--- title: "How To Choose The Right Domain Name For Your Small Business" description: "How to choose a domain name for a small business: keep it short and easy to spell, avoid hyphens, plan 10 to 15 alternatives and pick the right extension." url: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/post/how-to-choose-the-right-domain-name-for-your-small-business publisher: Grit Brokerage contact: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/contact offer: https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/inquiry --- [Domain guides](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/blog?topic=domain-guides) # How To Choose The Right Domain Name For Your Small Business This guest article by Lyle Solomon explains how small businesses can pick a domain name. It recommends listing business phrases, keeping the name short and easy to spell, preparing 10 to 15 alternatives, avoiding hyphens and exact keyword matches, and choosing a fitting extension such as .com, .org or .net. By Grit BrokerageDec 7, 2021Updated Mar 2, 20235 min read ![Small business owner choosing a domain name for their website](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/_astro/a53ed9_245c6f20b1334f6f86316d777c732894.jgFH2fJX_2dEVvt.webp) Written by: Lyle Solomon There is no doubt that the success of a business depends on its online presence in today’s world. Before you develop a business website that stands out from the rest, the crucial step is to secure a popular and relevant domain name that resonates with your brand. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses are established every year in the US, and more than half of them [set up a website](https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/best-website-builders/) before their launch. The problem is, there are a lot of similar businesses in the market but very few unique domains to choose from. Therefore, the competition is incredibly tough, and you must understand the different factors involved in the choice of a suitable domain name for your business. This article covers all of the factors you must know about. ## Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name for Your Small Business Choosing a suitable domain name isn’t only important for building authority for your business, but it also helps you build reliability and a positive image, which is important for [reputation management](https://www.ovlg.com/blog/online-reputation-management-your-tactical-guide-to-flawless-repute.html) as well. Let’s have a look at the tips and factors that come into play when you are choosing a domain name for your business. ## List Down Phrases Associated with Your Business Ideally, your domain name should be something that gives an idea about your business at first glance. It is where people will come to find your business, which is why it should be memorable too. Therefore, you should start the domain selection process by identifying and noting down phrases and terms that describe what you do or which people you serve. Since we are talking about small businesses, it is important to talk about how your domain name should reflect the purpose. A business like Zara, Lamborghini, or Emirates doesn’t have to work hard to get their domain name recognized because they are already well-known. However, small businesses like yours need to think about relevance and how the domain name relates to the business. ## Keep the Domain Name Short One key tip that you should always follow is to keep your domain name as short as possible. This is because the shorter it is, the more memorable and easy to remember it will be. As a result, people will find it easier to log on to your website whenever they are searching for a specific product or service that falls into the category of what you have to offer. The chances are that the domain name of your small business is taken, but you don’t have to worry. You can add certain phrases before or after it to make it unique and also make it easier for people to remember. ## The Domain Name Should Be Easy to Spell and pronounce Even if your small business has a difficult or complex name that is difficult to pronounce, you should make sure that the domain name for it is easy to spell. This way, the customer will be easily able to identify your business if they are searching for it or any products on the internet. Otherwise, they might click on the search result for another business that has a similar name and also sells the same products as you. Having a domain name that is easy to pronounce would also make it easier for your customers to recommend to others. Since word of mouth is still the most popular form of marketing and advertising out there, you can count on your loyal customers to spread the word among their social circles. ## Prepare a List of Alternative Domain Names As mentioned above, it can be quite difficult for you to find a domain name that exactly matches the name of your small business. Although it can be quite frustrating, this isn’t the end of the world for you. Therefore, you should have a list of alternate domain names ready in case you don’t manage to get the one you need. Ideally, you should have 10-15 domain names ready so that you don’t have to waste any time in searching for them. Moreover, avoid hyphenating the domain name and also prevent using acronyms people won’t be able to understand. Acronyms should also be avoided because you might end up imitating that of a reputed brand or business, and this would cause you to lose customers ## Avoid Domain Names with Complete Keywords If you have conducted keyword research for your business, you would have a set of keywords that you can use for marketing purposes. However, you shouldn’t use any of the domain names that exactly match keywords, no matter how much you think it will help. Google doesn’t rank such websites higher in search results, which means that your website might not make it to the first page. However, you can make use of domain names that partially contain a keyword because they can actually rank pretty well in