Why am I paying for my domain twice?
The short answer
Usually because your website builder, such as Squarespace or Wix, bills you for a domain or a “custom domain” while you also pay a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap to keep the same name. You only need one: point the registrar’s domain at your builder and cancel the builder’s charge, or move the domain into the builder and stop paying the registrar.
It often happens when a website is rebuilt on a new platform: the new builder offers a domain during sign-up, and the old registration keeps renewing in the background.
- Find both charges on your card statement and note what each one is called.
- Check where your domain is actually registered, using ICANN Lookup.
- Decide which company keeps the domain. Keeping it at a specialist registrar is usually cheaper; keeping everything in the builder is simpler.
- Connect the domain to your builder, check the website loads with the padlock, then cancel the extra charge before it renews.
Step-by-step example: connect a GoDaddy domain to Squarespace and stop paying twice.
Words used here
- Double domain cost
- Paying two companies for the same website name — for example a registrar and a website builder.
- Domain registrar
- The company you buy (rent) your website name from — e.g. Namecheap, Cloudflare, Porkbun or GoDaddy.
- Domain
- Your website’s name, like mycoolstartup.com. You rent it year by year from a domain registrar.
Still have a question?
Ask the SlopDox assistant: it answers from this catalog, any time. Or let SlopDox keep track of your websites for you, free for up to 3 websites.