Choosing a Domain Name for a New Online Business

Your domain is the address customers type, say and remember. A good one is short, easy to spell after hearing it once, and free of conflicts with existing brands.

Three types of domain

• Brandable: invented or blended words. Easy to trademark, but you must build meaning into them.
• Keyword: describes what you do. Instantly clear, often expensive, and harder to protect as a brand.
• Numeric: short number sequences. Popular in some markets because numbers cross languages and are easy to type on phones; repeating patterns are especially memorable.

The radio test

Say the name out loud to someone. Can they type it correctly without asking how it is spelled? Avoid hyphens, double letters at word boundaries and ambiguous spellings.

Checks before you buy

1. Search trademark databases in your main markets for identical or confusingly similar marks.
2. Search the web and app stores for businesses using the name.
3. Check the social handles you will need.
4. Look up the domain's history in web archives for past spam use.
5. Prefer a widely trusted extension for your market.

Generate ideas fast

Try our business name generator for brandable combinations, then run the checks above on your shortlist.

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