One of the best things about the niche website business is how inexpensive it is to start as a complete newbie. While there are benefits to things like brandable domains, SEO work, or outsourcing to talented writers, all you really need to get started is a domain name and cheap shared hosting.
Just how much should that initial domain cost? Assuming you’re not in the market for premium or previously used domains, the costs should be relatively low.
Is it possible to buy a domain name for less than a dollar? What are these stories about fifty-cent domain names?
What Are 50 Cent Domains?
So what are 50 cent domains? If someone is using this term, it’s almost certainly from sales copy from either a present or past special that a domain registrar was running. Normal domains just aren’t that cheap.
If a domain is listed at fifty cents there are two things you can safely assume:
- The TLD is likely a less popular one like .info
- The rate is for one year and only applies if you buy another year (or multiple) at full price
The idea of a 50 cent domain sounds great, but it’s one of those things that will almost always fall under the category of “sounds too good to be true.”
For a promotion to save money on a domain you were looking to buy anyway? In that situation it’s a great deal otherwise it’s not something that necessarily meets your needs, even when it is available.
Are Domain Registrars Still Offering 50 Cent Domains?
The short answer is no. Sometimes there might be a deal or special where if you buy one new domain name you get another for very cheap, or if you buy a certain hosting plan you get a free one-year domain registration with that.
Even most of the older days for 50 cent domains would have some very important fine print like “Buy a .info or .org for two years and the first year is 50 cents.”
The small print would say the year two registration was at full price of $17.50 or $18.99 or whatever the registrar was selling it for.
It’s possible that 50 cent domains will be a promotion that returns in the future at some point, but they should not be expected as a regular occurrence.
How To Get Domains For Cheap?
Most registrars will have promotions or sales. Keep an eye out for these or see if the registrar practices giving discounts when you buy a domain name for longer periods like 5 years instead of 1 or 2 years.
There’s always going to be a little bit of expense for domains, but considering a new domain is generally $18-19 a year for a new .com, it shouldn’t be a major concern.
