Choosing the right domain name is one of the first decisions you make when you take your business online, and not one you'll want to change later. The quick answer: pick a short name that's easy to spell and easy to remember, close to your business name and ending in .es if your customers are in Spain. Before you pay, check the domain is available, clear of trade marks and free on social media. This guide explains each step.
What is a domain name and why does it matter?
A domain name is the web address you type into a browser to reach a website, for example yourbusiness.es. Domain names replace the numbers that identify a server, its IP address, with words anyone can read.
Your domain appears online and offline: on your van, your business cards, your invoices and, if you create one, your email address. You'll probably keep your domain for the life of your business, so getting it right is important.
The two parts of a domain: name and extension
In yourbusiness.es, ‘yourbusiness’ is the name you choose and ‘.es’ is the extension, or top-level domain (TLD).
There are many extensions to choose from, ranging from country codes like .es to generic endings like .com, and some domain extensions have two levels, such as .co.uk.
Domain, hosting, website and email: what's the difference?
Four things are often mixed up, so here's how it all works:
- Domain: your address on the internet, registered for a set period and renewed to keep it.
- Hosting: the server space where your website's files are stored.
- Website: the pages and design visitors see at that address.
- Email: addresses that use your domain, such as info@yourbusiness.es, which you can also use for your newsletter.
The domain points to your hosting; the two can be with different providers, as long as the domain is in your name.
Why a domain of your own matters
A free subdomain such as yourbusiness.wordpress.com or yourbusiness.wixsite.com belongs to the platform and suggests you haven't invested in your online presence. A domain of your own:
- gives your business credibility;
- lets you create a professional email address;
- becomes part of your brand, like your logo;
- stays with you if you change web designer or hosting.
Weighing up tools to build your site? Our comparison of Wix or WordPress explains what each platform offers.
Which domain extension should you choose?
For a small business whose clients are in Spain, choose .es. If you sell online to several countries, a .com is a good option, and if your clientele is mainly in the UK, a .co.uk can make sense.
The right domain extension depends on where your audience is. Here's how the main extensions compare:
| Extension | Who it suits | Advantages | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| .es | Clients in Spain | Shows you work in Spain and points search engines to Spain | Requires interests or links with Spain |
| .com | Sales in several countries | Widely recognised, with no country attached | Many obvious domain names are already registered |
| .co.uk | Clients mainly in the UK | Familiar to British clients | Says nothing about Spain |
| .eu | Work across the EU | A European image | Only for EU citizens, EU residents (living in Spain counts) and EU organisations |
| .org | Associations and non-profits | Recognised for non-commercial projects | Can confuse visitors looking for a business |
Why .es suits a business based in Spain
The .es extension is Spain's country code, managed by the public body Red.es. Google treats country-code domains as a signal that a site targets that country: a .es points to Spain, which a .com doesn't.
Its impact is on geographic targeting, not on local rankings: a .es won't, on its own, lift you in searches for your town. For what does help, see how to rank your website in local search.
It also adds credibility with a local audience: a client in Valencia who sees .es knows right away that you work here. To register one you need interests or links with Spain, and living or running a business here meets that condition.
When a .com is the better choice
A .com has no country attached, so it works best for businesses that sell online to several countries, now or in the future.
Many .com domain names were registered years ago, so obvious names are hard to find. For a local business, a .com isn't wrong; it just says less about where you work.
When a .co.uk makes sense
A .co.uk, the ending British clients know from home, makes sense if you work mainly for clients in the UK: for example, a translator in Alicante who works online for British firms. If you serve English speakers living in Spain, though, .es suits that audience better than a .co.uk, because they search from here.
If your business is based in the UK and you build your website with WebAutonomos, we register a .co.uk or .uk domain in your name, included the first year, as we do with a .es.
.org, regional and sector endings
A .org is open to anyone, but visitors associate it with non-profits.
Regional domains (.cat, .gal, .eus) and city domains (.madrid) suit projects tied to a specific language or place, while newer extensions like .shop describe your sector but may puzzle your audience. If you're choosing one, reserve the .es at the same time and point both to the same site.
Tips for picking a good domain name
Good domain names are short, easy to spell and say, without hyphens or numbers, and close to the name your customers already know. There's no perfect domain for every business, but these tips help you choose.
