How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Business

Field note: a domain name is the address people type, say aloud and write on paper. It is worth a little thought, because changing it later means telling everyone. These guidelines are meant to keep you out of the usual traps.

What a good domain does

A good domain is easy to say, easy to spell and easy to remember. Test it by telling it to someone over the phone and asking them to write it down. If they have to ask how it is spelled, the name has a cost every time you share it.

It should also fit the business without trapping it. A name tied to one product or one street can feel wrong once you grow.

Guidelines worth following

Keep it short. Shorter names are easier to type and to fit on a card. Avoid long strings of words.

Make it easy to spell. Avoid unusual spellings, doubled letters that people drop, and numbers that could be words. Each of those becomes a typo someone else owns.

Avoid hyphens. A hyphen is easy to forget when you say the address aloud, and it can send visitors to a competitor with the unhyphenated version.

Prefer a recognizable ending. The familiar “.com” ending is the one people type by default. Other endings can work well, especially a local or industry-specific one, as long as you are comfortable that some visitors will type the wrong ending at first.

Check before you commit. Search for the name and for similar names. Make sure you are not copying another business or a registered trademark. Check that matching social handles are available, even if you do not plan to use them yet.

When your first choice is taken

Do not add odd spellings or extra words in a hurry. Try adding a short word that describes what you do or where you are, such as a trade or a town. Or choose a different name that is easier to own. A slightly different available name that people can spell is better than a clever one that they cannot.

A worked example

This is an invented list of options, shown only as a layout for your own notes. Example Bakery brainstorms names.

Option one: the business name alone. Taken. Option two: the business name plus the town. Available, easy to say. Option three: the business name with a hyphen. Available, but easy to mistype. Decision: option two, plus a note to register the common misspelling as a redirect if it is cheap.

The decision comes from reading the options aloud, not from admiring them on screen.

Think about email too

Your domain will usually become part of your email address as well, so say the full address aloud as you test names. A name that sounds fine in a sentence can become awkward when spoken as an address, especially if it contains letters that are easy to confuse. Imagine reading it to a supplier over a poor phone line. If it survives that, it will survive a printed invoice and a van door, which are the places where your domain will actually be seen.

Common mistakes

Choosing a name that is hard to spell after hearing it once.
Using hyphens or unusual letter swaps to get a free name.
Registering a name that closely copies someone else’s brand.
Buying the name under a personal account that the business does not control.
Forgetting to check that the name looks fine written in lowercase with no spaces.

Try this today

Write your top three candidate names and say each one aloud to a friend, asking them to write what they heard.
Search for each name to see whether another business already uses something similar.
Check that the name can be registered under an account you control and that the renewal date is in your calendar.

Field notes

A good domain is short, spellable and easy to say aloud.
Avoid hyphens and unusual spellings.
A familiar ending is safest, but alternatives can work.
Check for similar names and trademark conflicts before buying.
Register the domain in an account the business controls.

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