The best domain name for a business or personal brand typically includes your name or a clear variation of it, using the .com extension when possible due to its widespread recognition and trust. If your exact name is unavailable, consider alternatives such as adding a middle initial (e.g., janeadoe.com), using a full middle name, or selecting a different top-level domain (TLD) like .info, .xyz, or .name. For businesses targeting a specific country, country-code TLDs such as .ca for Canada can signal local relevance.
When choosing a domain name, prioritize simplicity and memorability—keep it short, easy to spell and type, and avoid hyphens or special characters that can confuse users. Domain length should ideally be under 16 characters to ensure it fits on business cards and displays well in digital formats. Avoid using qualifier words like “author” or “music” in your domain, as they may become outdated as your career evolves.
For branding, consider securing multiple domain extensions (e.g., both .com and .ca) to protect your brand and prevent confusion, especially if someone else might register a similar name. Domain forwarding can redirect these variations to your main website.
In terms of registrars, top recommendations include Cloudflare for strong security and cost-effective pricing, Namecheap for reliable service and straightforward pricing, Porkbun for free privacy and additional tools, and Hover for a clean, ad-free experience. While GoDaddy remains popular, it is often criticized for upselling and high renewal prices. Avoid registrars with poor customer service or questionable practices, such as those with a history of price hikes or spamming reviews.
Ultimately, the best domain name balances availability, brand alignment, and long-term control, ensuring it remains a stable online identity.
I have not yet tested many registrars, but from what I've heard those are good:
gandi.net joker.com godaddy.com (seen a lot of bad reviews too), registrar.amazon.com, Googledomains.com (now Squarespacedomains), gkg.net Misk.com ait.com dynadot.com
MarkMonitor.com ComLaude.com (Corporate Domain Name registrars)
What I've used:
Cloudflare, NameCheap, NameSilo, SpaceShip
I liked NameCheap and Cloudflare but the thing that annoys me about Cloudflare is that I can't change nameservers with them.
NameSilo is good but I can't set up domain defender due to me having signed up with my google which sucks.
I personally don't like SpaceShip's UI but they are cheap asf.
I am unsure what I should choose there are so many good domain name registrars, and TrustPilot reviews aren't that helpful.
EDIT: I fixed a sentence due to it being confused but what I meant Cloudflare Name servers aren't changeable.
Videos
How do I buy a domain name?
A domain registrar service will let you quickly search for available domains. Once you’ve chosen one that you like, the service will walk you through the checkout process and offer guidance on how to connect your domain to your site.
What's considered a good domain name?
How do I permanently buy a domain name?
The short answer is: You can’t. Domain registration is more like a rental or leasing service. Most domain registrars allow you to register your domain for up to 10 years at a time, and they’ll usually offer an auto-renewal service, so you don’t lose your domain.
In the past, I always bought my domains from Google Domains. However, seeing as they were sold to Squarespace, I recently found myself in need of a replacement. I did a bit of looking around and figured that I would share what I learned in case it's helpful to anyone else.
Best domain registrars
There were a few registrars that kept showing up more often than any others. They usually had glowing reviews, and few to no complaints. Here they are in approximate order of how commonly they were recommended:
Cloudflare
Namecheap
Porkbun
Hover
One catch with Cloudflare is that you are locked into using their DNS.
Dishonorable mention
Most people recommended avoiding GoDaddy due to poor customer service and scummy business practices such as price hikes and buying up domains that people search for.
Final thoughts
Instead of looking on a registrar, you can use ICANN Lookup to check domain availability.
Feel free to share your experiences with these registrars or add any options I may have missed in the comments.
Farewell, Google Domains :(
Edit: Removed Gandi from the list because of unpopular decisions such as drastically increasing prices after being acquired by Total Webhosting Solutions.
Edit 2: Do not trust anyone recommending Dynadot under this post. They keep spamming the comments with obviously fake reviews. I've asked the mods to lock new comments.