Keep it short and memorable
The fewer characters, the easier your domain is to type on a mobile or fit on a van.
As a general rule, aim for no more than about 15 characters before the extension. For a lengthy company name, a recognisable abbreviation works best.
Pass the phone test
One of the simplest tips is getting a second opinion: say the domain out loud and ask someone to write it down. If they hesitate, find another option.
If you work in Spain in English, try it on a British and a Spanish listener, and read your shortlist of names without spaces so the words don't run together into something odd.
Accents and the letter ñ are allowed in .es domain names but can trip people up: if your brand has an ñ, it's best to reserve the version without it too.
Avoid hyphens, numbers and special characters
Hyphens and numbers create doubts when you read a domain out: is there a dash? Is the number in figures or letters?
Domain names with hyphens are also easy to confuse with a competitor's, so try another combination.
Match your business name and brand
Whether it ends in .es or .com, the right domain matches your business or professional name: the one on your sign, your invoices and your Google Business Profile.
That consistency between your domain and your profiles helps people find you and strengthens your branding, as our article on personal branding for freelancers explains. Distinctive names are also easier to register as trade marks than generic descriptions.
Think about the future
Your domain should still fit, and you should still love it, in five years' time. Domain names tied to one specific service, for example boiler repairs, can become a limit if you add bathroom renovations, a blog or an online shop. Pick a name with room for future services.
Does your domain name affect SEO?
Only a little: success in search results depends on much more than your domain name. You don't need a keyword in your domain to rank, and a country extension such as .es mainly signals which country you're aiming at, while a .com stays neutral. The bigger impact on SEO comes from stability: changing domains later can cost you traffic.
Do you need keywords in your domain?
No. Keywords, for example ‘plumber’ or ‘physio’, can make it clearer what you do, but they aren't a shortcut to the top of the results and don't replace useful content on your site, or your reviews.
Keyword-stuffed domains like cheapemergencyplumberyourtown.es look untrustworthy. If you add keywords, keep it to one or two; our blog post on how to choose local keywords will help you find them.
What official search documentation says
The SEO Starter Guide on Search Central puts the focus on helpful, relevant content and clear information for users, not on the words in your domain. Its documentation on ranking systems describes signals about the pages themselves, and a Search Central blog post on new top-level domains explains that a new TLD such as .shop or .online gets no ranking advantage over a .com.
A country-code TLD like .es is generally treated as a sign that your site targets people in Spain. Once your site is live, Search Console shows which pages are in the index and how they appear in search results, and it's one of the free resources worth adding to your list.
In practice, the time you might spend hunting for a keyword domain is better spent on content: a page for each service, relevant information about the towns you cover and clear ways to reach you. Those pages are what appear in the results, and other sites are more likely to link to useful content than to a clever address.
Should your town be in the domain?
Adding a specific town, for example your trade plus ‘alicante’, can help clients see where you work, but it may feel narrow once you start working in Elche and Elda too. In that case, name your towns on your website instead.
Changing domains later: what it involves
Moving to a new domain takes time and work:
- every page on the old site must redirect permanently to the new domain;
- your business listing, social profiles, online directories and printed material need updating;
- you may lose traffic while search systems recrawl your pages and update their index.
That's why choosing the right domain from the start pays off. For the bigger picture, read local SEO for freelancers.
How to check if a domain name is available
A simple way to do it: use the online domain search tools of any registrar, which show right away which extensions you can still register.
Checking domain names costs nothing and takes no technical skills.
- Enter the names on your shortlist, without the extension.
- Look at which domain extensions you can get: .es, .com and others you're considering.
- Search for the name online and on social networks to see whether another business or website uses it.
- If the domain is taken, run a WHOIS search to find out more.
What a WHOIS search tells you
WHOIS is the public record of registered domain names. A lookup shows the registrar, the registration and expiry dates and the status; the details of individual owners are often hidden for privacy.
Expired domains become available again after a waiting period if the holder doesn't renew in time.
What to do if the domain you want is taken
Don't hold out for the perfect name or give up on a good one too soon. Get creative:
- choose another extension, such as .com instead of .es, or the other way round;
- add your trade or your town, for example your surname plus ‘reformas’ if you do renovations in Alicante;
- try domain name generator tools, which can help you find creative names;
- offer to buy the domain from its current holder;
- if someone registered your trade mark as a domain in bad faith, claim it through a dispute resolution procedure.
