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Where to buy a domain (and where to put your site)

· 4 min read · by Renee Kiffin

Getting your design work online comes down to two pieces: a domain (your address, like yourname.com) and a host (the platform that actually serves your website). You can buy both from the same company or split them across two. Both are fine.

This is a quick reference for what to use when.

Where to buy a domain

These are the registrars I send students to. They all sell the same .com, .design, .studio, and other extensions. The experience differs:

  • Namecheap. Affordable, clean, no aggressive upsells. Free WHOIS privacy. A safe default. namecheap.com
  • Porkbun. Also affordable, with a surprisingly polished interface. Free WHOIS privacy. porkbun.com
  • Cloudflare Registrar. Sells domains at cost (no markup). Slightly more technical because you're managing it from the Cloudflare dashboard. cloudflare.com/products/registrar
  • Hover. Premium feel, no upsells, slightly higher prices. hover.com
  • Squarespace Domains (formerly Google Domains). Easy if you're already on Squarespace. domains.squarespace.com
  • GoDaddy. The biggest name, but watch the upsells at checkout. godaddy.com

Where to host or publish

Pick by how technical you want to get.

Easiest: visual builders

  • Canva Sites. Yes, Canva. If you already design everything else there, you can publish a website directly from a design. Best for landing pages and simple portfolios. The friendliest entry point if you don't want to think about technology at all. canva.com/websites
  • Squarespace. Modular, polished, great for portfolios and small businesses. Sells domains too, so you can run everything from one account. squarespace.com
  • Wix. Similar to Squarespace, with more flexible templates. Also sells domains. wix.com

A bit more control, still no code

  • WordPress.com. Hosted WordPress, much easier than running your own. Good for blogs and content heavy sites. wordpress.com
  • Webflow. Visual builder that produces real, clean code. A designer favorite. A steeper learning curve than Squarespace, but the output is more refined. webflow.com
  • Framer. Newer, designer focused, with AI assisted layouts. Worth a look for portfolio sites. framer.com

Specialized

  • Shopify. If you're selling products, this is the standard. Also sells domains. shopify.com
  • Format and Cargo. Portfolio platforms with templates curated specifically for designers, illustrators, and photographers. format.com / cargo.site

Technical: free, but you'll need to know a little code

  • Netlify and Cloudflare Pages. Free for most use cases. You upload a folder of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and they host it for you. Great when you (or a friend) builds the site by hand. netlify.com / pages.cloudflare.com
  • GitHub Pages. Free hosting for sites stored in GitHub. Same idea. pages.github.com

Buying a domain through your hosting platform

Most of the platforms above also sell domains directly. Squarespace, Shopify, Wix, WordPress.com, and Webflow all let you register a .com (and many other extensions) right from your account. One bill, one dashboard, one company to deal with when something goes wrong. Convenient.

The trade off: if you ever want to leave the platform, you have to either transfer the domain out or move the whole site. Not a huge deal, but worth knowing.

If you'd rather keep flexibility, buy your domain from a dedicated registrar (Namecheap, Porkbun, Cloudflare) and point it at whatever host you choose. You can switch hosts later without touching the domain.

A quick recommendation

  • Want a portfolio up fast and don't want to learn anything new? Canva Sites or Squarespace.
  • Want a polished portfolio and don't mind a small learning curve? Squarespace or Webflow.
  • Selling products? Shopify.
  • Want full control and a tiny bit of code is fine? Buy a domain from Cloudflare or Porkbun, host on Netlify or Cloudflare Pages.

Want help picking?

If you're staring at twelve open tabs comparing pricing pages, that's exactly the kind of thing we can sort through in twenty minutes of a tutoring session. Bring your goals, your budget, and your level of comfort with tech. We'll narrow it down. Book a session.