Your domain name is your web address: the yourbusiness.co.uk that goes on your van, your window and your Google listing. Choosing a small business domain name is usually quick. The part people get wrong is who it belongs to.
The problem nobody mentions until it's too late
A lot of website deals, especially the monthly ones, register your domain name in the web company's name. It's convenient for them. It's a problem for you.
If you fall out with them, want to move, or they simply stop trading, the address you've printed on everything is not yours to take. I've heard from owners who had to start again with a new name because the old one was stuck with a company that no longer answered the phone.
What it should look like
Your domain name should be registered to you or your business, with your email address on the account, and you should be able to log in and see it. The web designer can manage it for you, but you own it.
It costs around £10 to £15 a year to renew a .co.uk. That is the only ongoing cost a simple website should have.
Choosing a small business domain name
Keep it boring, in a good way:
- Use your actual business name, as people say it. If you're "Dave's Barbers", you want davesbarbers.co.uk, not a clever alternative.
- Prefer .co.uk for a UK local business. People trust it and expect it.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers. They are hard to say out loud and easy to mistype.
- Check it reads cleanly when written as one word. Some combinations are unfortunate.
- If the name is taken, add your town rather than changing the name: davesbarbersliverpool.co.uk.
Then put it everywhere: your Google Business Profile, your Facebook and Instagram bios, your signage, your receipts.
Questions to ask before you pay anyone
Three questions sort the good from the bad.
- Whose name will the domain be registered in?
- Can I log in and see it?
- If I stop working with you, what happens to the website and the address?
If the answers aren't "yours", "yes" and "you keep both", think again.
How I do it
When your site goes live, I register the domain name in your name and set it up so you pay the renewal directly. The website and the web address are yours. That's part of the one-off £595, and it's one of the reasons there are no monthly fees. The rest of what's included is on the pricing page.
And you see the site before you pay for any of it. I build it first, for free, and text you the link within a week. See how it works, or get your free demo today.