Trade marks and social media handles
Before you buy, it's best to check that the domain name isn't a trade mark held by another business in your sector and that you can use it on social media.
A domain gives you no rights over a trade mark: if it matches someone else's brand, the owner can claim it, even once you have clients. A few quick searches help you avoid that:
- search the name on the website of the OEPM, the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office;
- look up EU trade marks with the EUIPO, the European Union Intellectual Property Office;
- see whether the handle is available on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Using the same name on your site and your profiles makes you easier to find and helps build trust; our article on which social networks to use as a freelancer will help you decide where to be.
If the business is important to you, consider registering your own trade mark.
How to register your domain and keep it secure
You get a domain through a registrar for a set period and renew it to keep it. Three things matter:
- the domain is in your name;
- it renews automatically;
- it sits in a secure account.
Tips for choosing a registrar
Any accredited registrar that sells the extensions you want can register the same domain names, so compare the service around them to find the right one.
Spanish companies, for example DonDominio or Nominalia, sell .es domains online, as do many international ones. Before you pick one, consider:
- the renewal price: that's the important figure, not the introductory offer;
- a clear control panel to manage your domains and DNS settings;
- customer support in a language you're comfortable with;
- security options such as two-factor authentication and a transfer lock;
- privacy settings for your WHOIS data.
Many registrars also sell hosting and email alongside domains, but you don't have to buy everything in the same place.
Put the domain in your own name
Someone else can handle the domain registration, but it's important that the holder is you or your company. It's a common trap for business owners: if the domain is in your web designer's name and you part ways, getting it back can be difficult.
Set up automatic renewal
Domains are registered for a period, not bought outright, so it's best to turn on automatic renewal (for all of them if you own multiple domains) and keep your account email current. If you're unsure how, your provider's support team can help.
If a domain expires, your website and email stop working and, after a grace period, anyone can claim it.
Protect your details and your account
For a .es, you'll give an identity document number, such as your NIE; keep your details accurate, because the registry uses them to confirm who the holder is.
Whoever controls your registrar account controls your domains, so here are two security tips:
- use a strong password and, if available, two-factor authentication;
- if you ever lose access, ask their support team straight away.
Watch out for spam and phishing about your domain
ICANN's guidance for domain holders warns about fake renewal notices and messages that imitate your provider to steal your login. A few habits help:
- check any renewal or transfer request inside your account, never through a link in the message;
- never send your transfer code to someone who contacts you first;
- report spam and phishing that uses your registrar's name to their support team;
- keep your registration information valid: providers send reminders, and inaccurate data can put the registration at risk.
Read your provider's policies on renewals, transfers and changes of holder, so you know what happens if you no longer need the domain or want to move it to another provider.
Your domain with WebAutonomos
If you build your website with WebAutonomos, the .es domain is registered in your name: it's included the first year, then costs about €12 annually, and you keep it if you leave.
There are two plans with the same services: €15/month with no setup fee and no commitment, or €349 as a one-off payment. Both include the design, hosting, the SSL certificate and basic SEO.
A professional email address isn't included in either plan, but we can set one up on request. To compare prices in Spain, read our blog post on how much a website costs for freelancers.
Common mistakes when choosing a domain
These mistakes with domains are common and easy to avoid:
- choosing a name that's too long or hard to spell;
- registering the domain in your designer's or agency's name;
- paying for logo design, branding and printing before the domain is registered;
- forgetting to renew and losing your email and your traffic;
- changing domains without a good reason and losing your SEO work;
- buying domain names and leaving them without a website for months;
- leaving the .com unprotected when your brand could grow abroad.
Checklist before you buy your domain name
Before you buy a domain, make sure it's right: you should be able to answer yes to every question:
- Is it short and easy to remember?
- Can someone spell it after hearing it once, in Spanish and in English?
- Does it avoid hyphens, numbers and accents?
- Does it match your business name and what you do?
- Does it end in .es if your customers are in Spain, or .com if you sell abroad?
- Is the name clear of trade marks and available as a social handle?
- Will the domain be in your name, with automatic renewal turned on?
- Have you read the registrar's renewal and transfer policies?
The perfect domain is the one your audience remembers and connects with you. It won't make your business a success on its own, but it will help people find you online for years to come.
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