How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Business
Your domain is the one thing you keep forever. Here's how to choose one you won't regret, and why it must be registered in your name.
A domain name is the cheapest part of getting online and the hardest to change later. It ends up on your ute, your shirts, your invoices and your business cards. Spend twenty minutes on it now rather than reprinting everything in two years.
.com.au or .com?
If you serve Australian customers, .com.au is the better choice. It signals immediately that you're local, it's restricted to registered Australian businesses (so it carries some credibility), and Australians expect it.
| Ending | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| .com.au | Australian businesses serving local customers | Needs an ABN or ACN |
| .com | Businesses selling beyond Australia | Good names are long gone |
| .au | Short, modern alternative | Grab it alongside your .com.au |
| .net.au / .biz / .info | Almost nothing | Looks second choice to customers |
If you can only have one, have the .com.au.
Business name or keywords?
People often ask whether goldcoastplumbing24.com.au beats their own business name for Google. Keywords in a domain give you a very small nudge at best - Google works out what you do from your pages, not your web address. Your business name almost always wins, because:
- It matches what people are told when someone recommends you.
- It matches your signage, so nobody has to remember two names.
- It still works when you add services or expand your area.
- Keyword domains often look spammy to customers, which costs you enquiries.
The exception is a genuinely natural combination - mikesplumbing.com.au, not cheap-plumber-gold-coast-247.com.au.
The radio test
Read each option to someone as if you were on the phone. If they have to ask "is that with a dash?" or "one word or two?", it fails. Names that pass the radio test are short, use real words, and only have one obvious spelling.
What to avoid
- Hyphens. Nobody says them, everyone forgets them.
- Numbers. "24-7" versus "247" versus "twentyfourseven" - three domains, one lost customer.
- Unusual spellings. Kwik, Xpert, Pro-Fix.
- Too long. Under about 20 characters is a good ceiling.
- Suburb names you'll outgrow. Fine while you stay there; awkward when you work the whole coast.
- Anything close to a competitor or a known brand. Confusing at best, legal trouble at worst.
Check these before you buy
- The name is free on an Australian registrar and your ABN covers it.
- Your business name is available or already registered with ASIC.
- Nothing similar is trademarked on IP Australia's register.
- The matching social handles are free, if you care about them.
- Google the name - make sure nothing unpleasant already owns that phrase.
Domain ownership - the part people get burned on
- The domain is registered in your business name, with your ABN
- Your email address is the registrant contact, not your designer's
- You know who you'd log in with if you changed web people tomorrow
- Auto-renew is on, against a card that won't expire quietly
- You have your own record of where it's registered
This matters more than the name itself. If your domain sits in a designer's account, you can lose your website, your email and your rankings in one argument. Every site I build keeps the domain registered to the business owner - it stays yours whether you stay with me or not. That, and what else is included, is set out on web design packages.
Already have a name in mind? Next steps are the pages behind it - see how many pages a small business website needs and the small business website checklist.
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$99 to get started. First 14 days free once live, then $45/week.
Common questions
- How much should a domain cost?
- A .com.au is usually $15 to $30 a year. Anyone charging a lot more is bundling it with something else - ask what. Mine are included in the weekly price.
- Can I change my domain later?
- Yes, but it costs you. You'd need redirects from every old page, updated signage and stationery, and Google takes weeks to settle. It's much cheaper to choose carefully once.
- Should I buy several domains?
- Usually one is enough. If your name is easy to misspell, buying the obvious variation and pointing it at your main site is cheap insurance.
- Does the domain name affect Google rankings?
- Barely. Your pages, your Google listing and your reviews do the heavy lifting - see the SEO guide for tradies.
Written by Mike - Web Guy Mike
I build and look after websites for Australian tradies and small service businesses. Every site is built by me - no outsourcing, no account managers. More about Mike.