Choosing Your Domain Name – Step 3
Your domain name is your website’s address on the internet.
For example:
joesautorepair.com
It is what customers will type into their browser, what you’ll put on business cards and signs, and what you’ll use for your business email address.
Choosing one is important — but don’t make it harder than it needs to be.
Start With Your Business Name
For most small businesses, the best place to start is simply the name of the business.
If your business is:
Joe’s Auto Repair
Start by checking:
joesautorepair.com
If it is available, great. You may already be done.
But many business names — especially common ones — have already been registered. That doesn’t mean you need to come up with a completely different name.
You have options.
If Your Business Name Is Taken
Try adding something that makes sense for your business.
For example:
joesautorepairfl.com
joesautoandrepair.com
joesautomotive.com
joesautorepairshop.com
A location can also work well for a local business:
joesautoinverness.com
The goal is still the same: keep it easy for customers to remember, type, and recognize.
Keep It Simple
A good domain name should pass a very basic test:
Can you tell someone your domain name once and have a reasonable chance that they’ll remember it and type it correctly later?
Shorter is usually better, but clarity matters more than shaving off a few characters.
Avoid strange spellings just to get an available domain.
If your business is called Citrus Lawn Service, something like:
citruslawnservice.com
is much easier to understand than:
citruslwnsrvce.com
You don’t want to spend the next ten years spelling your website address to everyone.
Be Careful With Hyphens and Numbers
Hyphens aren’t automatically bad, but they make a domain harder to say out loud.
Compare:
joesautorepair.com
with:
joes-auto-repair.com
Now imagine giving that address over the phone:
“Joe’s dash auto dash repair dot com.”
It works. It just isn’t ideal.
Numbers can create the same problem.
If your domain contains the number 4, will people know whether you mean:
4
or
four?
Whenever possible, choose the version that requires the least explanation.
Try to Get the .com
There are many domain extensions available now — .net, .biz, .shop, .online, .website and dozens more.
For a typical small-business website, .com is still a very good first choice.
People recognize it. They trust it. And many people automatically assume a business website ends in .com.
That doesn’t mean another extension can never work. If the perfect .com isn’t available, we’ll look at your other choices.
But check the .com first.
Don’t Accidentally Choose Someone Else’s Name
Before buying a domain, search for the name online.
Make sure there isn’t already another established business using that name — especially one offering the same type of product or service.
You don’t want to build your website, print signs, order business cards, and start advertising only to discover that customers are finding somebody else.
And don’t deliberately put another company’s brand or trademark into your domain name.
Your domain should represent your business.
Say It Out Loud
This sounds silly.
Do it anyway.
Say:
“My website is __________________ dot com.”
Would someone understand it?
Now imagine saying it over the phone.
Would you have to explain the spelling?
Would you have to say, “No, that’s with a Z”?
Would you have to explain where the hyphen goes?
If so, see whether you can simplify it.
Check the Domain Before You Fall in Love With It
Don’t order signs, business cards, vehicle lettering, menus, labels, or anything else with a website address until you know you can actually register that domain.
And don’t assume a domain is available just because there isn’t a website there.
Someone may already own it.
We’ll check availability before you buy anything.
Write Down a Few Choices
Before moving on, come up with several possibilities.
First choice: ______________________________________
Second choice: ___________________________________
Third choice: _____________________________________
Optional location-based choice: _____________________
Don’t buy anything yet.
On the next step, we’ll check which domains are actually available, look at what they really cost, and make sure you aren’t paying for a pile of extras you don’t need.
