Ok, so you’ve got your side hustle idea sorted. Maybe you’re selling handmade candles, consulting or running a cleaning business. Now you need a website, and that means choosing a domain name.

I know that you’ve heard to ‘keep it short’ or ‘make it memorable’, but what do you do when your perfect name is already taken and how much you should actually spend.

I’m a solo website designer in Great Barr, Birmingham and I work with side hustlers launching their first business websites. Here’s what I tell my clients about choosing domain names that actually work for real businesses with real budgets.

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Your Domain Name Budget: What’s Realistic?

First let’s talk money. A standard .co.uk domain costs about £10-15 per year. That’s it. You don’t need a premium domain costing thousands when you’re just starting out.

If you’re spending £1,500 on your website (which is about right for a proper small business site), your domain should cost you less than 1% of that budget. Save your money for the website itself, not the web address.

Premium domains exist, however, I’ve seen successful side hustles running on domains that cost £12 a year. Your success won’t come from your domain name. It will come from your service, your marketing and your website growth.

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The Business Name vs Domain Name Dilemma

Your domain name doesn’t have to match your business name exactly. Of course its fantastic if it does and this is especially important for side hustlers in the UK, because Companies House might have your perfect business name, but someone else might own the matching .co.uk domain.

Let me give you a real example. Say you want to call your business ‘Sparkle Clean Birmingham’ and the domain sparklecleanbirmingham.co.uk is taken. You have 3 options:

• Get sparkle-clean-bham.co.uk instead (hyphens aren’t ideal but they work)
• Try sparklebirmingham.co.uk
• Use your actual name with your service: sarahscleaning.co.uk

Nobody will refuse to book you because your domain is slightly different from your business name. What matters is that when they land on your website, it’s immediately clear what you do and how to secure your services.

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.co.uk or .com? or even .io. What Actually Matters for UK Side Hustles

If you’re serving UK customers, get a .co.uk. It makes sense.

Yes, .com domains are ‘more prestigious’. But your Birmingham cleaning clients don’t care. They want to know you’re local, you’re legit and you’ll show up when you say you will.

A .co.uk domain immediately signals you’re a UK business. It builds trust with local customers. Plus, it’s usually cheaper and easier to get the name you want.

An .io domain is a newer extension that became popular with tech startups because “IO” is short for “input/output” in computing. It’s commonly used by software and online tools, not local service businesses. Because most people aren’t familiar with it, .io can feel confusing or unexpected for everyday customers.

The only time I’d suggest buying both .co.uk and .com is if you’re planning to expand internationally later which some of my clients have done. Otherwise, save the £10-15 a year you’d spend on the .com and put it towards your marketing budget instead.

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Location in Your Domain: The Side Hustler’s Secret Weapon

Big companies with massive budgets can fight for generic domains like ‘thecleaningcompany.co.uk’. You can’t, and you don’t need to.

Putting your location in your domain name (e.g. plumberbirmingham.co.uk, photographersheffield.co.uk, hairdressermanchester.co.uk) can still be useful, but it’s no longer the SEO shortcut it once was. It does three main things for you:

• It’s often available – national brands and large companies rarely bother registering hyper-local domains, so they’re usually easier to secure
• It provides a small local relevance signal – Google no longer gives strong ranking boosts for exact-match domains, but a location in the domain can still support local SEO when combined with strong content, reviews, and a well-optimised Google Business Profile
• It instantly communicates who you serve – visitors immediately know you work in their area, which can improve trust and click-through rates, especially on mobile

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Keywords vs Brand Names: What Works for Side Hustles

You’ll find two types of domains on the market:

• Descriptive: cleaningservicesbirmingham.co.uk, mobilehairdresserleeds.co.uk
• Branded: sparklehq.co.uk, glossandgo.co.uk

For side hustles, I recommend descriptive names because you don’t have a marketing budget to make people remember a brand name. You need people to find you when they search for what you do.

A domain like ‘mobilehairdresserleeds.co.uk’ tells Google and customers exactly what you do. A domain like ‘glossandgo.co.uk’ sounds nice but requires explanation.

Branded names work when you’ve got money for advertising. Descriptive names work when you need customers to find you organically. That’s why they’re better for side hustles.

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The ‘Keep It Short’ Rule: What It Really Means

Every domain guide tells you to keep it short. But short isn’t always better for side hustles.

Yes, facebook.co.uk is short. But you’re not Facebook. You can’t spend millions making people remember your three-letter domain.

For service-based side hustles, a domain like plumberwestbromwich.co.uk works better than something like jmpservices.co.uk, even though it’s longer. The longer domain tells people what you do and where you do it. The shorter one is just letters.

Aim for clarity over brevity. If your domain makes sense when someone hears it once, that’s short enough.

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Hyphens, Numbers and Things to Generally Avoid

The standard advice says avoid hyphens and numbers with exception. If the alternative is a confusing mishmash of words, a hyphen might really help.

For example: sparkle-clean-birmingham.co.uk is easier to read than sparklecleanbirmingham.co.uk. It’s easier to type correctly, easier to say out loud and easier to remember.

