The short answer: add a word that says what you do or where you work, like yourbusinesslandscaping.com or yourbusinessaz.com, and keep it a .com. Skip hyphens, numbers and creative misspellings, because they make a domain harder to remember and harder to say over the phone.
1. Check that it is really taken
A registered domain is not always a used one. Open it in your browser: if you see a "domain for sale" page or a blank page, the owner may sell it. You can also see who registered it and when it expires with ICANN's registration lookup. If the asking price is high, move on to the options below.
2 to 6. Words you can add
These are the most common ways to turn a taken name into an available one. The examples use a made-up business, "Bright Lawn."
| What to add | Example | When it works |
|---|---|---|
| What you do | brightlawncare.com, brightlawnlandscaping.com | Almost always. It is the clearest option because it tells customers what you sell. |
| Your state | brightlawnaz.com, brightlawntexas.com | If you work in one state. Check the traps below before you use the abbreviation. |
| Your city or region | brightlawnmesa.com | If you serve one area and the city name is short and easy to spell. Not a fit if you plan to expand. |
| An action word | getbrightlawn.com, callbrightlawn.com | For short brand names. "Get," "try" and "call" read naturally in front of a name. |
| Co, company or group | brightlawnco.com | When the name already says what you do. Skip "llc" or "inc," which sound like paperwork. |
The state abbreviation traps
Adding your state is a good idea, but some abbreviations read as English words and change what your domain says:
- IN, OR, ME, OK, HI, OH, AL and LA read as words. "brightlawnin.com" looks like "bright lawn in," not Indiana.
- CO gets confused with the .co ending. "brightlawnco.com" reads as "company," not Colorado.
- Put the state at the end, not the start: brightlawnaz.com reads better than azbrightlawn.com.
- If your state's name is short (Utah, Iowa, Ohio, Texas), consider spelling it out.
Before you decide, write the domain all together in lowercase and ask someone else to read it out loud. If they read it differently than you meant it, try another option.
7. What makes a domain hard to remember
- Hyphens
People forget them when typing, and you have to explain them on the phone ("bright dash lawn").
- Numbers
"4," "four" and "for" get mixed up when you say them. If your brand uses a number, buy both versions.
- Creative misspellings
"Kwik" instead of "quick" means spelling your domain out every single time.
- Doubled letters where words meet
In "brightlawnnow.com" the two n's in a row are easy to miss.
- Accents and special letters
They can be registered, but most people cannot type them. Use plain letters.
- Too many words
If it has more than three words, cut one. Shorter is easier to remember and fits on a business card.
8. Protect the version you choose
If your name can be spelled two ways, register both and point one at the other. Every domain in our storefront includes forwarding, so the extra version does not need its own website. A .com costs $24.99 a year.
Also check that the name is not someone else's trademark in the USPTO trademark database, and that the same name is free on the social networks you use.
9. Run the phone test
Say the domain to someone over the phone without spelling it. If they type it right the first time, it works. If they have to ask you anything, try another combination. The same test applies to your email: you@brightlawncare.com has to sound just as clear.
Once you have it, the next step is usually email on your domain. For everything else your site needs, read what you need for a business website.