How to choose a domain name for a small business

How do you choose a domain name for a small business?

A domain name is your website’s address, for example martinsbakery.co.uk. It has two parts: the name you choose (“martinsbakery”) and the extension (“.co.uk”, “.com”…). It does three jobs: it lets customers find your site, it gives you a professional email address (hello@martinsbakery.co.uk), and it makes your business look established on a card or a shop window.

You do not really buy a domain: you rent it, year after year, from a registrar (a company accredited to sell domain names). As long as you renew, it is yours. If you forget, someone else can take it. So the choice matters, but managing it over time matters just as much.

Does a small business really need its own domain?

Not to exist: many businesses start with a Google Business Profile and a social media page. But once you have a website, a domain of your own gives you three practical benefits:

• an address that is easy to remember, which you can print on cards, windows, bags and flyers;
• an address that does not depend on anyone else: if you change website tools, you keep the same address, and printed or shared links keep working;
• professional email: hello@yourbusiness.com inspires more trust than a personal address from a free email provider.

Free subdomain or your own domain?

Most website builders first give you a free address such as yourbusiness.toolname.com. That is fine for getting started, testing or a seasonal project. Your own domain becomes worthwhile as soon as you print the address somewhere or want business email.

With the Voxtya Website, for example, your site goes live right away on a Voxtya address, and you can connect your own domain when you are ready. For what to put on the site itself, see our small business website guide.

What makes a good domain name?

A good domain is easy to say over the phone and easy to spell. Test it: read it out to someone. If they ask “with or without a hyphen?” or “with an s?”, it is not simple enough.

• Business name first: it is what customers know and search for.
• Short: fewer letters, fewer typos. Drop filler words (“the”, “and”).
• No accents or special characters, even where they are technically allowed: many customers will not type them.
• No numbers, unless they are part of the name (“3” or “three”? customers will not know).
• Few or no hyphens: one between the name and the town can help reading; several make it hard to dictate.
• Add the town or trade if the name alone is taken: “name-town”, “nametrade”.
• No trendy words that will date, and no puns nobody can spell.
• Consistent with your social handles: ideally the same name everywhere.

Domain names are made of letters, numbers and hyphens, and cannot start or end with a hyphen. There is a technical maximum length, but aim far below it: past 20 characters, a domain is a chore to type.

What are good domain name examples by type of business?

The examples below are fictional: they show the logic, not names to copy. Start with the business name, then add the town or trade if needed.

Tradespeople

Tradespeople often work under their surname. “surnametrade” works well: it says who you are and what you do. Avoid purely generic names (“plumberyork”): even if available, they do not set you apart and can look like a directory. Our tradesperson website guide covers the rest of the site.

Accommodation

For a B&B or holiday let, the name of the house plus the area is usually enough. Your guests come from far away: a name that is easy to find again after reading a brochure beats an original one.

.com or a country extension: which should you choose?

If you serve local customers, your country’s extension (.co.uk or .uk, .ie, .fr, .de, .ca, .com.au…) tells people straight away where you are. The .com is the best-known extension worldwide and the default in the United States; many people type it by reflex.

Country extensions can come with conditions. For example, the French registry Afnic states that .fr is open only to individuals living in, and organisations based in, the EU, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Iceland. Check the rules of your country’s registry before you buy; your registrar will usually tell you.

Where do you buy a domain, and how much does it cost?

You register a domain through a registrar. For .com and other generic extensions, registrars are accredited by ICANN, the organisation that coordinates domain names worldwide; country extensions have their own registries and accredited registrars. ICANN’s page on registrants’ benefits and responsibilities says your registration is governed by an agreement with your registrar, that registrars must clearly disclose their prices and terms, and that they must not use deceptive practices or hidden fees.

How much?

There is no single price: each registrar sets its own, and it is paid every year. Compare:

• the renewal price, not just the first year (often discounted);
• what is included: privacy protection in the public directory, email, redirects;
• how easy the dashboard is, and whether you can reach a person if something goes wrong.

Be wary of “premium” names sold at a high price: a simple name plus your town usually does the job just as well.

How do you check a name is free and does not infringe anyone’s rights?

Two different checks, and you need both.

1. Is the domain available?

Type it into any registrar’s search box. For a name already taken, the public lookup directory (often called “Whois” or “RDAP”, available through ICANN Lookup) shows which registrar manages it. Domains are generally first come, first served: if your name is free, register it straight away.

