When you launch your own website or want a personalised e-mail address, you will need a domain name. It is worth considering an original domain name. Ideally, your domain name should reflect who you are, what you do or what you offer online.
Tip 1: check whether your preferred domain name is still available
You can do this easily on our website. Register your domain name before you mention it on business cards, for instance. You can only be sure that the preferred domain name is yours once it has actually been registered.
Tip 2: think carefully about your domain name
Opt for a pithy and powerful domain name. Try an abbreviation. Make sure that your domain name is easy to remember. A domain name must be simple to write and easy to pronounce or spell. Avoid difficult constructions with hyphens, figures or letters such as q, x and z. Opt for a distinctive domain name that differs sufficiently from the competition.
Useful tips on how to find a domain name or name for your company
Tip 3: think carefully about the extension of your domain name
A domain name is an important component of your online identity, so you should give careful thought to a fitting domain extension for your website. Until recently in Belgium, .be was the obvious domain extension to use, but all sorts of new extensions have cropped up since 2014 such as .vlaanderen, .brussels, .gent, .london, .immo, .mail, .help, .pizza.
Tip 4: register in the name of your company
If you want to register a domain name for a company, it is important to do so in the name of the company or the manager. Anyone in the organisation can complete the registration process, but if that person does so in his or her own name, you might lose control over your domain name if and when s/he leaves the company.
Tip 5: check your data
Check whether the contact details for the registered domain name are correct when you register. You do this by entering below the domain you have just registered.
If your details are not correct, you should contact your registrar immediately.