How to choose a domain name for your business
Your domain name is your address on the internet, such as yourbusiness.co.uk. It goes on your van, your business cards and your email address, so it's worth a few minutes' thought before you register one.
Make it easy to say and spell
The best test is the phone test: could you say it to someone once and have them type it correctly? Avoid unusual spellings, numbers that could be written as words, and hyphens, which people forget. Shorter is better, but clear beats short.
.co.uk or .com?
- .co.uk tells visitors you are a UK business, and is a natural choice if your customers are in the UK.
- .com is the most recognised ending worldwide and suits businesses selling internationally.
- .uk is a shorter UK option.
If you can, register the main versions of your name so nobody else can take them, and point the extras at your main site.
Should I put keywords in it?
Your business name is usually the best domain. A name like blackpool-cheap-plumber-24-7.co.uk looks untrustworthy and doesn't give you a meaningful ranking boost. Google ranks the content and reputation of your site, not the words in the address. If your name is already taken, adding your town or trade (for example smithplumbingblackpool.co.uk) is a sensible fallback.
Who should own it?
Always make sure the domain is registered in your name or your business's name, with an email address you control. We've seen businesses lose their domain because a former web designer or staff member registered it in their own name. If you're not sure who owns yours, ask your current provider.
Don't forget renewals
Domains are rented by the year. If a renewal payment fails and nobody notices, your website and email stop working, and the name can eventually be released for someone else to buy. Turn on auto-renew and keep the payment card up to date.
Our £350 website package includes registering your domain in your own name for the first year. Already have one? We'll connect it for you. See also setting up email on your domain.
Got more questions? See our Website cost & pricing FAQs or the £350 website package.
Last reviewed 2026-10-30 by the IceWork team.
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