Your domain name is your digital address. I have watched businesses struggle with this decision for weeks, then pick something that hurts them for years. Pick the wrong one and customers will not find you. Pick the right one and it reinforces your brand every time someone sees it. Let me share what I have learned helps and what definitely hurts.
Keep It Short
Under 15 characters is ideal. People need to remember it, type it correctly, and fit it on business cards. BobsPlumbing.com beats BobsPlumbingAndHeatingServicesLLC.com every time. I had a client once who insisted on using their full legal business name as their domain. They spent the next three years explaining how to spell it to everyone they met.
.com Still Wins
Alternative extensions like .io and .co have their place, but most customers still type .com by instinct. If the .com is not available, consider a slight variation before jumping to alternative extensions. I have seen traffic leak to the .com owner when businesses use .net or .co versions.
Avoid Numbers and Hyphens
When you tell someone your domain verbally, “four” and “4” create confusion. Hyphens get forgotten or misplaced. Keep it clean with letters only when possible. “Was that 4 the number or f-o-u-r?” is a question you never want to answer.
Check Trademarks First
Search the USPTO database before you commit. Registering a domain that conflicts with an existing trademark can mean losing the domain and facing legal issues later. This is not paranoia. I know someone who built an entire business on a domain they eventually had to surrender.
Buy Variations
Once you find your domain, grab common misspellings and the .net version. Redirect them all to your main site. This costs $20-30 per year total and prevents competitors or squatters from siphoning your traffic. Think of it as cheap insurance.
Where to Buy
Namecheap and Porkbun offer competitive pricing with free privacy protection. Avoid buying through your hosting company – keeping domain and hosting separate gives you more flexibility later. If your hosting relationship goes south, you want to be able to take your domain and leave without complications.
