Guides
How to pick and keep a domain name
The first year is cheap. Year two is where teams get stuck. Here is what to watch before you put yourbrand.com on the door.
The first year of yourbrand.com is often cheap. Year two is where registrars make margin — and where teams get stuck with slow DNS, upsold hosting, or a transfer lock nobody wrote down.
We help clients register or connect domains on Launch. Whether you buy the name yourself or ask us to handle it, here is what actually matters.
What a registrar does (and does not do)
| Role | The company that sells the name | The place that serves the site |
|---|---|---|
Sells and renews yourbrand.com | Yes | No |
| DNS (optional) | Often yes | Sometimes, if we manage it with hosting |
| Serves your website pages | No | Yes — that is hosting |
| Email mailboxes | Sometimes an upsell | No — pick a real mailbox separately |
For DevThunder Launch, you need a name you control so we can point www at your hosted site. Same for Domain Hosting or Managed WordPress — we document the records in your handoff.
Check the name here first
Our /domains hub looks up availability and typical list prices so you can save a shortlist. It is not a checkout cart.
- Search on
/domainsand save names for a quote, or buy the name where you already keep domains. - Purchase it or ask us on Launch.
- We connect DNS to your hosted site and write down any records you still manage.
You do not need a bake-off of registrar brands to get that far. You need a name you can renew, unlock, and point.
What to compare (ignore the billboard price)
- Renewal price (year 2+) — multiply by five years mentally. Promo year one is advertising.
- Privacy — WHOIS privacy should be free in 2026 for
.com. - DNS that updates quickly — easy TXT records for email, and a clean way to point
wwwand the apex. - Transfer policy — a 60-day lock after registration is normal; know how to unlock before you need it.
- Two-factor on the account — non-negotiable for a production domain.
If the host that “throws in” the domain also locks you into their DNS, leaving later becomes a project. Keep the registrar login in your name when you can.
Avoid these mistakes
- Letting a web host bundle the domain so you cannot leave without a transfer saga.
- Parking DNS with a two-day TTL — launch day will hurt.
- Forgetting to renew — set auto-renew and a backup payment method.
- Buying
yourbrand.net,.io, and.cobefore you ship v1. One good.combeats three defensive names.
When to ask DevThunder instead
- You want
yourbrand.comon a hosted site without managing DNS — Launch. - You are moving off an old builder with redirects — Launch or Custom.
- You already published on DevThunder and want us to wire the name, HTTPS, and a smoke test — Domain Hosting or a Launch quote.
Was this useful?
Comments
Be the first to add a note.