The Power Of Domain Names

According to research carried out by names.co.uk, more than a quarter (28%) of new small-business owners wait months after they’ve registered their company name before they register their domain name, thereby risking losing out on their preferred website address.

In fact, our research suggests that about a fifth actually lose their preferred name and have to settle for a name that isn’t related to their company.

We surveyed 2,079 business owners and found that many were startlingly relaxed about owning their online brand – but come to regret this later on when they miss out on their preferred domain name.

Even many dot-com savvy firms established in the past three years have missed the boat. Most companies make the mistake of focusing exclusively on their company name, believing it to be central to the success of their business, without even thinking to check for their domain name first.

Your domain name is often more important these days than your mobile or telephone number, so it is a big oversight not to check whether it’s available before registering your company name. Customers will search for your .com or .co.uk address every day, so not owning the most logical domain can be a real issue.

However, not all businesses are as forgetful about registering their company name. More than a third (35%) admit to registering their domain name before they launched their business, with 25% building their website before launching their business. About half (49%) also admit to registering multiple domain names to protect their company name or expand their business. 

Other key findings from our research include:

• 84% of respondents launched their website within months of registering their company, with 12% building their website in a day
• 10% took more than a year to get a website online
• 27% have registered Facebook and Twitter accounts, but 54% still have neither
• 25% might consider changing their company name, given the chance
• 10% admitted to not being sure if they even like their company name.

Names are important, of course, and every one with plans to start a new business really needs to think carefully about their domain name. We encourage small businesses to consider registering their domain name before they launch their company, so they can get the name that best serves their business’s interests.

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