A domain name is the address where your website can be found, for example neddev.com. You rent it per year from a registrar, usually for €10 to €15 for a .nl or .com. The domain is separate from the website itself: you can switch hosting providers without losing your domain name. Always make sure the domain is registered in your company name and not your web builder's, otherwise you are locked in.
A domain name is the address where people find your website. Behind the scenes every server has a number, an IP address, but nobody remembers a string of digits. The domain name system translates the name you type into that number, so the browser knows where to go.
Take neddev.com. The part before the dot is the name you choose yourself. The part after it is called the extension or top level domain. In the Netherlands .nl and .com are the most common; .nl signals that you are a Dutch business, .com is more international.
You will also see subdomains, such as shop.yourcompany.nl. That is part of your own domain, and you can create as many variants as you like at no extra cost.
| Extension | Cost per year | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| .nl | Around €10 | Dutch customers, local presence |
| .com | Around €12 | International, or when .nl is taken |
| .eu / .be | €10 to €15 | If you work across the border |
Watch the renewal price, not just the first year. Some providers charge €1 for the first year and €25 after that. You only notice that difference once leaving has become inconvenient.
Never let your domain name be registered in your web builder's name. It happens more often than you would think: the builder arranges everything, and years later during a switch it turns out the domain is not yours. You then lose your address, and with it all the visibility you built up.
With us the domain is always registered to the client. See also our explanation of what a website costs, where we state these additional costs up front.
A .nl domain costs around €10 per year and a .com around €12. Pay attention to the renewal price rather than only the first-year offer: some providers charge €1 for the first year and €25 every year after that. You tend to notice that difference only once switching has become awkward. The domain is separate from hosting, which you buy separately. With us the domain always belongs to the client and is registered in your company name, so you lose nothing if you ever move to another provider.
No, they are two separate things that you often buy from the same provider. The domain name is the address; hosting is the space where your website actually lives. You can switch hosting providers without losing your domain name, and the other way around. That distinction matters during a migration: you simply point the domain at the new server. Many business owners assume they have to start over when switching, which is not the case, provided the domain is registered in their own name.
You can, but it costs you visibility if you do it carelessly. Google needs time to learn the new name, and every link others have pointed at your old address now leads to the wrong place. When changing names we therefore set permanent redirects from each old address to the new one, so visitors and search engines end up in the right place automatically. Expect several weeks to months before positions recover. It is better to choose well from the start than to switch later.