How to choose a domain name for your business
A simple checklist for picking a business domain customers remember — .com or not, what to do when your name is taken, and the mistakes that cost you later.
Your domain name is your address on the internet. It goes on your business cards, your truck, your Google profile and every email you send. Changing it later is a hassle, so it's worth a few minutes to get it right.
1. Try for the .com first
Most people type ".com" automatically. If you can get yourbusiness.com, take it. If not, .net and .org (for nonprofits) are the next most recognized. Newer endings like .store or .online can work, but customers may forget them.
2. Short, simple and easy to say
Read it out loud. If you have to spell it over the phone ("that's quick with a K…"), it's too complicated. Aim for something short, without unusual spellings.
3. Skip hyphens and numbers
best-pizza-4u.com is easy to forget and easy to mistype. Customers will end up at your competitor's site.
4. Taken? Add your city or a short word
If sunshinebakery.com is taken, try:
- your city: sunshinebakeryorlando.com (it also tells local customers where you are);
- a short word: getsunshinebakery.com, thesunshinebakery.com;
- your service: sunshinebakerycakes.com.
Avoid names that are only one letter off from another business — confusing customers (or getting a letter from their lawyer) isn't worth it.
5. Check trademarks and social handles
Before you buy, search the name on Google, check the USPTO trademark search and see whether the same name is available on Instagram and Facebook. Matching handles make you easier to find.
6. Register it in your own name
This is the mistake we see most. If a web designer or relative registers the domain under their account, you don't control it. Register it with your own email in an account you can log into (Namecheap, Porkbun, Cloudflare, GoDaddy and others), turn on auto-renew and keep your contact info current. An expired domain can be bought by someone else.
7. Use it for email too
A domain lets you have you@yourbusiness.com instead of a free email address — a small detail that makes your business look established.
Quick checklist
- ✓ .com if possible
- ✓ Short and easy to spell out loud
- ✓ No hyphens or numbers
- ✓ Not confusingly similar to another business
- ✓ Social handles available
- ✓ Registered in your name, auto-renew on