Domain Name Dilemmas: How to Choose Wisely for Your Startup

Photo: ChatGPT (2026)

Pablo Picasso once said, "I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else." As a founder, your ideas, and the longing to actualize them, often serve as a proverbial alarm clock; waking you up each day to hop out of bed to take those necessary steps in order to bring them to life. 

Yet for as exciting as it is to pursue an idea, when it comes to ideas involving the process of naming your business, as Picasso said, they almost always become something else—just for a different reason than he could’ve ever imagined. 

Due to legal reasons, there aren't many things that could make a founder change an idea they began with more so than naming their company—which in itself is an arduous process as far as securing the legal naming rights for a business. But perhaps a process that is even more nerve-wracking than naming a company—is securing its ideal domain name. 

Here are four steps to help simplify the process of selecting the ideal domain name for your startup’s website. 

1. Think of at least 7 domain names you’d like for your company 

On his song, No Idea’s Original, legendary hip-hop artist Nas raps, No idea's original, there's nothin' new under the sun, It's never what you do, but how it's done. It’s true, very few ideas are original. It’s all about how ideas are done—as in their execution. 

It is for that reason, securing a good domain name for your company that hasn’t already been taken by someone else requires two things: Creativity. And a whole lot of luck. 

Sorry, I can’t help you with the luck part. But as for the creativity aspect, I’m your man. Begin by thinking of at least seven domain names you’d be perfectly okay with having for your startup. The reason why seven is a good number is because you could safely assume that one name you’ve already fallen in love with in your mind—has already been taken.

2. Which available name comes closest to being exact?

In an ideal world, you’d be able to skip straight to the finish line by simply being able to slap a .com on the end of your company’s name and call it a day. But unless your company has a very uncommon name, there’s a pretty good chance that a dot com domain name identical to your company’s name has already been registered. 

And unless you have the financial resources to incentivize the owner of that domain name to relinquish it to you—you’re going to have to find the next best option available that isn’t an exact match. 

After doing your due diligence by checking the availability of the seven domain names you’d consider on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo, decide which one is most basic. As in, which one comes closest to yourcompanynamedotcom? That could very well be a good domain name for your startup. But is it the most ideal? Well… let’s see. 

3. Which name tells people what you do? 

Marketing is all about creating concepts to connect with consumers. And part of connecting with your target customers consists of informing them of what your company actually has to offer them to help make their lives better. A great way of doing that is by expressing it in your domain name. 

Oftentimes, including what your company does in your domain name isn’t just a great way to find a unique domain name that isn’t already taken—it’s also a great way to tell prospects and the general public what it is that your company does by creating a visual association in their minds.

For example, if you owned an AI startup with an enigmatic name like Bowerbird (which is one of the most creative animals in the world), you could simply go with either BowerbirdAI.com or include .ai as its top-level domain by going with Bowerbird.ai to convey to the world a general idea of what your company does.

4. Which name would be most memorable? 

Simplification isn’t just important when it comes to your startup’s products and services. It’s also an important element in ensuring that people remember your brand name as well as its website. 

An easy way to ensure that people will have a tough time remembering your company’s domain name is by making its URL longer than it needs to be. 

Remember, brevity plays a huge role when it comes to helping people remember both your brand namd—as well as its domain name. So be sure to take that into serious consideration when finalizing a domain name for your startup.  

One last thing

Securing a great domain name is a lot like being able to register a cool username on a social media platform that hasn’t already been taken; unless you’re an early arrival to the platform—it’s going to take awhile to find something that fits you that’ll be available. 

If you’d like further help coming up with a dope and ideal domain name for your startup, become a Decryption client today and we’ll find a domain name that both you—and your target customers would love!