How to choose the right domain name for your business
Your domain name is one of the first things potential customers see of your business online. A poor choice can cause confusion, make you harder to find and, at worst, lead to brand or trademark conflicts. A good choice is something people remember – and search for. Here's what you need to know.
Short and memorable – 2–3 words max
The shorter your domain name, the easier it is to remember, type and share by word of mouth. Try to stick to two, or at most three, words. A name like quickservice.no is easier to remember and type than quickserviceforsmallbusinesses.no.
Ask yourself: Can people spell the domain correctly the first time they hear it? If the answer is no, it's probably too long or complicated.
Match your company name and brand
The natural starting point is your company name. If your business is called Bergstrøm Regnskap AS, bergstromregnskap.no is an obvious choice. A domain that doesn't match your company name creates unnecessary confusion and makes it harder to build a brand across channels.
If you haven't chosen a company name yet, it's smart to check domain availability alongside the naming process – the two should go hand in hand.
Avoid hyphens and numbers
Hyphens and numbers in domain names are noise. They:
- Are hard to get across verbally ("is that with a hyphen?")
- Can be confused with other domains
- Weaken the impression of your brand
If the domain you want is taken and you're considering a hyphenated version, consider a completely different name instead.
Check trademarks
An available domain isn't necessarily safe to use. If the domain name is identical to, or could be confused with, a registered trademark, you risk being required to hand over the domain – after you've already built a website and reputation on it.
Run these checks:
- Search the trademark database of Patentstyret (the Norwegian Industrial Property Office, patentstyret.no) for Norwegian trademarks
- Search the EUIPO database for EU trademarks
- Do a quick Google search to see if anyone is actively using a similar name
Buy several variants – it's cheap insurance
Once you've chosen a name, it's smart to secure the most important variants:
.noand.comat a minimum- Common misspellings (e.g.
beregstrom.noif your business is called Bergstrøm) - Without a hyphen if you registered with one, and vice versa
Domain registration is relatively inexpensive, and the cost of losing a domain to a competitor or a domain parking operator is far higher.
Don't wait – domain names go fast
A good domain name that's available today could be taken tomorrow. Domain registration is global and automated, and there are players actively monitoring popular searches to grab attractive names.
Found a name you like that's available? Register it now – even if your website isn't ready yet. The domain can stay parked until you're ready to go live.
Let artificial intelligence help you
Have some ideas but struggling to find the right domain? On our domain registration page, you can describe your business in your own words – what you do, who you serve and what tone you want – and get suggestions for available domain names based on your description. You can click a suggestion to register it directly. It's a quick way to get from idea to registered domain.