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Domain, Hosting and Business Email: What a Small Business Needs
What a domain is, why it must be in your company's name, how website hosting differs from email, and what it all realistically costs per year.
- Author:
- Tim Blažič
- Published:
- Updated:
- 8 min read
- 8 min read
- Slovensko
- SL →
A small business needs three separate things online: a domain (the address, e.g. company.si), website hosting (where the site runs) and business email (where the name@company.si mailboxes live). A .si domain costs around €14 per year including VAT at Slovenian registrars, and business email from Google or Microsoft costs roughly €7 per user per month excluding VAT (checked on 2 November 2026). The most important rule is simple: the domain must be registered in your company's name, not in the name of an agency or freelancer.
What a domain is
A domain is the address people type into a browser and the part after the @ in an email address. You never buy a domain outright. You rent it for one or more years and have to renew it regularly.
A domain consists of a name and an extension:
- .si – Slovenia's national extension, run by Register.si within ARNES;
- .com – the international generic extension;
.si or .com?
If you mainly do business in Slovenia, .si is the natural choice. Customers recognise it as local, and a shorter name is often still available than with .com. If you target foreign markets, .com may be better, but it is not essential. Many Slovenian companies hold both and redirect .com to .si.
You cannot register a .si domain directly with the registry. Registration goes through an accredited registrar. Register.si lists more than a hundred, including Telekom Slovenije, NEOSERV, Domenca and Arnes. The name must be 2 to 63 characters long and must not already be taken or reserved.
Expiry reminders come from the registrar, so the contact email address must be correct and someone must actually read it.
The domain must be in your company's name
This is the most common and the most expensive mistake. When an agency or an acquaintance builds your website, the domain is easily registered in their name or under their registrar account. That is fine while you work together. The problem appears when you part ways.
Check that:
- the domain holder is your company (correct name and details);
- the contact email is yours, not the developer's;
- you have access to the account at the registrar, or at least know where it is;
- you know the expiry date and have renewal sorted.
You can see who the registrar is and when the domain expires using the WHOIS lookup on register.si.
Transferring a domain and the EPP code
To change registrar you need an EPP code (also called an authinfo code). It is set at your current registrar and you pass it on to the new one. For .si domains the code is valid until first use or for a maximum of 16 days. Transferring a domain to another holder is possible at any time, unless the domain's status prevents it.
If your previous developer refuses to hand over the code, that is a sign the domain was never really yours. So sort this out while relations are still good.
DNS in brief
DNS is the directory that tells your domain where to send traffic. The same domain serves more than your website, so DNS has several record types:
- A or CNAME – where the website points;
- MX – where email is delivered;
- TXT – verifications and email rules (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
Any DNS change can accidentally break something unrelated to the website. A common example: during a site migration someone overwrites the MX records and email stops arriving for a few days.
Website hosting and email hosting are separate
Your website and your email can live with different providers, and that is often the better arrangement. The site can be hosted by the developer who maintains it, while email sits with Google or Microsoft. When you change web developer, your email is not touched at all.
Business email options
- Google Workspace – Gmail on your own domain, Calendar, Drive. Business Starter costs €6.80 per user per month excluding VAT on an annual commitment. Google occasionally runs introductory discounts.
- Microsoft 365 – Outlook, Teams, OneDrive. After the July 2026 price increase, Business Basic lists at $7 per user per month in the US; the euro price can differ. Check the exact figure on Microsoft's site.
- Mailboxes from your registrar or host – Slovenian providers often include them in hosting packages starting at a few euros per month. They suit a small number of mailboxes and basic use, but usually offer less storage and fewer tools.
Why email needs SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Without the right DNS records, your messages often land in spam or are rejected. Since February 2024 Google has required all senders to Gmail to have at least SPF or DKIM. Those sending more than 5,000 messages a day need both, plus DMARC. Yahoo has similar requirements.
- SPF – a list of servers allowed to send on behalf of your domain;
- DKIM – a digital signature proving the message was not altered;
- DMARC – a policy telling the recipient what to do with messages that fail the checks.
Even if you do not send bulk email, set up all three. Remember services that send in your name, such as the contact form, an online shop or invoicing software.
What happens when you change web developer
If the domain, DNS and email are set up properly, changing developer is mostly a technical migration of the site. The new developer builds the site, you or they update the A or CNAME records, and the MX and TXT records for email stay untouched.
If the domain is in the developer's name, DNS is with them and email runs on their server, one change becomes three. You need their cooperation and may lose old messages.
Common mistakes
- Domain in the agency's or freelancer's name. In a dispute, or if the developer stops trading, access is hard or impossible to recover.
- Expired domain. Reminders go to an old address, nobody reads them, and the site and email go dark. A deleted .si domain enters a 30-day quarantine during which it does not work.
- No SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Quotes and invoices end up in spam.
- Everything with one provider and no access. You do not know where DNS is managed or who holds the passwords.
What it all costs
Indicative costs for a small business (checked on 2 November 2026):
| Item | Indicative price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| .si domain | around €14/year incl. VAT | e.g. NEOSERV €13.99 incl. VAT |
| .com domain | around €14/year | e.g. NEOSERV, Domenca €13.99 |
| Hosting with email at a local provider | from a few €/month | depends on the package |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | €6.80/user/month excl. VAT | annual commitment |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | $7/user/month on the US price list | after the July 2026 increase, the euro price can differ |
| STRUO managed website | €249 setup + from €19.90/month | hosting, SSL, backups |
For a company with one domain and three Google mailboxes, that means around €14 per year for the domain and around €245 per year excluding VAT for email, before the website.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need both .si and .com?
Not necessarily. If you trade in Slovenia, .si is enough. Register the other extension if you target foreign markets or want to stop someone else taking the name.
Can I move my domain to another registrar?
Yes. Get the EPP code from your current registrar and give it to the new one. For .si the code is valid until first use or for a maximum of 16 days.
Does email have to be with the same provider as the website?
No. Keeping them separate is often better, because you can change one without touching the other.
What happens if my domain expires?
The website and email stop working. A deleted .si domain enters a 30-day quarantine, during which the holder can still restore it through the registrar. Once the quarantine ends, the domain may become available for registration again.
Is an SPF record on its own enough?
For smaller senders Google requires at least SPF or DKIM, but setting up all three is recommended. Delivery is more reliable and it becomes harder for someone to send messages in your name.
How we handle this at STRUO
Our managed website for small businesses costs €249 to set up and from €19.90 per month. It includes hosting, SSL and backups. The domain stays in your company's name, and when we change DNS we make sure your email settings are left untouched.
For what the monthly service covers, see How much does website maintenance cost per month. For the content side, read What should a good small-business website include. If you are not sure whose name your domain is registered in, get in touch through the contact section.
Sources
- Register.si, registry home page and WHOIS lookup (in Slovenian), accessed 2 November 2026.
- Register.si, list of registrars (in Slovenian), accessed 2 November 2026.
- Register.si, Zamenjava nosilca in registrarja (in Slovenian), accessed 2 November 2026.
- Register.si, Podaljšanje domene in izbris (in Slovenian), accessed 2 November 2026.
- NEOSERV, domain price list (in Slovenian), checked on 2 November 2026.
- Domenca, list of extensions (in Slovenian), checked on 2 November 2026.
- Google, Google Workspace pricing, checked on 2 November 2026.
- Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, checked on 2 November 2026.
- Google, Email sender guidelines, accessed 2 November 2026.
- Yahoo, Sender Best Practices, accessed 2 November 2026.
