How to choose a domain name

The criteria that matter (and the ones that don't)

Matters: brandability, pronunciation, spelling, length, category fit, trademark clearance, TLD trust. Does not matter much in 2026: exact-match keywords in the domain (Google moved past this a decade ago), 'SEO-friendly' suffixes, and most algorithmic 'domain authority' scores from naming tools.

Picking the right TLD

Match the TLD to your audience. .com for general consumer and B2B (highest trust, highest direct-nav). .ai for AI products (now the category default). .io and .dev for developer tools. .co as a credible .com substitute. ccTLDs (.de, .fr, .uk) for in-market brands. New gTLDs only when the meaning is unmissable. When in doubt, default to .com or .ai.

The radio test: say it out loud

If you have to spell the name during a phone call, it will cost you customers forever. Read every shortlist candidate aloud in a conversation: 'Hi, I'm calling from ____.' Names that need clarification — silent letters, ambiguous vowels, words that sound like other words — lose. Names that land cleanly the first time win.

Length and shape

Five to twelve characters is the practical sweet spot. Single-word names beat compound names beat hyphenated names. Avoid numbers entirely unless the number is part of the brand identity. Compound names work when both halves pronounce naturally as one word; they fail when readers have to parse them into pieces.

Trademark clearance is non-negotiable

Before committing to a name, search USPTO TESS and EUIPO eSearch for the exact name and obvious variants in your industry class. Google the name with 'trademark' and 'lawsuit'. For names you are about to put serious money behind, get a clearance opinion from a trademark attorney. The cost is low relative to a forced rebrand two years in.

Register fresh or buy from the aftermarket

Fresh registration: cheap, immediate, but mostly limited to longer or less-obvious names. Aftermarket acquisition: expensive upfront, but the names that exist there (short, brandable, category-defining) typically convert better and signal more seriousness. For funded companies, the aftermarket math usually wins. For pre-product experiments, fresh is fine.

A shortlist process that works

Generate 100+ candidates (generators, thesaurus, team brainstorm). Cut to 20 on phonetics and category fit. Run trademark checks. Check .com and .ai aftermarket pricing on the survivors. Sleep on the final five. Pick the one you would still pick in a year. Most rename pain comes from skipping the sleep step.

Common founder traps

Falling in love with the first available name. Picking a clever inside joke that the market won't understand. Over-weighting the .com when a stronger .ai is achievable. Under-weighting trademark risk because the name is 'just for MVP'. Mechanical-sounding generated names that no human would say in conversation. Names that lock you into one product when you might expand.

Frequently asked questions

Does the domain name really matter that much?

More than founders typically think. The name shows up in every customer interaction, every press mention, every word-of-mouth referral, and every paid ad. A name that is hard to spell costs you direct traffic forever. A name with a phonetic problem in your target market costs you word-of-mouth. A name with trademark conflict can force a rebrand 18 months in. The cost of a good name is usually less than the cost of fixing a bad one.

Should I prioritize .com or another TLD?

Depends on the audience. General consumer and B2B: .com still wins on trust and direct navigation. AI products: .ai is now the category default and signals what you do. Developer tools: .io and .dev are well understood. Local or regional: ccTLD often outperforms .com in-market. For most US-facing startups, .com remains the safest default — but a strong .ai or .io beats a weak .com.

How short should the domain be?

Shorter is better, up to a point. Five to twelve characters is the practical sweet spot for a brand name. Two or three characters command premium prices but rarely justify the cost unless the specific letters carry meaning. Compound names of 13+ characters work if they pronounce naturally; mechanical-sounding 15+ character names usually do not.

What name traps should I avoid?

Hard-to-spell words. Numbers and hyphens (people forget which is which and where they go). Names that sound like something else in your target markets (run it past speakers of those languages). Trademark conflicts in your industry — a USPTO search takes ten minutes. Names that lock you into one product when you might expand. Names that look fine written but ambiguous when spoken.

Should I register fresh or buy an aftermarket name?

Fresh registration is faster and cheaper but mostly limits you to longer or less-obvious names — the premium short brandables in .com and .ai are already owned. Aftermarket acquisition costs more upfront but typically gets you a name that converts better and signals seriousness. For a funded company, the aftermarket math usually wins. For a side project or early experiment, fresh is fine.

How do I check if a domain has trademark issues?

Search USPTO TESS (US) and EUIPO eSearch (EU) for the exact name and obvious variants in your industry class. Google the name with terms like 'trademark' and 'lawsuit'. Check if a similarly-named competitor exists in any major market. For names you are about to commit serious money to, pay a trademark attorney for a clearance opinion — it is cheap relative to a forced rebrand.

What about social handles and matching usernames?

Important but secondary. A great name with imperfect social handles beats a weak name with perfect handles. Common workarounds: add 'get', 'try', 'hi' as a prefix, or use the company name plus a category word. Check the platforms you actually use (X, LinkedIn, GitHub, Instagram, TikTok depending on audience), not all of them.