How to Buy a Domain Name in India: Step-by-Step Guide (and Mistakes to Avoid)

Buying a domain name takes about ten minutes. Buying it correctly (in your own name, with renewals under control and connected properly to your website and email) is where many businesses slip up.

We regularly meet business owners who can’t update their website because a former freelancer registered the domain in their own account, or whose site suddenly went offline because a renewal reminder went to an old email address. This guide helps you avoid all of that.

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Before you buy: three quick decisions

• The name. Short, easy to say and spell, close to your business name. See how to choose a domain name for your business.
• The extension. .in, .com or both? See .com vs .in for Indian businesses.
• Where your website will be hosted. Buying the domain from the same company as your hosting is simpler for beginners; buying it separately is fine too; it just takes a few extra settings to connect.

Step 1: Choose a reputable registrar

A registrar is the company you buy and renew the domain through. Look for:

• Clear pricing, including the renewal price, not just the first-year offer
• A simple dashboard to manage DNS settings
• Free WHOIS privacy protection where available
• Easy transfer-out if you ever want to move
• Responsive support

Many hosting providers are also domain registrars. If you’re a beginner planning to host with Hostinger, buying the domain there keeps everything in one dashboard; some of its plans have included a free domain for the first year.

Step 2: Search for your name

Type your preferred name into the registrar’s search. If it’s taken, try the alternatives from your shortlist rather than accepting the first awkward suggestion the tool offers.

Step 3: Register it in your own name (this is the big one)

When you check out, the registrant (owner) details should be your business: your business name, your phone number, and an email address you will always have access to.

• Create the registrar account yourself, with your own login.
• Use a long-term email address, not a personal one you might abandon or an employee’s.
• If a developer or agency is helping you, give them access; don’t let them register it in their account.

Whoever controls the registrar account controls your domain, and with it your website and email.

Step 4: Choose the registration period

Domains are usually registered for one year at a time, and can often be registered for several years at once. A longer period protects you from accidental expiry; a one-year term keeps the upfront cost low. Either is fine, as long as you handle renewals (Step 6).

Step 5: Skip the extras you don’t need

Checkout pages often add or suggest extras. Read each one:

• WHOIS privacy: useful, as it hides your personal contact details from public lookup, reducing spam. Often free.
• Email: only if you want email at your domain through that provider (more on email below).
• Website builders, SEO tools, “premium DNS”: usually unnecessary for a small business.

Step 6: Turn on auto-renew and save the dates

When a domain expires, your website and email stop working. Most registrars offer a short grace period to renew, after which recovering the domain may involve an extra redemption fee, and eventually it can be released for anyone to register.

• Turn on auto-renew with a payment method that won’t expire.
• Add the renewal date to your calendar as a backup.
• Keep the registrar email address up to date.

Step 7: Connect the domain to your website

Your domain needs to point to wherever your website is hosted. This is done through DNS settings, usually in one of two ways:

• Change the nameservers to your hosting provider’s, the simplest option if the hosting company manages everything.
• Add DNS records (such as an A record or CNAME) that point to your website host, while keeping DNS at your registrar.

DNS changes can take a little while to take effect everywhere. And be careful: changing nameservers can affect existing email if it was set up on the old DNS.

Step 8: Set up email at your domain

An address like name@yourbusiness.in looks far more professional than a free email address. You can get it through your hosting provider or a dedicated email service such as Google Workspace or Zoho Mail. Setting it up means adding MX records (and a few verification records) to your domain’s DNS.

Mistakes to avoid

• Letting someone else register the domain in their account. The most common and most painful mistake.
• Ignoring the renewal price. A cheap first year can be followed by a much higher renewal.
• Using an email you’ll lose access to for the registrar account.
• Letting it expire. Turn on auto-renew.
• Changing DNS without checking email records, and suddenly not receiving email.
• Buying a domain and stopping there. A domain on its own brings no customers; the website on it does.

Next: put a website on it

With the domain registered, you’ll need hosting and a website. If you’re choosing hosting yourself, start with my honest recommendation for beginner hosting and which Hostinger plan to choose. If you’re hiring someone to build the website, read 10 questions to ask first.

Referral disclosure

Disclosure: links to Hostinger in this article are my referral links. If you purchase through them, you’ll receive up to 20% off, and I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can register a domain with any reputable registrar; the steps in this guide apply either way.