How Many Characters Can Your Domain Name Be?

Choosing a domain name for your business can feel like a big decision. You want it to be memorable, relevant, and easy to share. Part of this process is understanding how long your domain name can actually be.

The Short Answer: Domain Name Length

Most domain names can be up to 63 characters long, not including the part after the dot (like .com or .net). This limit is quite generous. For example, "yourbusinessnamelookingforanewhomeonline.com" would likely fit within the character limit.

However, just because you can use a very long domain name doesn't mean you should. Shorter domains are generally better for several reasons that affect how customers find and remember your business.

Why Shorter Domains Are Better

Even with a 63-character limit, brevity is key for domain names. Here's why:

• Easier to Remember: A short, punchy domain name sticks in people's minds. If your domain is too long or complex, customers might forget it or type it incorrectly.
• Less Prone to Typos: The more characters in a domain, the higher the chance of a typo. A single misplaced letter can send a potential customer to the wrong site, or nowhere at all.
• Better for Marketing: Short domains are easier to include on business cards, advertisements, social media posts, and email signatures. They look cleaner and take up less space.
• Faster to Type: While a small difference, every second counts online. A shorter domain means less effort for your customers.
• Mobile-Friendly: On smaller screens, long domain names can wrap onto multiple lines or be truncated, making them harder to read and use.

Think about major brands online. Most have very short, memorable domain names. This isn't a coincidence; it's a strategic choice for online presence.

What Counts Towards the Character Limit?

When we talk about the 63-character limit, we're referring to the main part of your domain name. This is often called the "second-level domain" (SLD).

For example, in yourbusiness.com:

• yourbusiness is the second-level domain.
• .com is the "top-level domain" (TLD).

The TLD itself, like .com, .net, .org, or a country-code TLD like .ca, does not count towards the 63 characters.

Hyphens are allowed within your domain name and do count as characters. For example, my-awesome-business.com would have 19 characters in the second-level domain. Numbers are also allowed and count as characters.

Most domain names cannot start or end with a hyphen. They also cannot contain spaces or special characters like !, @, #, $, %, etc. The only allowed characters are letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and hyphens.

Practical Advice for Choosing Your Domain Name

Given the character limits and the benefits of shorter names, here's how to approach your domain name choice:

1. Start with Your Business Name: Ideally, your domain name should be your business name, or a very close variation. This helps with brand recognition and customer recall.
2. Keep it as Short as Possible: Aim for a domain that's under 15 characters if you can, excluding the TLD. Anything under 10 is excellent.
3. Avoid Hyphens if Possible: While allowed, hyphens can sometimes make a domain harder to say or remember. If you need to separate words, consider if you can combine them without a hyphen and still be clear (e.g., mybusinessname.com instead of my-business-name.com).
4. Check for Availability: Once you have a few ideas, use a domain registrar to check if they are available. The ideal choice might already be taken.

Don't get stuck trying to find the absolute perfect, shortest domain if it means sacrificing clarity or relevance to your business. A slightly longer, clear domain is better than a very short, confusing one.

Takeaways

• Most domain names can be up to 63 characters long (not including the .com or .net part).
• Shorter domains are easier to remember, type, and market.
• Letters, numbers, and hyphens count towards the limit; TLDs do not.
• Avoid starting or ending your domain with a hyphen.
• Aim for a domain name that is clear, memorable, and as short as possible.

When you're ready to secure your business's online identity, you'll need to register your chosen domain name through a domain registrar. This is also where you can often set up professional email addresses that use your new domain.