Choosing the Right Domain Name

Choosing the right business name is an important step when starting your business, as it defines you and your brand. Just as your business name becomes your identity among your customers, community and market, your domain name is your online identity and how people will search for you.

With thousands of domain names being chosen every day, how can you stand out? We’re going to look at some things to consider when choosing your domain name.

1) Make It Catchy

You want it to be memorable. Something quick to process, remember and easy to pass on to a friend via a short message or in conversation.

2) Short and Sweet

You want your domain to look simple, so consider the spelling of your domain. Hyphenated words, numbers and long abbreviations can look busy and be distracting. Keeping it short will mean it’s also easier to read and search for.

4) Pronounceable

Ensuring your domain is pronounceable will make it easier to talk about, recommend and search for. If it’s too hard to pronounce this will make it more difficult for people to actually know what they’re searching for if you’ve been recommended, which means you’ll potentially lose traffic to your website and who knows what’ll come up in the search results!

5) Obvious

You want to try and keep your domain as obvious as possible. It’s fine to have a bit of fun with your choice, but bear in mind the identity of your business and your goals. Your domain should still make sense.

6) Your Extension

There are loads of extensions you can consider for your business. Some of the more popular ones are below:

.co.uk - shows that a user or business is usually based in the UK
.com - is usually used for general commercial purposes

.org - is primarily used for non-profit organisations
.biz - is meant to be used for general business purposes.

In keeping with the above points, a recognisable extension such as one of the examples will likely work best for you, depending on your needs.

7) Check Social Media Availability

If you’re hoping to have a Social Media presence to point to your website, then you’ll want to make sure of the availability of Social Media handles for brand consistency.

If your domain name isn’t available on every Social Media handle, you may be able to tweak it slightly so that it's recognisable and connected to your brand.

Keep these tips in mind and get your creative juices flowing as you consider your domain!

Signing up to Business Edit and paying for your subscription annually means you’re entitled to a domain free for a year. Even if you pay monthly, domains can still be purchased through ourselves. More details here.