How to Pick a Domain Name That Lasts
Your domain name is the one part of your website you may keep for decades. You can redesign the site, switch hosts and change software, but changing the address means losing links, search history and the habits of returning visitors. It is worth taking an hour to choose well.
What a domain name is made of
A domain like example.com has two parts you choose and pay for. "example" is the second-level name, and ".com" is the top-level domain, or TLD. There are hundreds of TLDs: the classic .com, .net and .org; country codes like .us, .uk and .ca; and newer ones like .shop, .dev and .biz. Subdomains such as blog.example.com are free; you create them yourself in DNS once you own the main domain.
You never buy a domain outright. You register it for one to ten years through a registrar, an accredited company that records you as the registrant with the registry that runs the TLD. As long as you renew, the name stays yours.
Rules of thumb for choosing the name
- Make it easy to say and spell. Imagine telling someone your address over a noisy phone call. If you have to spell it out or explain "the number 4, not the word", keep looking.
- Keep it short, but clear beats short. A clear three-word name is better than a cryptic short one.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers unless they are part of your brand. People forget them.
- Say what you do, or be memorable. Descriptive names (like a city plus a service) help people understand the site at a glance. Brandable made-up names are easier to trademark and to grow beyond one product.
- Do not lock yourself in. A name tied to one product or one town can feel cramped if the business grows.
- Read it as one word. Some names accidentally spell something awkward when the words run together. Check before you buy.
Which TLD should you use?
If the .com is available at a normal price, it is usually the safest choice because people assume .com by default. A country code like .us or .co.uk makes sense if your audience is local. Newer TLDs can work well and are often available when the .com is taken, but check their renewal price, which can be much higher than the first-year price. Some TLDs also have rules: certain country codes require you to live in that country.
Checking that a name is safe to use
Before you register, spend a few minutes on due diligence:
- Trademarks. Search the trademark database for your country (in the US, the USPTO's search system) for the name and close variants in your field. A domain that infringes someone's trademark can be taken away through a dispute process.
- History. Look the domain up on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. If it used to host spam or adult content, it may carry baggage with search engines and email filters.
- Social handles. If you plan to use social media, check whether the matching handles are free.
- Similar names. See what is at the .com, .net and .org versions. If a competitor owns the .com of your .net, some of your visitors will end up there.
Registering it
Prices vary between registrars, and the cheapest first year is not always the cheapest overall. Compare renewal prices, because that is what you will pay every year after the first. Look for free WHOIS privacy (also called redaction), which hides your home address and other contact details from public lookup records. Most reputable registrars include it at no cost for common TLDs.
Turn on two-factor authentication on your registrar account. A stolen registrar login is one of the worst things that can happen to a website owner, because the attacker can move the domain away. Turn on registrar lock (transfer lock) too, which blocks transfers unless you unlock it first.
Turn on auto-renew and keep the payment card current. When a domain expires there is usually a grace period, then a more expensive redemption period, and then the name is released for anyone to register. Expired domains with traffic are quickly snapped up by people who watch for them.
Should you buy extra versions?
If your brand matters, registering the common misspellings or the other main TLDs and forwarding them to your main site can be cheap insurance. Do not go overboard; each one is another renewal to track. For a small personal or hobby site, one good name is enough.
Buying a name someone else owns
If the name you want is registered, it may be listed for sale on a marketplace or through a broker. Prices for premium names can be high. If you do buy one, use an escrow service so the money is only released once the domain is in your account. Never pay a stranger directly and hope they transfer it.
Connecting the domain to your site
Once you own the domain, you point it at your host using DNS records or by changing its nameservers. The details depend on the host, but the idea is always the same: tell the internet which server answers for the name. Our DNS basics guide explains the records you will see, and our SSL guide covers getting the padlock working once it points the right way.
The short version
Pick a name that is easy to say, spell and remember. Prefer .com when it is reasonable, check trademarks and history, compare renewal prices, and turn on privacy, two-factor authentication, transfer lock and auto-renew. Those few steps protect the one part of your website that is hardest to replace.