helps match domain names with their web addresses. When you run a domain search, the DNS helps identify if that name is already connected to an existing website or still open for registration.

Once you’ve chosen your domain name and provided your registration information, you can go on to the next step; domain purchase. When you want to buy a domain name with Wix, simply select a domain registration period (from 1 to 10 years) on one of the domains that we offer, and complete the payment process. Once that time is up, you can renew it and continue to renew for as long as you want, in order to maintain lifetime ownership of your domain. Wix takes care of submitting all of your domain name registration details, so you can go ahead and create your website and then start using your officially registered domain name right away.

Yes! You don’t need to have a website to own a domain. Buying a domain secures your online address so it’s yours, even if you’re not ready to build a site yet. This is a great way to protect your brand, reserve a name you love or plan for future projects.

You’re not required to include “LLC” in your domain name—it’s completely optional and dependent on your goals. Some businesses add it to highlight their legal structure as “LLC” is a legal identifier and therefore appear more credible or trustworthy. However, leaving it out can make your domain shorter, easier to remember and cleaner for branding.

If you want to show your business status without adding “LLC” to your name, you can also consider registering a .llc domain extension.

The cost of a domain name can vary depending on the extension, popularity and any special offers. Prices typically start low for standard domains like .com and may be higher for premium or niche extensions.

For a detailed breakdown and current pricing, check out our info on domain pricing.

You can get a free domain for one year when you purchase an annual Wix website plan. This offer includes popular extensions like .com, .net and a range of domain extensions. During setup, you can register a new domain or connect one you already own. After the first year, you’ll need to pay to renew the domain. You can check out the full list of available domain extensions to see what’s included. There is a redemption period so you will need to redeem your domain voucher within two months to claim your domain.

When you buy domain names from Wix, they are set to automatically renew 30 days before their expiration date. To check your domain’s renewal date, you can visit the “My Domains” page in the dashboard. You can also add up to 5 additional years to your domain registration by extending your subscription. Check out this article on extending your domain registration for more info.

If you want to transfer a domain or connect your Wix website domain to an external site, simply follow the steps in our support article.

If you purchased a domain name from Wix and want to connect it to your Wix site, find easy-to-follow instructions here.

Need to transfer your Wix domains to a different Wix account? See how in this guide, we're here to assist you at every step. You can connect with Wix experts for support whenever you need it.

Yes. At Wix, we take domain security and privacy seriously. That's why we offer domain privacy protection when you purchase and register domains. By choosing Wix as your registrar, your personal contact details in the public WHOIS lookup database will be replaced with Wix’s contact information when you get a domain with us. This helps prevent unwanted solicitors and spammers from accessing your personal information and seeing which domains you own. For more about how domain name privacy protection works at Wix, check out this article.