Law Firm Domain Names: Your 2022 Guide

If you’re just beginning to market your individual practice or law firm on the internet, you’ll need to pick a domain name for your website. Choosing a domain is an important decision, and for lawyer sites, it is a potential client’s first impression of your business. 

• Why are Domain Names Important?
• Tips for Great Law Firm Domain Names
  • Start with Search
  • Pronounced, Read, and Spelled
  • Lawyer Domain Character Limits
  • Top-Level Domains
  • Brandable
• What If the Domain Name is Already Taken?
• How to Register
• Ask a Website Design Company for Help

Why are Domain Names Important?

A domain name is a crucial part of your brand and business, and you’ll want to keep in mind that your domain name will appear on billboards, business cards, and in many places on the internet. If your domain doesn’t match your field of practice or is too complicated, it might send some potential customers away. 

Tips for Great Law Firm Domain Names

Start with Search

If you can get one of your key search terms or phrases into your domain name, that will give you a major advantage down the road, especially when it comes to attorney SEO marketing. 

It is possible to do some excellent optimization with subdomains, however, there is a lot to be said for having a key search term in every single URL on your site and in every link to your site.

Pronounced, Read, and Spelled

Is your domain able to be pronounced, read, and easily spelled?

It is never a good idea to use a domain that fails even one of these tests, as it will reduce your web traffic before you even get your site built. 

Lawyer Domain Character Limits

By principle, try to keep your domain short and simple. You can use up to 63 characters in your domain, but anything over 20 characters can be awkward. Try to avoid anything that complicates your, domain, such as hyphens and other symbols. 

Top-Level Domains

You want to decide on a top-level domain, such as .com, .net, or .co. 

If you cannot get the .com domain you want (which in general should be your first choice), consider the other TLDs. 

Brandable

Using your law firm’s name in your domain is a branding opportunity unless your name is long or difficult to spell. Attorney websites frequently abbreviate their name to have shorter domain names. You can also use your town or practice area in your domain name to brand yourself, such as examplebankruptcy.com. or exampleanytown.com.

What If the Domain Name is Already Taken?

If someone has the domain name you want and they are not using it, they may sell it to you. If you can’t find an appropriate domain name, ask the firm providing your law firm website design for help.

How to Register

The steps to registering a domain are fairly simple. If you have any trouble registering, contact us! We can help you get a domain that works well for your firm.

• First, you’ll want to find a domain registrar, such as GoDaddy.com, Domain.com, or Google Domains. 
• See if someone else has already taken your desired domain.
• Once you find a domain that’s not taken, you’ll follow the steps to registering
• Be sure to double-check the contract you sign to see what policies you are agreeing to 

Here’s a helpful video that breaks down the steps to registering a domain name:

After these steps, don’t be concerned if you aren’t able to use the domain for a few days. After that, if you have any concerns about the domain, your best bet is to reach out to the registrar to fix the problem.

Ask a Legal Website Design Company for Help

A law firm domain name is always a central issue for entrepreneurs. If you choose your domain well, your firm will have a higher chance of success. If you need help choosing and registering a domain name, contact us today.