A standard domain registration runs $15–$25 CAD annually for common extensions like .com, .ca, .org, or .net through registrars like Namecheap, Google Domains (now Squarespace Domains), or Cloudflare. If you register through your hosting provider, you might pay slightly more—often $20–$30—but many hosts bundle the first year free with a hosting plan. Premium and aftermarket domains are a different story. If someone already owns the exact domain you want, you're looking at resale prices that range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. Single-word .com domains or short, memorable names routinely sell for $5,000–$50,000+. Ottawa SEO maintains a 500+ domain portfolio, and acquisition costs vary wildly: some domains we register fresh at standard rates, others we've acquired on the secondary market for anywhere from $500 to $8,000 depending on keyword strength and existing backlink equity. Extension choice affects price too. Country-code TLDs like .ca are usually comparable to .com, but niche extensions (.io, .ai, .design) often cost $35–$80 per year. Avoid novelty TLDs unless you have a specific branding reason—they don't inherently help SEO and can look less credible to users. Renewal pricing matters. Some registrars advertise low first-year rates ($10) then jump to $25–$35 on renewal. Always check the renewal rate before buying, and enable auto-renew with a valid payment method—losing a domain because you missed a renewal notice is surprisingly common and often irreversible once it enters the redemption or auction phase. For Canadian businesses, we typically recommend securing both the .com and .ca versions of your brand domain to prevent confusion and protect your brand, even if you only actively use one. Budget $30–$50 annually to hold both. If you're launching a local service business in Ottawa or Toronto, the .ca builds regional trust, but the .com prevents competitors or squatters from capturing type-in traffic.