Should I Put Llc In My Domain Name
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Lets say your business is called Haverford Dog Walking and you form an LLC called Haverford Dog Walking, LLC.
Now youre wondering what your domain name should be:
Should it be www.HaverfordDogWalking.com?
Or should it be www.HaverfordDogWalkingLLC.com?
Check out our Business Domain Name Guide for tips on picking a domain name and a step-by-step guide to buying the domain name through GoDaddy.
Important Differences Between Brand Names And Business Names
- A business name is the legal form of the company.
- The brand name represents what a company sells products or services.
- The brand name is what consumers think of when they hear the business name.
- A business name must have at least one word in it, but cant be just a number or symbol.
- A business name must be unique within your state, but there are no rules about whether a brand name is unique. First, be sure to check if another company has begun using your desired brand name with a trademark search. You dont want to either confuse customers to get sued by another firm!
- When you start a new company, you may choose whatever name you wish for both the companys legal form and its brand name.
- The maximum number of characters in a business name depends on the type of business entity you form for example, 80 characters for an LLC and 40 for a corporation. This includes the designation letters LLC or INC.
How To Register A Domain Name For Free
Looking for a free domain name? There are several domain registrars, website hosting providers, and website builders offering free domain names, typically with the purchase of another service or with no cost but some customization limitations.
Wix is a popular drag-and-drop website builder that allows you to register a free domain name with the stipulation that it includes Wix’s name as well. This means that although you get your domain name for free, it will read yourdomainname.wix.com. This is a trade-off to consider when registering a domain name for free.
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Wix is a great choice for first-time website owners who are looking to start a small personal brand under the Wix subdomain. You can eventually upgrade to a custom domain if you end up enjoying Wixs platform. We dont recommend it if youre planning to blog regularly, as there are better choices out there, such as WordPress.com.
Like Wix, Weebly offers a simple website builder with a free domain name that will appear as yourwebsite.weebly.com. You will have limited access to the site-building features, but you will save annual fees for domain names. This is a great option for temporary or basic websites.
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Bluehost is an excellent option for small-to-medium business owners who want to choose a custom domain and choose their own CMS. With Bluehost, you can opt for any CMS platform, including CMS Hub, WordPress , or even Joomla.
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Check For Trademark Infringement
Both major and minor brands alike take issue with others using their trademarked names. Even if youve just made an innocent mistake, the legal hassle involved in a lawsuit and having to rearrange your web presence could be costly.
You can avoid these situations by using a trademark lookup tool before you finalize your choice.
Want To Register Another Domain Name Heres Your Chance
If youve registered a domain name, you probably have some idea of what you want to achieve, but you might not know where to start. Follow along as I break down a few options that might make sense for you and your business.
Ill bet more than one will fit the bill.
Editors note: Ready to get started with a website? Check out GoDaddys Websites + Marketing for free.
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What Is A Domain Name For A Business
A domain name, also known as a Web site address, is the URL under which a particular website is accessible to Internet visitors.
Examples that include the organization names include www.Apple.com for Apple products and www.RedCross.org for the American Red Cross.
Examples that do not include the organizations name are www.Equality.com for Salesforce and Insider.com for Business Insider.
This type of website address that specifies its geographical location on the Web for example, www.yoursite.com is based in America whereas www.yoursite.uk is registered in the United Kingdom.
A domain for a business is simply a website address.
Cost To Register A Domain Name
According to HostGator, domain name cost ranges from free to tens of thousands of dollars, with the average domain name settling around $10-$12 annually. These factors will affect what you’d pay for a specific domain:
- The demand for the particular name you choose
- The TLD domain extension
- The domain registrar you’re purchasing from
- Whether the domain has already been purchased by someone else
- Whether you commit to an annual payment or another payment schedule
- Add-ons such as privacy
Whether you choose a free or paid domain will depend on your budget and your website’s purpose. For example, you might need a basic website or something simple and temporary. In that case, a free domain name might be a good option.
However, paid domain names look more professional and are more likely to grow with your brand. You should ultimately decide what will work best for your business and goals.
Pro Tip: You can get free hosting and link your custom domain to your site for free when you build it with HubSpot CMS.
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Claim And Purchase Your Domain Name
If youre planning to keep your domain name for more than one year, youll want to sign up for auto-renew, to ensure that your registration is renewed automatically and that it wont be snatched up by another user. Some registrars allow you to purchase naming rights for multiple years at a time.
