Choose a domain name

Choose a domain name

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Last updated August 12, 2026 17:13

Tips and rules to consider when picking your domain name.

Your domain name is often the first impression people have of your brand or business. Choosing the right domain name helps visitors find you, builds credibility, and strengthens your online presence.

Tips for picking a domain name

When brainstorming domain names, aim for a balance between brand identity and clarity.

Keep it short - Shorter names are easier to type, remember, and share. Aim for one to three words.
Make it easy to spell and pronounce - Avoid unusual spellings or complex word combinations that people might mistype or misunderstand when heard aloud.
Incorporate relevant keywords - Think about keywords that match your industry, products, or purpose to help search engines and visitors understand what your site offers.
Reflect your brand - Use your business name, personal name, or a clear variation of it to maintain consistent branding across your website and social media.
Avoid double letters - Repeating letters (like presssetup.com) often lead to typos and confusion.
Think long-term - Choose a name flexible enough to grow with your brand if you expand your services or product line later.

Tip: Consider purchasing common misspellings or secondary extensions to protect your brand and redirect visitors to your main site. Learn more in Managing multiple domains.

Use the Squarespace Domain Name Generator

If you need inspiration, try the Squarespace Domain Name Generator. Our free, AI-powered tool generates available domain suggestions based on keywords, brand names, or descriptions you provide. You can register a domain directly from the results or use the ideas to brainstorm.

Note: The Squarespace Domain Name Generator is available as a free resource. Squarespace doesn't provide advice or recommendations regarding laws applicable to your brand or business. By using Squarespace AI, you agree to the Content Generation Terms and that you are responsible for any text you use or publish.

Understand top-level domains (TLDs)

A TLD is the suffix at the end of your web address, such as .com, .org, or .design. Squarespace offers over 400 TLDs, including popular generic and country-code extensions. Choosing the right TLD depends on your site’s goal and target audience:

General TLDs (.com, .net, .org) - .com is the most common and trusted global extension. We recommend using it when it’s available.
Descriptive and industry TLDs (.photography, .guru, .shop) - Helpful if you want your domain to explicitly state what your site does.
Location or country code TLDs (.ca, .co.uk, .nyc) - Great for businesses serving a specific local market or country.

Note: If we don't offer the specific TLD you want, you can register it through a third-party provider and connect it to your Squarespace site.

Technical rules and formatting requirements

When registering a domain through Squarespace, ensure your domain meets our formatting requirements:

Character length - Must be between 3 and 63 characters (excluding the TLD extension).
Allowed characters - Can only contain letters, numbers, and hyphens. You can't add symbols like $ or *.
Hyphen placement - Hyphens can't be placed at the beginning or end of a domain name, and two hyphens can't appear next to each other (e.g., my--domain.com).
Reserved terms - Squarespace domains cannot contain the word “squarespace” or “sqsp.”
Internationalized characters - Squarespace domains don't support most special characters (such as ü, é, or ñ). If you register a domain with special characters, it’ll display on unsupported browsers with extra characters and dashes (for example, übercool.de redirects to xn--bercool-m2a.de).

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Choose a domain name