Numbers are different. Don’t use them. Ever. It’s confusing. Is it ‘first’ or ‘1st’? Is it ‘four’ or ‘4’? You’ll spend forever explaining it and half your potential customers will type it wrong and land on someone else’s site.

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What to Do When Your Perfect Domain Is Taken

Tear your hair out! No – It’s not that deep!

But first check if it’s actually being used. Type it into your browser. If nothing loads or it’s just a parked page with adverts, someone might be sitting on it hoping to sell it to you for hundreds of pounds. You don’t need to pay them, just find an alternative instead.

• Options that actually work:
• Add your area: If plumber.co.uk is taken, try plumbersutton.co.uk
• Add your name: sarahscleaningbirmingham.co.uk
• Add your specialism: kitchenplumberbirmingham.co.uk
• Try .uk instead of .co.uk (though .co.uk is still better for credibility)

Stay descriptive. Don’t get creative and pick something obscure just because it’s available. Your domain needs to tell people what you do.

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Checking Social Media Handles (But Don’t Stress About It)

You’ll read that you need matching handles across Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and everywhere else. That’s ideal, but it’s not essential for most side hustles.

If you’re a cleaning business, your customers care that you clean their house properly. They don’t care if your Instagram is @sparklecleanbham instead of @sparklecleanbirmingham.

Check the main platforms you’ll actually use. If you’re doing B2B services, that’s probably LinkedIn. If you’re doing consumer services, that might be Facebook and Instagram. Get as close as you can to your domain name, but don’t lose sleep over perfect matches.

Social media matters for marketing, but inconsistent handles won’t kill your business. An inconsistent domain and business name will confuse people though, so prioritise getting those aligned first.

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Where to Actually Buy Your Domain

I tell my clients to keep it simple: use a straightforward UK registrar like 123-reg, Fasthosts or Names.co.uk. They’re all fine. Pick one, buy your domain and keep it moving.

Don’t get upsold on ‘premium email hosting’ or ‘professional website builders’. You’re buying a domain name, which costs about £12 a year. Everything else is extra right now.

What you do need is domain privacy (sometimes called WHOIS privacy). This stops your personal address and phone number being publicly searchable when someone looks up who owns your domain. Most registrars include this for free now, but just check before you buy.

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Domain Names and Your Website Timeline

Did you know that you can buy your domain before you’re ready for your website. In fact, you probably should.

Domains are cheap. Websites take time to build. If you find a good domain name, buy it now for £12. Even if you’re not building your website for another three months, at least nobody else can have it.

This is especially important for side hustlers. You might not have your website deposit saved yet, but you can afford the domain. Secure it now while you’re getting money together.

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What About Those .online, .store, .shop Domains?

What about newer domain extensions like .online, .store, or .shop? New options appear all the time, and they’re tempting because the exact name you want is usually available.

The issue isn’t Google, it’s people. Most users still instinctively type .co.uk or .com. They don’t naturally try .shop or .online, which means you often have to explain or repeat your web address, especially when sharing it verbally.

For side hustlers and small businesses, that extra friction matters. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to find you, not to add another thing they need to remember or get wrong.

For UK-focused businesses, .co.uk remains the safest and most recognisable choice. .com makes sense if you’re planning to operate internationally. The newer extensions aren’t useless, but in 2026 they still don’t offer enough upside to outweigh the familiarity of the defaults.

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Domain Registration Length: One Year or Multiple?

Registrars will try to sell you multi-year registrations. ‘Save money by registering for five years!’

Don’t do it. Not at first.

Your side hustle might pivot. You might realise six months in that you want a different domain. You might decide the business isn’t for you. Register for one year, set a calendar reminder for renewal, and reassess when the date comes around.

Once you’ve been running for a year and you’re confident in your domain choice, then consider longer registrations if the price actually saves you money. But give yourself a year to figure it out.

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So…Now You Know How to Choose a Domain Name for your Small Business

• Clearly say what you do? (cleaningservices, mobilemechanic, photographyweddings)
• Include your location if you’re serving a local area? (birmingham, manchester, leeds)
• Can you say it out loud without having to spell it?
• Is it a .co.uk domain?
• Can you afford it without stretching your startup budget? (if it’s more than £20/year, keep looking)
• Have you checked it’s not infringing on someone else’s trademark? (do a quick Google search of the exact phrase)
• If you can tick all these boxes, buy it. Don’t overthink it. Your domain name matters, but it’s not make or break for your business.

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Next Steps and Recommendation

Once you’ve got your domain, you’ll need a website to point it to. That’s where the actual work begins.

For most side hustles, a straightforward website costs around £1,500 and takes about 2-4 weeks to build. The domain is step one. The website is where you’ll actually make money. Get the domain sorted, then focus on building something that works.

Need a website for your side hustle? I’m a Birmingham-based website designer who specialises in straightforward, affordable sites for small businesses and side hustles. No agency prices, no 12-week timelines. Just websites that work. Get in Touch!

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Frequently Asked Questions About Affording a Website as a Side Hustler