How to choose a website domain name

The dawn of a new year has historically been an optimistic time, although 2025 may be an exception.

Last year was economically disastrous for many people, as government policies led to a rapid decline in corporate, consumer and investor confidence.

As such, this may seem a strange time to consider launching an entrepreneurial activity – yet it could also be the ideal moment.

A creative sideline might bring in some much-needed income during a period of relative job insecurity, as well as being ideally placed to capitalise on future economic growth.

Brands take time to develop, and it’s better to do this before demand starts to spike than in response to a market where competitors are already established and thriving.

Launching a Christmas present wrapping business in January gives you almost a year to build an online presence and develop your brand, before new customers start getting in touch.

Whether you’re planning a passion project or a side hustle, a new career or an extra revenue stream, the internet is central to most modern business and charitable ventures.

And central to the internet itself is a proprietary website, where you can list products and services, self-publicise, publish testimonials/reviews, blog and build your reputation.

The first step in creating a new website is to choose a website domain name – but what’s involved, and how does it all work?

Name your price

Domain names are surprisingly affordable, and first-year discounts often bring the price down to less than £1.

Ownership will automatically renew until it’s cancelled, typically costing £10-£20 per year subsequently.

Purchasers are listed in the global WHOIS domain ownership database, though it is possible to remain anonymous.

Available domain names are sold on the open market by companies who may also offer associated services like website building software, site hosting or security certificates.

Consumers can search for a word, phrase or name to see if it’s already in use, and if so, with which top level domain suffixes.

There are over 2,000 TLDs in existence, but many are country-specific, and some are widely associated with low-quality websites, often being effectively blacklisted by Google and Bing.

Focus on a handful of trusted TLDs including .com – used in an estimated 44 per cent of global website addresses.

Other safe bets include .org, .biz and variations of the .uk suffix which denotes a British enterprise.

Treat TLDs as a standalone part of the website address, rather than using them to spell out the last few letters of a word/phrase/name.

What’s in a name?

A domain name should be relevant to the brand or business’s purpose or offering, so it may be advisable to let domain name availability influence your final choice of name.

Someone setting up a plumbing company in Carlisle may try to get both the industry and the location into their domain name, maximising its chances of appearing in local search results.

Shorter domain names perform well, as fewer characters mean easier recall and less chance of someone mistyping the address into their web browser.

Incorporating recognisable words boosts SEO, as well as building trust among audiences wondering whether or not to visit your site.

Expert tips

If the .com and .uk TLDs of a desired domain name are already in use, don’t register the same name using an obscure TLD, as this might lead to accusations of plagiarism.

Also, don’t speculatively browse domain names unless you’re planning to make a purchase then and there.

Last year, your correspondent searched for an obscure alphanumeric character string on one of the leading online domain name selling websites.

Unsurprisingly, it was advertised as available. Yet a follow-up search later that day revealed that domain name was now apparently reserved.

As such, it was no longer available at the originally advertised price. An auction-style bid would be required, almost certainly at a much higher cost.

This is unethical, yet legal. When you choose a website domain name, be ready to purchase it straight away if it’s listed as available…