Search and buy available domain names

A domain name is what people type into a browser to find a website - similar to how you use a street address to find a building. Every website, server, or digital device that is connected to the Internet has an assigned IP address that you can use to see or visit it. This IP address is a long string of numbers and letters that would be very difficult for people to memorize, so a domain name is simply a human-friendly version of that IP address.

When you type a domain name - like www.godaddy.com or www.google.com - into your browser, the domain name system, or DNS, takes this domain and translates it into its IP address, allowing the associated website to be found.

Having your own domain name can help you appear more legitimate to people who search for you or your business online. With a domain name, you can:

• Build a website for your storefront or ecommerce business
• Create a professional email with your domain name
• Create a Branded Pay Link to receive payments

As the world’s leading registrar, GoDaddy can help you find the right domain name that suits your needs. You can use our search tool at the top of the page to check for domain name availability and, once you have your new domain name in hand, we can help you build and grow your online presence. At GoDaddy, we’ve got everything you need to succeed online - from web hosting services (that include free SSL certificates) to a Digital Marketing Suite that makes it easy for you to manage your social media, SEO, and more. In addition, all of our products and services are backed by our amazing (and award-winning) customer support team.

To check domain name availability, just type it into GoDaddy's search bar and we'll tell you immediately if it is available or if someone else already owns it.

1. If it's taken, you can use our WHOIS Lookup tool to search for the owner and contact details of your desired domain name and then attempt to reach out to the owner using that information.
2. Or, you can try our Domain Broker service, where we negotiate acquiring the domain from its current owner on your behalf.

We also offer a Domain Backorder service, where you purchase a backorder credit to give you a chance to get the domain you want when it goes to auction.

Here are the steps to buy domains:

1. Decide on a domain name extension. The extension (also known as a top-level domain or TLD) is the part at the end of the domain name — .net, .biz, .org or .com, for example. Many people choose to register their website name with more than one of these extensions, as a way to prevent other people from registering their brand name on those TLDs.
2. Think about what business name or specialty you'd like on the other side of the dot. Use our business name generator to get ideas and to help find the right one.
3. Type the domain you want into the search box at the top of this page. We'll tell you if that particular domain is available and also show you others you may like better.
4. Pick a domain (or several), add it to your cart, and check out. You are now the proud owner of your very own domain. As long as it's registered to you, no one else may use it.

The duration of your domain registration can vary depending on the domain extension you purchase. With most extensions, domain name registrars allow customers to register domains for up to 10 years at a time. Typically, customers register domains for one to three years. Some premium domains and gTLDs (like .au and .nl) have shorter registration periods.

If you want to extend your registration, it's easy to renew your domain with GoDaddy. You can choose to manually renew or set up auto-renewal, which helps ensure that your website name stays registered to you.

Purchase an annual Web Hosting plan or any annual Managed WordPress plan by GoDaddy and you'll automatically qualify for a free domain.

Once you click Add to Cart for a hosting or WordPress plan, you'll be given the option to select monthly or annual terms. Make sure to choose an annual term if you want to get the free domain.

Click Continue with These Options at the bottom of the page to move on to the next step. This is where you'll see a search bar to look for the domain name you want.

Once you've found the name you want, just add the domain to your cart and continue to checkout.

When deciding where to register a domain, you should consider the following:

• Pricing: Pay attention to both initial and renewal pricing.
• Privacy: Look for a registrar that includes privacy as part of domain registration and doesn't make it an additional upsell.
• Customer support: Consider what communication channels are offered - phone, SMS, chat, email - and if they are available 24/7 or only during specific hours of the day.
• Available domain extensions: If you want something more than a .com, .org, or .net, consider how many top-level domains the registrar offers.
• Additional offerings: If you're looking to establish an online presence, check if the registrar offers other services, such as an online store or website builder, hosting, SSL certificates, etc.
• Reputation: A company's track record speaks for itself. Check out customer reviews and Trustpilot ratings. Also, make sure that the company is ICANN-accredited.

Go ahead and take a look at the best domain registrars to see how GoDaddy compares against the rest. You'll see there's a reason why GoDaddy is the go-to domain registrar for millions of people around the world.

When searching for a good domain name, keep these 4 things in mind:

1. Reflect your brand. Ideally, your domain name should be your business name, since that's how customers will think of you.
2. Keep it short. Shorter domain names are easier for customers to remember.
3. Avoid numbers or hyphens. Customers might not remember to include hyphens, and if they hear your web address with a number, they won’t know if you’re using the numeral 5 or “five” spelled out. If your business name has a number in it, register both versions of the domain – one with the number and one with the number spelled out.
4. Register more than one domain. You can help keep your name safe by registering common misspellings of your brand name. If you already own your .com domain and misspellings of that domain, consider registration for other various domain extensions, such as .org, .net, .info, etc (see our full list of available gTLDs).