Domain Name Tips: Picking a Web Address That Lasts
Your domain is the address people type, remember, and repeat. Get it right and it disappears into the background of your brand; get it wrong and you spend years spelling it out over the phone. Here is what actually matters when you choose one.
Which extension should you pick?
The .com remains the default people assume, so it is worth pursuing first. But it is far from the only good option. Technology products live happily on .io and .ai, local and creative brands use .co, and app makers increasingly own .app. What matters is matching the extension to the expectations of your audience and then being consistent everywhere.
If the exact .com is taken by an active business, adopting a strong alternative extension is usually smarter than bolting a word onto your name to force a .com match.
Keep it short and typo-proof
Every extra character is another chance to mistype. Aim for something a person can hear and type correctly on the first try. Avoid hyphens and numbers — they are almost impossible to convey out loud ('is that the number four or f-o-u-r?') and they read as cheap.
Watch out for homophones and awkward letter joins where one word's last letter and the next word's first letter combine into a different word. Read the domain as one unbroken string to catch these before you buy.
Protect the name you choose
Once you settle on a domain, consider registering the obvious misspellings and the one or two other extensions your audience might guess, then point them at your main site. It is inexpensive insurance against confusion and copycats.
Run your finalists through an availability check first so you only fall for names you can actually register. Ruling out the taken ones early saves the heartbreak of a perfect name that someone else already parked.
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