Choosing a Domain Name: 7 Rules for Your Business
Choosing a domain name is one of the most overlooked steps in website design. Your domain name is the web address customers type to visit your website. Pick a name that relates to your business, complements it, and stays easy to remember. It should be short to type, easy to spell, and available.
How Long Should a Domain Name Be?
Keep your domain name short. Suppose you run a carpet business called Tom’s Carpet. The domains tomscarpet.com and toms-carpet.com work well. The domain tomscarpetandtile-fredericksburgvirginia.com is too long. Visitors may mistype it, and it’s hard to say aloud.
Use this checklist:
- Keep it short
- Make it easy to spell
- Avoid hyphens when possible
- Choose .com if it is available
- Register it in your own name
Avoid Hard Words and Special Characters
Have Questions?
Need help choosing or registering a domain name? Our Fredericksburg team will check availability, register the name in your name, and set up your control panel.
Watch for common misspellings, hard words, and hyphens. Suppose your business is called “There Are No Boundaries,” and you are in Fredericksburg. A domain like there-r-no-boundaries-fredericksburg.com makes sense. Now try telling it to someone over the phone.
The word “there” has several spellings. The word “are” became the letter “r.” The word “no” sounds like “know.” Many people misspell “Fredericksburg.” Callers also confuse the hyphen with the underscore.
Say your domain name out loud to a friend. If your friend cannot type it correctly, choose another name. Think about how it will sound on radio, TV, and in phone conversations.
Leave your city out of the domain name unless it is part of your business name. Short names are easier to remember.
Should You Use .com, .net, or .org?
Hundreds of domain extensions, called top-level domains (TLDs), exist. They began as .com for commercial use, .net for networks, and .org for organizations and nonprofits. That naming convention rarely applies today. Domain investors and cybersquatters reserve every extension and name they can.
Choose the .com version if it is available. If you pick another extension, check the .com version first. Make sure it doesn’t lead to a website visitors might confuse with yours.
Here is an example. Your business sells Christian postcards. You want postcards.net because an adult trading card company owns postcards.com. Visitors who type the wrong extension land on the wrong site. Choose a different name.
Domain Name Registration Rules
A few simple rules apply when you register a domain name:
- Use letters, numbers, and hyphens only
- Do not start or end the name with a hyphen
- Keep the name to 63 characters or fewer, not counting the extension
- Check trademarks and copyrights before you buy
Within these rules, you can pick any name you like. A name that copies a trademark could land you in legal trouble. Search the USPTO trademark database before you register.
Do Not Get Discouraged
More than [insert current number] million domain names exist worldwide, according to Verisign’s Domain Name Industry Brief. Expect your first few choices to be taken. Try again with a new variation. Add a word that describes your service. Use an online domain search tool to check availability.
Where to Register a Domain Name and What It Costs
Registrars differ. Years ago, one company controlled domain registration and charged high fees. Competition changed that. Today, many accredited registrars sell domain names. Most .com names cost between $10 and $25 a year.
You get what you pay for. Don’t pick the cheapest registrar, and don’t pick the most expensive. Choose a registrar with good customer service that won’t hold your domain name hostage.
Some web designers and hosting companies register your domain in their own name and refuse to return it. You may have little legal recourse. Protect yourself:
- Confirm your name and email appear as the registrant
- Keep the login to your registrar account
- Ask for a copy of your registrant record
Domains also carry a transfer lock, usually 60 days after registration or a contact change. Plan for that if you ever move your domain.
What to Look For in a Registrar
Choose a registrar with a control panel. A control panel lets you manage your domain, update contact information, and change settings. It sounds minor, but you need it.
Turn on auto-renewal and keep a current email address on the account. Expired domains get picked up fast. Ask about WHOIS privacy too. It hides your phone number and email address from public lookup.
Simply Web Services registers domain names for $18 a year (Call for current pricing, as it does change). That includes a control panel where you manage your domain name.
Years ago, we used Network Solutions, like many companies. We moved our domains to a registrar we use. Mostly because so many registrars charge too much, sell your information, and send you a ton of fake “register your domain” emails. Choose your registrar carefully.
Register Your Domain Name With a Team You Can Trust
Your domain name is your business address on the web. Choose a name you own and control. Simply Web Services helps Fredericksburg and Stafford County businesses pick, register, and manage domain names. Your domain stays in your name, and you get a control panel to manage it. Call us today at 540-479-6350 to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose a name that relates to your business and is short, easy to spell, and easy to say over the phone. Check that it is available, and avoid common misspellings and hard words. Say the name aloud to a friend to test it.
Keep it short. Registrars allow up to 63 characters before the extension, but long names get mistyped and are hard to tell people. A name like tomscarpet.com works better than tomscarpetandtile-fredericksburgvirginia.com.
Use .com if it is available. Most visitors type .com first. If you pick another extension, check that the .com version does not lead to an unrelated website that visitors confuse with yours.
Avoid them when possible. People forget hyphens and mix them up with underscores. Names cannot start or end with a hyphen. If you use one, buy the version without the hyphen as well, if it is available.
Register the name yourself, or confirm that your name and email appear as the registrant. Some web designers and hosting companies register domains in their own name and refuse to transfer them. Ask for your registrant record and keep your account login.