DOMAIN/COMPANY NAME
Some practical tips for choosing a domain and
company name
Plan it out
Don`t forget to accomplish the following 4 steps before you decide on the name for your website or business:
Google it – Before finalizing your brand or website name, check Google to see if a high-authority site already ranks for it. Many businesses spend time and money on a name, only to find a well-established competitor dominating the search results. Look at the top 3 results, their relevance to your brand, location, and domain authority (use tools like Moz). If a strong competitor already ranks, consider adjusting your name or factor in the time and investment needed to outrank them.
Check domain availability – Any domain registrar lets you search for available domains. Use this tool to see if the desired domain is free. If there’s no available domain or only a "premium" domain is up for sale at a high price, this should be factored in. If your business is based in the UK and primarily serves UK customers, aim for a .co.uk domain (this slightly boosts rankings on google.co.uk). However, if your company operates internationally, it's ideal to have a .com domain in addition to the local .co.uk one.
Check the availability of your company name – If you're planning to register as a limited company or LLP, you can use a service like Company Check to search for the availability of your chosen name. This will allows you to check if the name is already in use by another business or if it's free to register. It's an important step to ensure your desired name doesn’t conflict with an existing company, which could cause legal issues or brand confusion.
Trademarks – It's crucial to verify if the name you intend to use is already trademarked. Trademarks are registered in various sectors, such as restaurants, technology, advertising, finance, etc. Make sure to search within the appropriate category to see if the name you want is already protected by an existing trademark.
