Your domain name is the thing you'll read out over the phone, print on a van, and say at networking events for as long as you run the business. It's worth 20 minutes of thought. It's also not worth agonising over for a week — the rules are simple.
The Rules That Matter
1. Use your business name if you can
The simplest, strongest choice. If your business is "Bright Spark Electric", aim for brightsparkelectric.co.uk. Customers who hear your name can then guess your website — that's the whole point.
2. Keep it short and easy to say
If you have to spell it out loud, it's too complicated. Under ~20 characters is a good target. Avoid anything you'd need to clarify: "is that with a hyphen?" "one word or two?"
3. Avoid hyphens, numbers, and clever spellings
plumbingnottingham.co.uk not plumbing-nottingham-247.co.uk or plumbrz.co.uk
4. Make it easy to type — watch for awkward letter joins
Two words that end and start with the same letter, or that form an unintended word, cause typos and screenshots on social media. Say it, type it, and have someone else do the same before you commit.
5. A location or service keyword can help — if it fits naturally
For a location-specific trade, leedsroofing.co.uk is fine and even a small SEO nudge. But don't force it if you might expand, and never at the cost of rule 2.
Which Extension?
Get the one your customers expect first
In the US, .com is still the default people assume and type. In the UK, .co.uk is equally trusted for a local business and often more available. Pick the one locals expect, then grab the other if it's cheap — to stop a competitor using it.
Newer extensions (.co, .io, .services) — with caution
Fine for a tech brand; riskier for a local trade, where "dot com" is baked into how people think about websites. If you use one, buy the .com/.co.uk too and redirect it.
Run These Checks Before You Buy
- Trademark check. Search your national trademark database (USPTO in the US, IPO in the UK) for your chosen name. Building a brand on a name someone else owns is an expensive mistake.
- Social handles. Check the name (or a close version) is available on Instagram, Facebook, and any platform you'll use. Consistency across all of them matters for local SEO.
- Say it out loud to three people. Ask them to spell it back. If two get it wrong, keep looking.
- Search it. Make sure there isn't an established business with the same or a very similar name in your area.
Where and How to Buy It
- Buy from a reputable registrar (Cloudflare, Namecheap, Google Domains successors, your host). Expect $10–20 a year — anything much higher for a standard domain is a markup.
- Turn on auto-renew and keep the payment card current. A lapsed domain can be snapped up by someone else within days.
- Register it in your own name / your company's name, not your web designer's. You should own it. If someone else registers it for you, get written confirmation you're the legal owner and have access.
- Add free WHOIS privacy so your home address isn't public.
Already Have a Business, Choosing Now?
Don't rebrand your business to fit an available domain. Get the closest sensible version — add your town, add "the", add your service — before you change a name customers already know.
We'll Sort the Domain Too
When we build your site at LocalPageHQ, we'll help you choose and register a domain in your own name, set it up correctly with your site and email, and make sure the .com and local version both point to you.
We'll build a free preview of your site using your real business details, so you can see it all working together.
Request your free mockup here →