Its also a good idea to purchase any domain names that are similar to yours. This will prevent your shoppers from accidentally visiting a website that is owned by someone else, but sounds very similar to yours. If you do purchase domain names that are similar to your own, you can redirect shoppers to the correct website if they accidentally visit the wrong one. For example, fedex.com and federalexpress.com both lead site visitors to fedex.com.
The sky is the limit when it comes to choosing a domain name. Finding the right name for your website will help you foster brand identity, which will ultimately help establish relationships with your shoppers and fans. At WordPress.com, you can do it all. Find and register your domain name, get reliable website hosting, choose a WordPress theme, and start building while you rely on support from top WordPress experts!
Check out our infographic on choosing your domain name:
When To Put Llc In A Domain Name
If youve found an absolutely stellar domain name , but its already taken, then you may want to consider putting LLC in your domain name.
We wouldnt recommend LLC in a long domain name like: www.BobsTackleAndBaitShopLLC.com
However, in a shorter name, it might not be so bad: www.MikesBikesLLC.com
If the non-LLC version of your domain is taken, we recommend that you visit that website to see if its operational. We also recommend doing a trademark search on the USPTO website to make sure you arent going to infringe on a registered trademark.
If there is no federal trademark or there is nothing on the website, you are safe to use the domain name with LLC in the name.
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Find A Domain Name Registrar
The non-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers oversees the entire system of domain names, and it allows outside companies, called domain registrars, to sell and manage domain names. You will need to register your domain name through a registrar.
Some of the most popular domain registrars include GoDaddy, Bluehost, and Domain.com, although there are many more to choose from. Be sure to carefully consider pricing and policies for each one before choosing your domain registrar, as it will be managing your domain name.
Avoid Hyphens And Doubled Letters
Using hyphens may seem like a creative way to get the domain name you want and is admittedly still popular in some European countries . Unfortunately, theyre tough to express verbally . They also make the domain more difficult to type. This can create a poor User Experience from the start, leaving a user frustrated. Even worse, they may give up entirely and end up on someone elses website.
While there are exceptions, when youre brainstorming domain name ideas, its best to avoid anything that isnt a letter. This includes replacing letters with numbers, which make the name a lot easier for people to mistype.
The same goes for doubled letters its asking for typos. Doubled letters are hard to read and even harder to type correctly. If mistakes happen often enough, you may end up with someone typosquatting and stealing your traffic.
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Purchase The Domain Name
When you have settled on the domain name and a suffix, you will pay to register the domain name with the domain registrar. This is not a one-time purchase, however. Typically, you will pay to own the domain name for one year, after which you can renew your registration for a fee. You can expect a registration fee of about $10 to $15.
A Strategic Approach To Choosing The Perfect Domain Name
Your URL offers a chance to leave a good first impression. Thats why a strong domain name is essential for the success of your website. So, if youre ready to land that perfect domain name, remember these handy tips and click below to start your search today.
About the Author: Stefanus Hadi, Ph.D.
Stefanus Hadi, Ph.D., is Product Research Manager at DreamHost. He is responsible for directing and managing the companys partnerships with various domain registries, including those that control TLDs like .com, .online, .shop, .xyz, .club, .art, .io, .co, .me, and many others. In his free time, Stefanus enjoys outdoor activities, visits national parks regularly, and serves as a member of a Los Angeles high school support group. Connect with Stefanus on LinkedIn:
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Do You Put Llc In Your Name
Legally you need to make people aware that you are an LLC, but do you place that in your logo or just append that to all of your legal naming items, Ie. TOS etc.Mark
I think putting it in your logo is entirely unnecessary.
To me it seems like most companies just shove it somewhere unnoticeable at the bottom of their site, while new ones that just got their LLC like to flaunt it everywhere possible
You might also want to think about how you want to portray yourself because flaunting LLC will definitely wave small business flag which could be good or bad for you.
