Domain Names
Before you setup your website/shop, you should purchase a domain name ASAP!
Overview / FAQ
What is the difference between a domain name, hosting, and website?
A Domain Name is what you see in your browser's search bar, such as example.com
This acts like an address and points to wherever you want it to go. You do not need to buy a domain name from the same place as the rest of your hosting/website!
Think of it like a street address to an empty lot. The post office knows where to mail your letters, no matter what house is on it.
Hosting is where you actually build your website and where the files for it live.
Some website/shop builders have hosting built in, but if you are making a custom site it needs a place for the files to be stored.
Think of this like the actual empty lot. It can have anything built on it, but it doesn't have anything to start.
Your Website is the actual working files that people will see when they visit your domain.
There are lots of different ways to build a custom website, but this is what people will actually see! Text, images, colors, etc.
Think of this like the physical house you have built on the lot.
What about the urls that are like extra.example.com?
Or have something unique like example.art?
Each domain has three parts to it.
Second-Level Domain (SLD) is the example in example.com
This is probably the main thing you are searching for when buying a domain, along with the Top-Level Domain.
Top-Level Domain (TLD) is the .com in example.com
.com, .net, .org are the most common choices, but there's a huge variety.
Note that TLDs are the main cost of a domain. If your domain choice is looking to expensive, look at a different TLD.
Subdomain is the first part of a url, the www in www.example.com
A subdomain acts as a separate address from what we explained before for domain names.
example.com is like 123 Address Unit A, and subdomain.example.com is like 123 Address Unit B
These can use different hosts or website/shop builders while still being somewhat connected.
When you purchase a domain, you get the ability to create as many subdomains as you want! shop.example.com, portfolio.example.com, etc. Just note these will be seen as different websites by search engines so use them sparingly only when needed (such as if your shop and website are hosted on two different platforms).
The www subdomain always exists, but you need to make sure you are either using it or not as www.example.com and example.com may show as different site for search engines and can hurt your rankings. There are many ways to handle these.
When you purchase a domain, you are buying the SLD and TLD, and then you get Subdomains for free if that makes sense!
How much does a domain name cost?
A regular .com should only cost you between $8-10 per year.
If you see a domain priced at a crazy amount (hundreds and above), someone else owns that domain and may be trying to sell it. I would look for a different domain instead!
See below for my recommended registrars for domain names.
What if I don't have a website yet?
Domains can be redirected to other sites as well! If you only have an Instagram for example, you can still buy a domain now and have it redirect to your Instagram! You can put example.com on your business cards, and won't need to buy new cards once you get a website set up.
If your name may be prone to spelling errors, you can always buy multiple domains to redirect to the main domain. This can help anyone who may type your domain wrong. For example, I own deguart.com that redirects to deguarts.com
What if I need to transfer my domain to a different registrar?
For example, if you got a free domain through Squarespace, but you want to move off Squarespace, you can transfer your domain!
You will not loose any time you have paid for on your domain, but you will need to pay for additional year at your new registrar.
Example: you have 6 months left before the domain renews at your old registrar. You move it to a new registrar and pay for an additional year. Your domain now has 18 months until it expires and you need to renew.
Do I need to pay for SSL/HTTPS?
Some registrars will advertise that you can pay for an SSL certificate for your domain to get secure https. For most sites though, you don't need a paid SSL!
If you use Cloudflare for your domain, they include a free SSL! https://www.cloudflare.com/ssl/
If you don't use Cloudflare, you can request your website host to add a FREE Let's Encrypt SSL! (aka you don't need to pay for one from the domain registrar)
Many website builders will automatically give your site https
Buy a Domain Name
Cloudflare: https://www.cloudflare.com/products/registrar/
This is the cheapest registrar as they don't add any markup to the price. They also offer free SSL and "whois" lookup blocks (prevents your personal info from being accessible). The Free options should be enough for your small art businesses!
Namecheap: https://www.namecheap.com/domains/
One of the lower priced registrars and they typically have sales for first year purchases. They also offer a wide variety of TLDs (more unique than others offer)
Note you probably don't need to buy the SSL option, there are free versions available (see above).
Once you buy your domain, go to your Dashboard > Domain List > Manage Domain
DO NOT USE GODADDY! They have been found to increase prices based on searches on their site, or even hold domains hostage, so avoid using them at all costs. They are also not recommended for website hosting due to frequent scammy practices and poor security. If you have a domain through GoDaddy currently, transfer it to another registrar ASAP!