Annual domain registration for standard extensions costs $10–$20 CAD through registrars like Namecheap, Google Domains, or GoDaddy. A .com typically runs $12–$15/year, while .ca domains cost $15–$20/year. These prices cover the right to use that domain for twelve months, after which you renew at similar rates. Premium domains are the exception. If someone already owns the exact domain you want, you're looking at marketplace pricing or direct negotiation. Short, memorable, or keyword-rich domains routinely sell for $500–$5,000, and established domains with traffic history can reach five or six figures. The price reflects perceived value, existing backlinks, and brandability rather than registration cost. Add-ons inflate the base price. Privacy protection (WHOIS masking) adds $5–$10/year. Some registrars bundle it free, others charge separately. SSL certificates used to cost $50–$200/year, but Let's Encrypt and Cloudflare now offer them free, so paying for SSL is usually unnecessary unless you need extended validation for e-commerce credibility. Multi-year registration offers modest discounts and locks your rate, protecting against price hikes. Registering for three to five years upfront costs the same per year but saves you from renewal reminders and potential lapses. At Ottawa SEO, we register portfolio domains in three-year blocks to reduce administrative overhead and avoid accidental expirations that can cost rankings. Watch out for bait-and-switch pricing. Registrars advertise $2 first-year domains, then renew at $18–$25. Read the renewal rate before committing. Also avoid auto-renew traps with expensive add-ons pre-checked at checkout. Transfer fees between registrars typically match one year of registration, so moving a domain costs about the same as renewing it. Budget $15–$20/year per domain for straightforward projects. If you're buying an aged domain or exact-match brand name from a marketplace, expect $500 minimum and negotiate hard. For a typical small business website, domain cost is negligible compared to design and hosting—it's the easiest line item to predict and control.