A domain name is the website address that people use to find you or your company online so it’s worth spending time choosing the right one to reflect your business.
How to find out if a domain name is already taken
The chances are your preferred domain name may already be gone, you can check by doing any of the following:
- type the domain name into your browser’s address bar, if the domain name is taken and in use, you will see a web page
- use a domain name registration service, such as 123Reg http://www.123-reg.co.uk, if the domain is taken the service may suggest some alternatives
- use a “Whois” search service, such as http://www.whois-search.com/, which will return a record of who owns the domain if it is taken and when it is up for renewal
How to choose a domain name
- Choose your domain name to match you business name or to describe your business.
- You will be using it on your business cards, marketing and for your website email address so it needs to read well, be memorable and easy to spell.
- Avoid using too many “keywords” soley in the hope of getting your website on the first page of a Google search. Your domain name becomes part of your business name and branding so having a generic name such as hypnotherapybrightonhovesussex.co.uk doesn’t help people when they try and remember your business. You may also find that there are other websites with convulutions of the same domain name. As an example, if you do a Google search on “hypnotherapy brighton”, you will see that websites with those keywords in the domain don’t perform any better than those that don’t contain them.
- If your business focus is the uk buy a .co.uk and .com domain name and have the .com “redirected” to the .co.uk domain, buy both. Don’t register a .co.uk version of a domain name if a .com exists and is in use or vice versa, particularly if the business you are setting up is in the same field, this is not only confusing and misleading for people when they search for you but you may also be in conflict with someone elses trademark.
- Domain names can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens, spaces and symbols are not allowed and domain names are not case sensitive
Domain names and trademark law
Be aware that domain names and business trademarks are connected, so as when setting up your business name you should research your domain name well before purchasing and setting up your website.
Links for more information on domain names and trademark law:
- http://www.weblaw.co.uk/domain-name-disputes/domain-name-disputes-7-key-issues/
- http://articles.bplans.co.uk/running-an-online-business/domain-names-and-trademark-law/343
- The UK registry for .co.uk domain names www.nominet.org.uk
Where to buy your domain name
Choosing the very cheapest company to buy your domain name(s) from is not always the best option as they often don’t allow “full DNS control”, which you will need if for example you want to redirect your.com domain to your .co.uk domain. 123Reg www.123-reg.co.uk/ is cheap and provides full domain control.