2. Does the name already belong to someone else?

An available domain is not necessarily a name you are allowed to use. Never use a well-known brand, a chain’s name or a competitor’s name, even slightly altered: you could be forced to hand it over, or worse. Before deciding:

• search the trademark database of your country (for example the UK Intellectual Property Office, the USPTO in the US, or EUIPO for EU trademarks);
• search the name on Google and Google Maps with your town and trade;
• check whether a business in your sector already uses it on Instagram or Facebook;
• make sure it is not too close to a nearby competitor’s name.

If someone has registered a name that infringes your rights, dispute procedures exist (for generic extensions, through ICANN’s dispute policy; for country codes, through the national registry). A trademark attorney or solicitor can tell you what applies.

How do you make sure you stay the owner of your domain?

Many owners find this out too late. The registrant is the person or company the domain is registered to, and the one with the rights to it. If an agency or freelancer registers your domain in their own name, legally it is not yours.

• The registrant is your business (or you, if you are a sole trader), not the agency or an employee.
• The registrar account is in your name, with an email address you will still read in five years.
• You have the login details, stored with your important papers.
• Auto-renewal is on, with a card that is not about to expire: ICANN reminds registrants to keep payment details current when they use auto-renewal.
• Your contact details are accurate: ICANN says registrants must provide accurate information, update it promptly, and answer their registrar’s enquiries within fifteen days.
• If a provider gives you the domain or manages it, you know whose name it is in and how to take it with you if you leave.

What happens if you forget to renew?

Your website and email stop working. Most registries allow a short window to recover an expired domain (the length depends on the extension and the registrar); after that, the name becomes available to anyone, including people who resell expired domains or fill them with ads. Do not take that risk: auto-renewal and a monitored email address are enough.

How do you get a business email address on your domain?

A domain does not come with a mailbox by itself: you need an email service connected to it. Many registrars offer one, sometimes included; you can also choose a separate business email provider and connect it by following its instructions.

• use a general address for customers (hello@ or info@) and, if needed, one per person (firstname@);
• use it everywhere: website, Google Business Profile, social media, quotes, invoices;
• keep the same address if you change website tools: that is the whole point of owning your name;
• write down who manages the email service and where the logins are kept.

Your contact details and domain also appear on your website’s legal pages: see our guide to small business website legal pages.

How do you connect your domain to your website?

Once you own the name, you tell the internet where your site lives. You do this in your registrar’s dashboard, usually in a section called “DNS”: you add the two or three records your website tool gives you. It is not hard, but it is a one-off job, so ask your website tool or registrar for help if needed.

• check the site opens with and without “www”;
• check it shows the padlock (secure “https” connection);
• update the address everywhere: Google Business Profile (our Google Business Profile guide shows where), social media, cards, window;
• if you had an old address, redirect it to the new one rather than deleting it.

With Voxtya, you enter your domain in the site editor and the security certificate is automatic; the team can also help you connect it. On a yearly plan that includes the Website, the domain name is free.

What domain name mistakes should you avoid?

• Letting the agency or a relative register the domain in their name: the day you part ways, getting it back is hard.
• Missing a renewal because reminders go to an old inbox nobody reads.
• Choosing a name that is too long or too clever for customers to spell.
• Using a well-known brand or a competitor’s name, even slightly changed.
• Paying a lot for a “premium” name when a simple name with your town would do.
• Collecting extensions for no reason: one main extension plus .com is plenty for most businesses.
• Changing domains every couple of years: each change breaks printed and shared links.
• Forgetting to update your Google Business Profile after a website change.

To check in a few minutes that your site, profile and reviews tell a consistent story, try our free visibility check.

The steps at a glance

The steps to find a simple name, check it is free, register it in your own name and connect it to your website.

1. List three to five ideas. Start from your business name, then variations with your town or trade.
2. Apply the rules. Keep names short, without accents or numbers and with few hyphens; read them out to someone to test.
3. Check availability. Search each name with your country extension and .com at a registrar.
4. Check trademarks. Search your national trademark database, Google and social media.
5. Register in your name. Register the domain to your business, with an account and email address you control.
6. Switch on auto-renewal. Add a valid payment method and keep your contact details up to date.
7. Connect your site and email. Follow your website tool’s instructions, then set up your business email.
8. Use the address everywhere. Google Business Profile, social media, cards, window, quotes and invoices.

This guide for your trade

• Restaurants
• Website for bars and cafés
• Website for retail shops
• Website for hotels
• Website for auto repair shops
• Tradespeople

Go further

• How to create a small business website
• Small business website legal pages
• Optimise your Google Business Profile
• Why your business needs a website
• How to create a restaurant website
• Our website templates by trade