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Buy Your Own Domain — The Complete Guide 2026

Everything about buying a domain: TLD differences, prices, naming tips, and how to connect domain + website in one step.

What Is a Domain?

A domain is your website's address on the internet — for example mybusiness.com or shop-mueller.de. When someone types your domain into a browser, they're directed to your website.

A domain consists of several parts:

  • Subdomain — e.g., "www" or "shop" (optional)
  • Second-Level Domain (SLD) — your chosen name, e.g., "mybusiness"
  • Top-Level Domain (TLD) — the extension, e.g., ".com", ".de", ".shop"

Why You Need Your Own Domain

  • Trust — mybusiness.com looks more professional than mybusiness.wordpress.com
  • Branding — your company name as a web address strengthens recognition
  • Email addresses — info@mybusiness.com instead of a gmail address
  • SEO benefits — custom domains rank better than subdomains
  • Independence — the domain is yours, regardless of which builder you use

TLD Comparison

TLDPrice/YearBest ForExample
.defrom €5.99German businessesbaeckerei-schmidt.de
.comfrom €9.99International businessesmueller-consulting.com
.atfrom €9.99Austrian businessescafe-vienna.at
.chfrom €12.99Swiss businessesuhren-zurich.ch
.eufrom €7.99EU-wide businessesgreen-energy.eu
.shopfrom €24.99Online storesnaturkosmetik.shop
.iofrom €29.99Tech & startupscodeflow.io

Recommendation: For German businesses, .de is the best choice. For international presence, go with .com.

7 Tips for the Perfect Domain

  1. Short and memorable — the shorter, the better. Maximum 15 characters.
  2. Easy to spell — avoid words that are commonly misspelled.
  3. Avoid special characters — umlauts work but are often typed incorrectly.
  4. Use hyphens sparingly — one is okay, more than two gets confusing.
  5. Include keywords — "hairdresser-berlin.de" helps with local Google search.
  6. Check availability — also check social media handles.
  7. Act fast — good domains get registered every day.

Buy a Domain with Velo

The easiest way to buy and connect a domain:

  1. Open the domain shop or go to your site settings
  2. Enter your desired name
  3. Check availability and compare prices
  4. Purchase via credit card or PayPal
  5. Done! Domain and website are automatically connected

What Velo handles automatically: DNS configuration, SSL certificate, WWW redirect, automatic renewal.

Connect a Domain from Another Provider

If you already own a domain from another registrar:

  1. Log in to your domain provider
  2. Go to DNS settings
  3. Create a CNAME record: yourdomain.com → velobuilder.app
  4. In Velo: Site Settings → Domain → "Connect existing domain"
  5. Wait 5–30 minutes for DNS changes to take effect

DNS Explained Simply

DNS (Domain Name System) is the phone book of the internet:

  • A Record — links a domain to an IP address
  • CNAME Record — links a domain to another domain
  • MX Record — handles email
  • TXT Record — for verification and security

When you buy your domain through Velo, you don't need to worry about DNS — everything is configured automatically.

Conclusion

Your own domain is your business's online identity. With Velo, you get domain, website, hosting, and SSL from one source — no technical knowledge required. Check now if your dream domain is still available!

Start building your website for free →

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