Your annual domain registration fee renews your exclusive right to the use of your domain name. You can register a domain on your own or through your web design firm. Warning: if your web design firm is registering your domain name for you, and you’re not sure if they’re trustworthy, make sure that they register the domain in your name, not theirs. If the domain is registered with their business name, some domain providers consider them as the actual rightful owner of the domain – which means if you ever need to switch web design firms, you’ll be unable to do so without going through the firm. I can’t tell you how often we encounter clients who’ve been essentially extorted by their web design firms over their domain names – sleazy firms will require a “transfer payment” to give over control of the domain, sometimes $500 or more. Make sure you never get into that position!