Domain names
The "domain name" is the address
people will type into their web browser after
the "www." when they want to visit
your site. For instance the domain name for
this site is 20-minute-websites.co.uk. Your name will probably consist of one
or more words (no spaces allowed) followed
by either .co.uk or .com. It can contain
only the characters a to
z and 0 to 9 and hyphens (-).
A good domain name
Like most good business names, it is usually
best to choose a domain name that is:-
- short (people don't like typing in long names)
- easy to remember
- easy to spell (remember, many people can't
spell as well as yourself!)
Most businesses choose a domain name that
is as close as possible to their business
or trading name, without being unnecessarily
long. For instance, if your business is Fred
Bloggs Ltd, you could choose fredbloggs,
or fbloggs, or just bloggs, or something
with a hyphen such as fred-bloggs.
Some companies prefer a name that says what
they do, such as just-travel or themanuresite.
We suggest you do not include things like:-
"the",
"plc", "ltd", "andco" "andsons"
in your domain name. It just makes it unnecessarily
long - harder for the customers to type,
or to remember.
Note: Once a domain name has been registered,
it cannot be amended (though you can purchase
additional names for the same site if you
decide you really made a mistake).
The most common problem
If the name you want has already been taken
by someone else, then you must find some
other variation to use. For instance, if
your company Fred Bloggs Ltd makes widgets,
you could try bloggswidgets or fredbloggswidgets
instead.
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As a guide, almost all names consisting of
just a single obvious word (e.g. insurance.com
and insurance.co.uk) have already been taken.
Likewise common names like "smiths"
and also most names consisting of just 3
or 4 initials e.g. RAC.
Names can consist only of the characters a
to z and 0 to 9 and hyphens (-).
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The name ending
- For companies in Britain it is more usual
to have a domain name ending with .co.uk
- A .com name is also very suitable, though
that variation may already have been taken,
often by an American company. If you trade
in other countries, or plan to in the future,
it is a good idea to go for a .com name,
unless you intend to have a separate site
in each country.
- If you are a charity or other non-profit
making institution, it is usual to have an
ending of .org or (for British organisations)
.org.uk
There is a great advantage in having both
the .co.uk and the .com name - users often
forget which ending a business has
and type
them both in turn. Owning both names:-
- brings them to your site, not someone else's,
whether they type .com or .co.uk
- stops other companies using either name,
so protecting your name from confusion
with
other companies
If you want advice in choosing a domain name
If you don't know what name to use, and would
like some advice, feel free to contact us
on the Contact Us page. Give us an indication
of your current thinking on the matter, and
we will say whether we think your idea is
a good one or suggest alternatives. Tell
us your business name and very brief details
of what you do, and we will advise.
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