When you are buying your first domain, we recommend that you register your domain name for one year, the minimum amount of time allowed.

This is because there is a chance that after a while you may decide to pivot from your original website idea, and the domain name you had first chosen is no longer the best. If you only registered your domain name for one year, your loss is minimal, as you can simply choose not to renew the domain name after one year.

There are three possible benefits of registering your domain name for a longer period of time that you might want to consider when you renew your domain name:

• Search engines may give you a small ranking boost if the domain is registered for a longer period of time. This makes sense because a domain that is registered over multiple years signifies that the domain owner is serious about keeping the website going for a long time.
• In some cases you may receive a discount for multi-year registrations / renewals.
• It eliminates the possibility that you forget to renew your domain and it becomes available to anyone. Most domain registrars are very good at sending you reminders about domain renewal, because it is to their benefit that you renew your domain. Despite that, there is still a chance that something slips through the cracks and your domain expires and becomes available to the general public.