search results and help you get the exposure you need. While doing so, make sure that the domain name still holds relevance and relates to your business. ## Choose the Most Suitable Domain Extension Once you have established your domain name according to the other tips that we have listed above, the next step is to choose the domain extension that goes well with your business. There are several extensions that you can choose from, including .com, .co, .org, .io, and also location-based extensions such as .us, .ca, .au, etc. Generally, you can make do with a .com extension, but in case your domain name isn’t available with this extension, you may choose to use .org, which is mostly used by organizations. Moreover, if your business revolves around online or network services or has something to do with tech, you may even choose to adopt the .net extension. Plus, if you are looking to keep your business localized, i.e. in a certain country or area, then you can also make use of the location-based extensions. **About the Author:** Lyle Solomon has considerable litigation experience as well as substantial hands-on knowledge and expertise in legal analysis and writing. Since 2003, he has been a member of the State Bar of California. In 1998, he graduated from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, California, and now serves as a principal attorney for the [Oak View Law Group](https://www.ovlg.com/) in California. He has contributed to publications such as Entrepreneur, All Business, US Chamber, Finance Magnates, Next Avenue, and many more. This concludes our guide on how to choose the right domain name for your small business. Just remember that your domain name is a window into your website, where your customers would come to interact with your business and buy your products as well. Therefore, it should be relevant, relatable, and something that people can instantly memorize. ! ## Questions this post answers ### How short should a small business domain name be? Keep it as short as possible. The article says a shorter name is more memorable and easier to type when people search for your products or services. If your first choice is taken, you can add a phrase before or after it to make it unique. ### How many alternative domain names should I prepare? The article recommends having 10 to 15 alternatives ready in case your first choice is unavailable. It also advises avoiding hyphens and acronyms people will not understand, since an acronym might imitate a reputed brand and cost you customers. ### Should my domain name match my keywords exactly? No. The article says exact match keyword domains do not rank higher in Google results. Domains that only partly contain a keyword can rank well and give exposure, as long as the name stays relevant to your business. ### Which domain extension should a small business use? The article says .com is generally fine. If it is unavailable, .org is mostly used by organizations, .net can suit online or tech services, and location-based extensions like .us, .ca or .au suit businesses that want to stay local. ## Terms in this post - [Domain name](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/domain-name) - [.com](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/glossary/dot-com) ## Keep reading - [.com vs .ai vs .io vs .co: How to Choose a Domain Extension.com is still the safest default because buyers, investors and email systems expect it. Choose .ai if your product is AI and you accept higher renewals. Choose .io for developer tools with some registry risk. Choose .co mainly as a cheaper fallback. Whatever you pick, try to own the .com too.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/com-vs-ai-vs-io-vs-co) - [How to Negotiate a Domain Name Purchase Without OverpayingSet a walk-away price before you write. Open below your target, but not insultingly low. Use comparable sales as evidence, keep your identity and budget private, move up in small steps, and close through escrow. If the price passes your ceiling, walk away.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/negotiate-domain-purchase) - [LLL, NNN, and 4-Letter Domains: How Short Domains Are ValuedA three-letter .com is usually worth what a corporate acronym buyer will pay, not a fixed multiple. Public sales run from under $20,000 for weak letter sets to well over $100,000 for strong ones. Value depends on the letters, whether they form an acronym or word, and how many companies could use them.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/short-domain-value) - [A Brief Overview of .io Domain NamesThis guide explains the .io domain extension. It is reserved for the British Indian Ocean Territory but open to anyone. Tech companies favor it because IO means input/output. The post covers high prices, safety tips such as two-factor authentication and private Whois, and wordplay options like Pistach.io.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/post/io-domain-names) - [Positioning Your Business Online for the FutureWritten during stay at home orders, this post says businesses of all sizes should review their online presence. Relying only on social media is risky because you do not own that presence. Grit Brokerage recommends securing the best brand matching .com, even a three or four letter acronym.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/post/positioning-your-business-online-for-the-future) - [Domain Broker Fees and Commissions: What You Will Actually PayDomain brokers usually charge a commission on the sale price, often in the range of 10% to 30% depending on the model. Some add an upfront fee, such as GoDaddy's $99.99 for buyers. Escrow adds a separate fee. Each broker sets its own terms, so ask for them in writing.](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/guides/domain-broker-fees) ## Buying or selling a domain? Call, text or email. Responsiveness is our trademark, and a broker answers, not a form robot. [Talk to a broker](https://gritbrokerage.preview.multisites.ai/contact) [Call (442) 500-GRIT](tel:+1-442-500-4748)