Domain names: what they are and how to pick one

A domain name is your site’s address on the internet. Change the website behind it and people can still find you, which is why it’s worth choosing carefully.

Computers find each other using numbers. A domain name gives you a readable label, like yourbusiness.com, that points to your site. You don’t own one outright: you register it for a period and renew it to keep it.

When you choose one, aim for something that is:

Short and easy to say out loud.
Easy to spell after hearing it once.
Free of hyphens and numbers, which people forget.
Based on your name or brand rather than a passing trend.

Then check the ending. .com is widely recognised, while country endings like .in tell people where you’re based. Search the name too, in case another business is already using it.

One practical tip: register it in your own name, with an email you’ll keep, and turn on auto-renew. An expired domain can take your site and email offline.

Go deeper: Cloudflare on domain names