Domain Names

Choosing the domain name for your website should be your first task, before any designing or building takes place.

If your website is to be linked to an existing product or service then you may already have a domain name in mind, but it is important to remember that with millions of domain names already registered, your preferred domain name may already be taken.  You should therefore brainstorm a few ideas so that you have alternatives if your preferred name is not available.

You should also consider whether your domain name will have a country specific extension, such as .co.uk, or a global extension, such as .com.  If both extensions are available it may be wise to register both, so that if your website grows into a global site, you can easily transfer it to the .com extension.

Once you have your preferred domain name you need to check its availability.  You can check whether a domain name is available on any domain name registrar or web hosting company website.  Simply enter the domain name you want and they will confirm if it is available.

If your preferred domain name is available we would recommend registering it straight away, so that no-one else can register it. 

To register the domain name visit any domain name registrar or web hosting company and complete the online form.  Make sure you register the domain name in your personal or business name, so that you can easily transfer it in the future if required.

To check domain name availability or to register a domain name please use the tools below:

To register domain names in the UK...

To register domain names in the USA