How to choose a domain name for a business
By Ash, Founder, HosteazePublished 2 min read
The short answer
Choose a domain that matches your business name, is short, and is easy to spell when you say it out loud. Avoid hyphens and numbers. Check the name isn't someone else's company or trade mark, then register the ending your customers expect, usually .co.uk for UK businesses, and register it in your own name.
Your domain ends up on your van, your invoices, your email signature and every business card you hand out. Changing it later is possible but painful, because every link, listing and printed leaflet points at the old one. So it's worth an evening of thought now.
What makes a good business domain name?
Say it out loud to someone and ask them to type it. That's the real test, because most people will hear your domain before they see it.
| Choice | Example | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Your business name, plain | harrisjoinery.co.uk | Best. Easy to say, easy to remember |
| Name plus place or trade | harrisjoinerybristol.co.uk | Fine if the plain version is taken |
| Hyphens | harris-joinery.co.uk | Avoid. You'll spend years saying "with a hyphen" |
| Numbers or swapped letters | harris4joinery.co.uk | Avoid. "Four, the number" every time |
| Clever misspellings | harrizjoinery.co.uk | Avoid. Emails go to the correctly spelled version |
Shorter is better, but clarity beats length. A 20-character name people can spell is better than an 8-character one they can't.
What are the technical rules?
Domain names can use letters, numbers and hyphens, and can't start or end with a hyphen. Each part between the dots can be up to 63 characters. Capital letters don't matter, so HarrisJoinery.co.uk and harrisjoinery.co.uk are the same address. You can still write it with capitals on your van to make it easier to read.
How do I check a name is safe to use?
Before you fall in love with a name, check nobody else has a better claim to it.
- Search the Companies House register for the name. GOV.UK says a company name can't be the same as an existing one, and if it's too similar to another company's name or trade mark you may have to change it after a complaint.
- Search the UK trade mark register for the name in your line of business.
- Search Google for the name plus your trade, and look for a similar business near you.
- Check the matching social media handles are free, so your branding lines up.
- Look up the domain to see if it's available. If you want to know who holds a taken one, see how to find out who owns a domain.
For more on the naming side, our branding guides cover how to choose a business name and how to check if a business name is taken.
Which ending should I pick?
For a business selling mainly in the UK, .co.uk is the ending customers expect, and Google treats country endings as a sign your site is aimed at that country. A .com suits businesses with an international audience. The shorter .uk also exists, but fewer people are used to typing it. We compare them properly in .co.uk vs .com.
Who should register the domain?
You, or your company. Not your web designer, your nephew or the agency that built your site. Whoever is named as the registrant controls the domain, and getting it back from someone who's moved on is a miserable job. Use an email address you'll still have in five years, and switch on auto-renew so it never lapses. Once it's registered, the next step is usually setting up a professional email address to match.
Related guides: What is WHOIS privacy?.
Frequently asked questions
Should my domain include keywords like my town or trade?
Only if that's your business name or it reads naturally, like a trading name customers already use. Stuffing keywords into a domain makes it longer and harder to remember, and your website's content does far more for search than the address does.
Should I buy several domain endings?
It's worth registering the .co.uk and .com versions of your name if both are free, and pointing the spare one at your main site. It stops someone else using a near-identical address. Don't bother collecting dozens of endings.
What if the domain I want is taken?
Try a small, natural change, such as adding your town or what you do (sallysflorist rather than sallys). Avoid swapping letters for numbers or adding hyphens, because people will get it wrong when they type it.
