Quick answer
Start with your business name.
Your domain is your website address, the bit customers type in to find you. For most trades, the best choice is simply your business name with .co.uk on the end.
Easy
smithplumbing.co.uk
It's your name, it's short and nobody gets it wrong.
Hard work
smith-plumbing-heating-services.ltd
Long, full of dashes and easy to type wrong.
Quick test: say it out loud like you're giving it to a customer on the phone, and ask a mate to type it without seeing it written down. If they get it wrong, keep it simpler.
The jargon
The words you'll come across, in plain English.
- Domain: your website address, like smithplumbing.co.uk. Your email address can use it too.
- Ending: the last part, like .co.uk or .com.
- Registrar: the company you buy and renew your domain through, like GoDaddy.
- Renewal: paying again each year (or every few years) to keep the domain.
- Nominet: the organisation that runs all .uk domains.
- Transfer: moving your domain from one registrar to another.
Choose an ending
Which ending: .co.uk or .com?
If your customers are in the UK, .co.uk is the one people expect, and it tells them you're local. .com works fine too, especially if you already use it.
Some people buy both so nobody else can have the other one. That's fine, but you only have one website: the second address just sends people to the first.
Trade or town?
Should you add your trade or your town?
Start with just your business name. Only add your trade or town if it makes the name clearer.
Works well
smithgas.co.uk makes a common surname stand out and says what you do.
Can box you in
smithplumbingswindon.co.uk stops fitting the day you start working outside Swindon.
- Will customers know it's you?
- Can someone type it after hearing it once?
- Will it still fit if you add a service?
- Will it still fit if you cover a wider area?
Before buying
Check the name before you buy.
If the name you want is taken, don't rush to pay a big resale price. Have a look at who owns it: a real business, an empty page, or someone selling it. A small, sensible change is usually better.
Before you spend money on a logo, van signs or workwear, check nobody else is already trading under a name like yours. Search Google, look at the Companies House name rules and run a quick trade mark search on GOV.UK . If you're spending a lot, it's worth asking a solicitor.
Check the price for next year, not just this year. A cheap first year can renew at a much higher price.
- Easy to say, spell and remember
- Still fits if the business grows
- Bought in your own account
- Renewal price checked
- Two step verification turned on
Ownership
Make sure the domain is yours.
Buy the domain in your own name, or your company's, in an account you control. Keep the email and card on that account up to date, and turn on two step verification so nobody else can get in.
Your web designer can be given access to connect it to your website, without owning it. Here's how to buy your domain and give us access.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes.
- Going for the cheapest first year. Check what it costs to renew.
- Letting someone else buy it for you. If it's in their account, it's theirs, not yours.
- Picking a name that's hard to say. Do the phone test first.
- Stuffing it with keywords. A long name full of trades and towns won't get you higher on Google.
- Forgetting renewals and security. Leave auto renew on and keep your card up to date.
Business email
Your domain can give you a business email too.
An address like hello@smithplumbing.co.uk matches your website, quotes and invoices, and customers trust it more than a Gmail address.
Your domain, your email and your website are three separate things. You pay the email company (we use Google) directly. See business email: why and how to set it up.
Read Website Hosting Explained to see where the website itself lives.
Sources
Where this guide comes from.
Checked against these official pages on 27/10/2026. Next check due 27/01/2027. Prices and screens can change sooner.
- Google Search Central: sites for more than one country
- Companies House: incorporation and company names
- GOV.UK: search for a trade mark
- Google: how search ranking works
- Google: moving a site to a new address
- Nominet: how .uk renewals work
- ICANN: moving a .com domain to another company
- Nominet: .uk transfer changes from 9 February 2027
FAQs
Frequently asked questions.
Is .co.uk better than .com?
For a UK trade, .co.uk is usually the better pick. Google says a country ending like .co.uk tells it your site is meant for that country, and it's what UK customers expect. A .com works too. Pick one and use it everywhere.
Should I buy my domain before my website?
Yes, once you're happy with the business name. You can buy it now and we connect it later.
Can I lose my domain?
Yes, if it isn't renewed. Leave auto renew on and keep your card up to date.
Can I change my domain later?
Yes, but your website, email, Google profile, cards and van all need changing too, so it's worth getting right first time.
Should I put Ltd in it?
Usually not. Use the name customers know you by.
Planning a Sprint Start website?
Already own a domain, or unsure what to buy?
Tell us about your domain when you apply for a £0 Build. We’ll confirm what you need before you purchase anything.
