Domain names

Domain Anatomy

A domain is made up from top-level domain (TLD) like .com, and second and third level domains, which can be chosen by the person who registers it.

Your web address can contain a combination of numbers, letters and hyphens, but not any other punctuation marks or special characters. They ignore upper and lower case (so you can capitalise the first letter of words in publicity material for easy reading).

Once you’ve provided your details and paid, we’ll register it with the registrars of that domain and you’ll be able to start using it immediately.

Which-Top Level Domain?

If you’re looking for a website address for a business, you might like to go for a top-level domain that matches your geography – called a country-code top-level domain (ccTLD) – like .scot, .wales or .it. Or even more local, like .london.

Or perhaps you’d prefer something more international like .biz, .org, .net, or .info? If it’s a personal site, perhaps consider a domain like .me or .blog? If your site is going to be interactive, why not try something like the .io domain?

Or perhaps go for something more descriptive with one of the many new generic TLDs (gTLD) and buy a domain like .dev, .online, .agency or .solutions?

If you’re unsure about the top-level domain you want, don’t worry. Just put the name of the site - without a top-level domain - in our domain name search and we’ll suggest some of the options available.

Domain Inspiration

Registering a domain name shouldn’t be done in haste. It may only take seconds to purchase a domain from 20i today, but here are some things to consider:

• Is it memorable?
  

  The best way to make a website address memorable is to keep it short and unique. Of course, that’s easier said than done!

• Can you say it easily?
  

  Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to get leads. So make sure that it can be said easily, or if it does need to be spelled-out, keep it short.

• Will you use hyphens?
  

  Opinions differ on hyphens – some may find that they make your internet address more readable, whereas others avoid them.

• Does it cover what you do?
  

  Consider having your product or service in your domain, but exact matches can be seen by some – including search engines – as potentially ‘shady’.

• Has someone else got a similar domain?
  

  You don’t want your users getting confused, or to be a target of legal action. So we recommend checking this using a search engine.

• Will you need to buy variants?
  

  People may try to copy your domain name, but with a different TLD. So consider whether it’s worth buying popular alternative TLDs for your chosen second-level domain.

Domain Restrictions

Anyone over 18 can register a domain name, but some TLDs have rules that restrict their use.

Examples of these rules would be the .eu domain which is open to European Union residents, some country codes or some generic domains that are specific to an industry.

We’ll let you know if there are any barriers to you registering your chosen domain once you’ve entered your details.