A domain name is what most people would call a URL or web address (example.com) and it is an essential part of creating a website or setting up email.
There are a few things that you need to consider when purchasing a domain name. From a marketing point of view, your domain name should represent your brand, it should be memorable, and ideally have an industry keyword. From a more technical point of view, you must think about which top-level domain and subdomain to use, and which registrar to get it from.
You will also have to make sure that this domain name is available as many generic domains have been taken by other businesses or individuals. Some generic or 'parked' domains names are available to be purchased but you might have to pay a pretty penny for them, like rocket.com which sold for $14 million dollars in 2024.
Branding
Often the best starting point for your choice of domain name is to use your business's name followed by a local top-level domain (more on that below). This helps your customers recognise your brand, and also make it easier for them to find you.
One thing to also think about is how it relates to your social media accounts. For example, having the same Instagram handle as your domain name can really cement your brands identity, and allow your customers to trust your online presence.
Memorable
Think about making your domain something that's going to be easy to remember, that means you want to keep it as short as possible while at the same time letting people know what your business is. Sometimes using an abbreviation of your business name is a good choice especially if you have a long or difficult to spell name.
You do not need to have your business's full name so try avoiding having 'limited' or 'incorporated' in your domain name unless that is an essential part of your brand. Also, avoiding the use of hyphens and numbers can also help with helping customers remember your domain name.
Keywords
Using keywords in your domain name can help with SEO as customers will be using these terms in there searches. Try including your industry in your domain to help with organic search traffic.
Another choice may be to try get your industries domain name, but you will likely find this has already been taken. For example, webdesign.co.nz as this will allow you to attract customers using keyword specific terms in there search engines.
.nz or .com
When you think about a .nz or .com, what you are thinking of is a top-level domain. These often give the website user some quick context about your website in terms of location or industry.
There are over 1500 different top-level domains to choose from so here is a breakdown of some of the most common, and their best use cases.
NZ Based Top-level domains
Top-level Domain | Use case |
|---|---|
.nz | New NZ based business, often used alongside .co.nz |
.kiwi | Organisations or people with a connection to 'Kiwi' culture |
.co.nz | This was the standard for NZ based business up until 2013. |
.school.nz | Primary, secondary and pre-schools |
.ac.nz | Tertiary educational institutions |
.org.nz | Non-government organisations, not-for-profits and charities |
.geek.nz | Computer savvy people or companies |
.gen.nz | Generic usage |
.kiwi.nz | For people or organisations that associate with being 'Kiwi' |
.maori.nz | Maori people, groups, and organisations |
.net.nz | Service providers directly related to the NZ Internet |
Common Generic Top-level domains
Top-level Domain | Use case |
|---|---|
.com | International brands or US based business |
.org | Non-government organisations, non-profits and charities |
.net | Organisations involved in networking technologies |
.shop | Ecommerce businesses |
.info | Information sites |
.biz | Generic domain for business |
.dev | Software development |
.design | Graphic art and fashion |
.wiki | Community resource creation |
.app | Web Apps |
Check out the full list of available top-level domains here.
Having multiple top-level domains?
It is often recommended to purchase to multiple domains with different top-level domains to protect your brand identity. For a business in NZ, having both the .co.nz and .nz is a great idea to protecting your brand from other businesses and also because people will likely get confused between the two.
If you decide to do this then you will want to choose a main domain to have your other domains redirected to. You can do this via your domains DNS settings.
Do you need a subdomain too?
Nowadays, it is less common to see subdomains like www. but there has started to be more companies using the likes of shop. or blog for their websites which allows them to separate there shops or blogs from other sections of the website.
When you have a domain registered you will be able to setup one or multiple subdomains based on your needs. You can do this via your domains DNS settings.
Getting Your Domain
Domains are registered on a first-come first-served basis so once you have decided on your domain you will want to try get it. There are lots of places to get your domain registered, and it is often a good idea to look at different registrars to see who has the best price for the top-level domain you want.
Here are some popular domain registrars:
GoDaddy
Crazy Domains
Freeparking
MyHost
Most website building platforms like Rocketspark or Squarespace will also be able to register a domain for you through their service. For most domain names the standard registration term is 1 year, and they can be registered for up to 10 years in many cases.
Adding on privacy protection, and SSL security to your website is often a good choice as this will protect your information from people using WHOIS look ups and SSL can help with SEO, in some cases the registrar will include these in their service.
Good luck picking your domain name
A domain name is an essential part of getting your website online, and hopefully with the tips we have shared in this blog you will be able to choose a good one.
Remember to represent your brand, make it short and memorable, and include an industry keyword. Also, don't forget you can have multiple domains for your website.
