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Information Centre

What Is The Best Domain Name Length?

While generally speaking a short domain name is best, there are some exceptions to this guideline to bear in mind.

The "short is good" mantra is true to a degree, but registration of a short address needs to be a decision based on a more holistic approach.

For example, consider these two examples of web addresses left of the dot.

  • 8xuz-zy
  • purpleflombles

The purpleflombles example has double the characters of 8xuz-zy; but it would be reasonable to conclude the purpleflombles name would be easier to remember and relay - and that is a key point to consider when choosing domain names. It's not just the fact the 8xuz-zy isn't really pronounceable, but also that it has a hyphen and a number in it.

Good, short web addresses are becoming very hard to find in .COM; but you may have better luck trying to find and register .com.au domain names of a reasonably short length that are still available. 

If you can't find a suitable short domain name - don't panic. There's nothing wrong with longer domain names either, but some of the basic rules apply 

  • Must be easy to remember
  • Must be easy to relay to someone else 
  • Must be easy to spell

Don't go overboard on length though - very long addresses can look rather spammy and that leads us to another related issue that will become increasingly important - web usage on mobile devices.

Even a 70-word a minute touch typist can be defeated by the comparatively tiny keypads on some hand held devices and many people aren't familiar with copying and pasting using such a device.

Conventional keyboard touch-typing involves all the fingers and thumbs - keypads are a two finger exercise at best and can be quite frustrating to those more comfortable with a keyboard; so the fewer characters the better. 

That said, web browsing is usually carried out through following links these days; so little typing is involved. Still, it's something to consider in your domain name choice.

What Is The Average Domain Name Length?

According to Verisign, in the first half of 2013 nearly 10 percent of daily .com registrations were five- to six-character names. However, it appears the most common domain name length in relation to .com registrations is around 12-13 characters; and containing 2 words.

Verisign states almost 95% of five-character .com name combinations were still available at that time, but many of those would involve the issue we mentioned above - being hard to recall and hard to communicate to others.

Finding really accurate related statistics can be a little challenging as a significant portion of .com domain name registrations can be attributed to speculators ("domainers") and others who have no intention of using the web address for a fully-fledged, non-spam web site.

In terms of popular online destinations, back in 2013 we published some statisticsindicating many of the world's most visited web sites have domain names of between 6 - 10 characters.

What Is The Maximum Domain Name Length?

The maximum number of characters you can have in a website address left of the "." is 63 characters. That's an awfully long URL and we don't recommend choosing such a lengthy domain in any circumstances.

For more tips on name selection, view our guide to choosing domain names or start your domain name search.

Available Domain Name Search & Register

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How to register a name: Enter your choice in the search tool and click 'GO'. If after the check the domain names search results show your choice is available, you will then have the option to proceed to purchase registration; which is a very quick and easy process - start a search and find your ideal website address now.