Originally Posted by energizeditLegally you need to make people aware that you are an LLC, but do you place that in your logo or just append that to all of your legal naming items, Ie. TOS etc.MarkYou can do whatever you want. If you dont want to include the entity type at the end of your name you may need to file for a fictitious name in the area you conduct business in. Originally Posted by Atelra-RobYou might also want to think about how you want to portray yourself because flaunting LLC will definitely wave small business flag which could be good or bad for you.There are plenty of large companies which are structured as an LLC. Chrysler comes to mind right away, I know there are others
Your Domain Name May Fail The Domain Phone Test
The Domain Phone Test is a smart way to find a domain name.
If I give you my domain name on the phone, you should be able to type it without asking me how to spell it.
So if I say Visit HarshAgrawal.com on the phone, you probably wont be able to type it without asking me to spell it. Agrawal is not common enough and can cause confusion.
Visit ShoutMeLoud.com. When I tell you on the phone, there are no spelling mistakes.
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Choose A Domain Name Suffix Such As Com Or Net
After settling on the domain name, consider the suffix. The most popular suffix is .com, although .net and .org are also popular. These are considered to be top-level domains, or the highest-level domain suffixes in the domain naming system.
There are also other varieties to consider, such as country code top-level domains. These domain names end in a suffix that is particular to a specific country. A website in Germany might end in .de, for example.
Finally, there is another class of domain name suffixes called “sponsored, top-level domains,” which are sponsored by a specific community related to the domain name. For example, .gov is for the U.S. government and .edu is for education organizations.
For most websites, .com is the best suffix for its ease of use, but if you have a specialized website, you might consider a country code or sponsored top-level domain.
A Domain Name Is Unique And Searchable
When you sign up for space on a third party website hosting site or create a page or account on your favorite social media platforms, youll typically be provided with a subdomain on the hosting sites domain. In other words, your address, would look something like this: hostsite.com/yourname. Depending on the site where youre posting your content, it can make for a long, unwieldy and highly forgettable address.
Your own domain name, especially with the very familiar .com extension, clearly communicates your identity and purpose in a way users are likely to remember. Thats why its a good idea when choosing your domain that you pick something that explains your purpose right within the name. Number and hyphens make a custom domain more difficult to remember. When registering a domain, stick with simple, straightforward, and creative options that can be remembered by all.
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How To Buy An Llc Name
Want to reserve your name before someone else grabs it?
Lets say youve come up with a fabulous name, and you cant see your business running under any other name. Youve done your homework and confirmed its up for grabs for now.
To make sure someone doesnt swoop in and snatch up the name before youre ready to register your LLC, you can reserve the name with your state. You can do that by filing a name reservation request form with your states Office of the Secretary.
You usually have to pay a fee to make such a reservation. In many states, the fee is quite small as little as $10. In some states, you can file the reservation request online in others, you have to mail or hand deliver it.
Depending on the state, the Secretary of State will reserve the name for anywhere from 60 to 120 days, and in many states, you can renew the reservation. During the reservation period, youre the only one who can file articles of organization under that name.
Other than the filing fee to reserve a name, you shouldnt have to pay to use an LLC name. Itll simply be included in the articles of organization for your company, which come with their own filing fees.
You may have to pay a fee if you want to protect your businesss name with a registered trademark.
Renew The Domain Name
Whether you purchased the domain through a registrar or purchased it from another person, you will eventually need to renew your domain. When you renew it will depend on the terms of your subscription: whether its monthly, annual, biannual, or triennial.
Renewing your domain name is critical to ensure 99% uptime and prevent any user experience hiccups. If youre afraid of missing the renewal date, dont fear most registrars will email you to notify you of the upcoming renewal.
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How Much Does A Domain Name Cost
When you buy a domain name through domain registrars, you register it for one year with the option of a multi-year registration. You will be able to renew your domain name registration when the initial period finishes, and will usually be alerted by the registrar to do so. Domain names are also sometimes included in your web hosting plan and if not, usually offered by your hosting company.
Domains purchased through Mailchimp are priced based on the TLD you choose, such as .com or .net.
A domain name with a common top-level domain, such as .com, can be had for as low as $12.99 per year, and promotions are often available. Internet domains purchased through Mailchimp also come with free WHOIS privacy protection and a Secure Sockets Layer certificate to provide your website with free verification and encryption.
You do need to have a web hosting plan to put your site online, but you dont need to have hosting to purchase a domain. Assuming you have a business or blog name in mind, its possible to reserve your brands name for the future by purchasing and registering your domain name now. Then youll have plenty of time to consider how to build your website.