Before we can start the design of your website, you need to find a suitable name for it. This is called a domain name, and once you decide on a name, we will register it for you, and arrange for it to be available for your website.
Use Your business name or...
The first thing you need to consider is what domain name you want. If your business is well-known by its name, it would be a good idea to make that your first choice. However, do not be concerned if the name of your firm is not available. It is now a decade since people started registering domain names, so it is quite possible that the one you want will be taken.
What are the alternatives? Try combining your name with what you do. For example, if you are a dentist, and you wanted Smith and Smith (smithandsmith.com) you could try smithandsmithdentist.com, or smithsdentist.com, or jimandmikesmithdentists.com if those are your names. Or even dentistrybysmiths.com.
You can have .biz, .com, .eu, .info, .org and .us
Also, you do not have to have the ending in .com. Alternatives include .biz, .net, .info .us and .org. Also, there is .eu, which is ideal if you are in Europe, and you can get country-specific domain names.
Of these, .net is considered to have the same value as .com, but the others are seen to be of slightly lower value, although .biz is good for a business. A factor to bear in mind here is whether people who visit your website will either copy the full name of the website, which is called a URL from an email, or will type it in from memory.
If they are likely to type it in from memory, it is better to have a .com ending, as that is what most people will remember.
The other alternative is to combine your name with the city or town where you work, if that is appropriate. If you operate statewide, or nationwide, this would not be such a good idea.
Where to get your domain name
There are many places where you can find whether the domain name you want is taken, but I recommend
Domains Bot because if your name is not available they will try hundreds of other permutations. Also, you can tell them what word you want in part of it, and they will find a selection with that word in it. Incidentally, we have no relationship with domainsbot except that we have found their service very useful.
To start your search go to
Domains Bot.
