What to do if your domain name is taken?

Choosing a brand name for your business can be a long and arduous process. It takes time, experience and a certain intuition, until you find something that truly reflects your business.

Once you’ve got a shortlist you will need to check domain availability. As part of due diligence, you will need to establish whether any other brands exist with that name, or are similar, this includes registered trademarks too.

If you’re lucky enough to have something unique, then the next stage is acquiring it for all your business needs, on social channels and on the internet. Your online presence may just be the most important ‘shop front’ for your customers, so it’s important to buy a domain name they will be able to find and remember.

But what if the domains you’re looking for have been taken? Here’s four options to securing the right domain name, if the one you wanted isn’t available:

Simplicity is Key

Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung are amongst the top 10 most recognised names in the world. The one commonality that binds them is their simplicity. So, if it’s not too late, go back to the drawing board and think about revisiting your brand name. Before committing to it, check domain providers such as letshost.ie to check its availability.

Try an Irish Extension

Domain names in Ireland are growing to be a prestigious and sought-after commodity, that only Irish businesses are able to benefit from. As such, there is less competition for .ie domains and more availability for your chosen name. Where once .com was the big domain to chase, today customers are equally as impressed with bespoke and Irish extensions that reflect their heritage and show a local connection. What’s more, they tend to be cheaper too!

Mix It Up

Keeping in mind that domain names should be memorable, you still have some flexibility to add extra words to secure an untaken domain name.

For instance, while popular names like irishfish.ie are taken, alternatives such as irishfishtoday.ie aren’t. Or for instance, if your brand name was something popular like Luxury Spa, then try thinking around creative alternatives that aren’t too wordy. For instance, luxury-spa, or The Luxury Spa, Luxury Spa Roundup or Luxury Spa Belfast.

Use your Strapline

Some business opt to use their strapline for their URL. This is a neat way to buy a domain name that might not be too obvious, and therefore available.

For Sale?

Another option is to see if the domain name you were looking for is available for sale. This is sometimes shown as an option on web domain hosting sites, or you might be able to locate the owner of the site at Whois and contact them directly.

Once you’ve resolved your domain name dilemma, you might want to think about shared hosting or WordPress hosting. These are both great options for start up’s that enjoy being hands-on occasionally, but without the stress of building a website from scratch.

If you’re looking to host your own website, or seeking a unique domain name or Irish domain for your company, then visit LetsHost.ie now.