How to choose a domain name

Seven rules that work

1. Short. Aim for under 15 characters before the extension. Short names are easier to type on a phone and fit on a business card.
2. Easy to say out loud. Imagine telling a customer your email over the phone. If you have to spell it twice, simplify it.
3. Easy to spell. Avoid unusual spellings (kwik for quick) unless that is how your brand is written.
4. Matches your business name. Customers will guess yourbusiness.co.za first.
5. No hyphens or numbers if you can avoid them: people forget them, and “2” or “two” causes confusion.
6. Think long term. capetownphones.co.za is limiting if you later sell laptops across South Africa.
7. Check trademarks and social handles. Make sure nobody else owns the name as a brand, and that the same name is free on the social platforms you use.

Which extension?

• .co.za: the standard for South African businesses and the one customers trust most locally.
• .africa: a pan-African extension, good for brands working across the continent or when the .co.za is taken.
• .joburg, .capetown and .durban: city extensions for local businesses.
• .com: for an international audience, or to protect your brand.
• .org.za: for NGOs, churches and associations.

More detail in domain extensions.

Your name is taken: what now?

• Try another extension: if yourbrand.co.za is taken, yourbrand.africa or a city extension may be free.
• Add a word that describes you: yourbrandkenya, getyourbrand, yourbrandshop.
• Use your town if you are local: yourbranddurban.co.za.
• Check who owns it with a WHOIS lookup: an unused name is sometimes for sale.

Mistakes to avoid

• Registering in a developer’s or staff member’s name. The domain should be in your company’s name with an email you control.
• Letting it expire. Turn on auto-renewal; expired domains are snapped up.
• Choosing a name too close to a big brand. It can lead to a dispute and losing the domain.
• Waiting. Good names go quickly. Registering costs from R 150 a year for a .co.za.

Register more than one?

Many businesses register the .co.za and .com versions of their name and point them all to one website. It protects your brand and catches customers who type the wrong ending.

Ready? Search for your name on domain registration.