Choosing a domain name is a branding decision first and a technical one second. This guide is about the decision — what makes a name work, which extension to pick, and the checks that stop a good name turning into a legal problem later. Once you’ve settled on a name, checking it’s free and registering it are separate steps, covered in their own guides linked below.
Pick the right extension
For a New Zealand audience, the choice is usually between .nz, .co.nz and .com.
.nz vs .co.nz vs .com
The two .nz options are treated the same by search engines. Availability is usually the deciding factor.
| Feature | .nz | .co.nz | .com |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ-focus signal | Yes | Yes | None built in |
| Local familiarity | Growing | Highest | Global, not local |
| Availability | Often free | More taken | Hardest to get |
| Length / style | Shortest, modern | Traditional | Familiar worldwide |
A .nz or .co.nz tells Google your audience is in New Zealand — a geographic signal, not a general ranking boost. Both carry the same registry fee.
The .co.nz extension is the long-established commercial standard and carries the most local familiarity. The shorter .nz is newer, cleaner and increasingly common. The important thing to be clear about: search engines treat the two the same. Both tell Google your audience is in New Zealand — a geographic signal, not a general ranking boost — and both carry the same registry fee. So the choice between them comes down to availability and which reads better for your brand, not to any SEO difference.
A .com is a global address with no built-in New Zealand signal. It’s fine if you’re aiming beyond New Zealand or if the .com is genuinely part of your brand, but for a locally focused business a .nz or .co.nz does more work.
A common tactic worth knowing: if both .nz and .co.nz of your name are free, some businesses register both, point one at the other with a 301 redirect, and use the spare to stop a competitor grabbing the lookalike. That’s optional insurance, not a requirement.
Make it pass the radio test
The single most useful test for a name is whether you can say it down the phone and have someone type it correctly without you spelling it out.
Does the name pass?
- The radio test. Say it aloud down the phone. If you have to spell it, it’s too complex.
- No hyphens or numbers. “4” for “for”, “u” for “you” and hyphens all get mistyped and forgotten.
- Avoid awkward letter runs. Doubled or tripled letters (“pizazzacademy”) are hard to type right first go.
- Short enough to remember. Shorter names survive small phone keyboards and word-of-mouth better.
- Brand first, keyword second. A distinct brand (Xero) outlasts a generic keyword string (accountingsoftware) as a name people remember.
- Room to grow. Don’t box yourself in with a name tied to one product or one suburb if you plan to expand.
The two that trip people up most are hyphens-and-numbers and the brand-versus-keyword question.
Hyphens and digits feel clever on paper and fail in practice — best-plumber4u.nz is mistyped, misremembered and misheard every time it’s spoken, and someone else probably owns the version without the hyphen. A slightly longer name made of real words beats a short one full of punctuation.
On brand versus keyword: putting your service or city in the name (dunedinlawyers.nz) can help a niche local business be understood at a glance, and there’s nothing wrong with it. But a distinct brand name is easier to turn into something people remember and search for by name over time. Keyword-in-domain is a mild, shrinking factor; don’t distort a good brand to chase it.
Do the due diligence before you buy
A name being available to register does not mean you have the right to use it. This is the step that turns a cheap mistake into an expensive one, and it takes about two minutes.
Check these before you commit
- Run it through ONECheck first. The free MBIE tool at business.govt.nz checks the name as a business name, trade mark, web domain and social handle in one search.
- Confirm the trade mark position. A free domain doesn’t give you the right to trade under a name — search the IPONZ register for conflicts in your industry.
- Check the .nz availability itself. Through an authorised registrar or the .nz register query search, for the exact extension you want.
- Secure the social handles. Consistency across your domain and accounts matters more than a perfect domain paired with an awkward handle.
A domain that clashes with a registered trade mark can be challenged through the Domain Name Commission’s Dispute Resolution Service — and the money you spent doesn’t come back.
The tool most people don’t know about is ONECheck, the free MBIE service at business.govt.nz. One search tells you whether your name is free as a business name, whether it clashes with a registered trade mark, which domains are available, and whether the social handles are taken — searching the Companies Register, IPONZ and the NZBN Register in one go. For anyone naming a business, it’s the first search to run, not the last.
The reason the trade mark check matters: a domain that conflicts with someone’s registered mark can be challenged through the Domain Name Commission’s Dispute Resolution Service, and if you lose, the name and the money you spent on it both go. Registering a deliberate misspelling of an established brand, or a name trading off someone’s trade mark, is the fast route to that outcome — avoid it.
Once you’ve chosen
Choosing the name is the hard part. After that, two short steps remain, each with its own guide.
Confirm the exact name and extension are actually free — our guide to checking whether a .nz name is available covers ONECheck, the register query search and what an “unavailable” result really means.
Then register it from an authorised registrar — our guide to buying a .nz domain covers extensions, costs and the rules that apply.
And if your first choice turns out to be taken but not in use, it may still be for sale — our guide to buying a name someone already owns covers valuation and safe negotiation. Once the name is yours, pointing it at your hosting is the final step.
This article is provided for factual and informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice. Trade mark and business-name conflicts can have legal consequences — search the IPONZ register and, for a significant brand, seek advice from a qualified lawyer before committing. For authoritative information see ONECheck, IPONZ and the Domain Name Commission.
Reference sources
- business.govt.nz — ONECheck
- IPONZ — Trade marks and searching the register
- Domain Name Commission — .nz Rules
- Domain Name Commission — Dispute Resolution Service
- InternetNZ — .nz Rules and second-level domains
- Google Search Central — Country-code domains and geographic targeting
- Google Search Central — Search Console country targeting removed (2022)
Frequently asked questions
Should I choose .nz or .co.nz?
Either works, and search engines treat them the same — both signal a New Zealand audience and carry the same registry fee. The .co.nz is more familiar to older Kiwi audiences; the .nz is shorter and more modern. Pick on availability and which reads better for your brand, not on any supposed SEO difference. If both are free, some businesses register both and redirect one to the other.
Does putting a keyword in my domain help it rank?
Only slightly, and it’s a diminishing factor. A keyword or city in the name (dunedinlawyers.nz) can help a niche local business be understood quickly, but Google doesn’t reward keyword-in-domain the way it once did. A distinct brand name that people remember and search for by name is worth more over the long term.
Do I really need to check trade marks before buying a domain?
Yes. A domain being free to register doesn’t give you the legal right to trade under it. If it clashes with a registered trade mark, it can be challenged through the Domain Name Commission’s Dispute Resolution Service, and you can lose both the name and what you paid. Search the IPONZ register first — ONECheck does this in the same search.
What’s the best free tool for choosing a New Zealand business name?
ONECheck, the free MBIE tool at business.govt.nz. One search checks the name as a business name, a trade mark, a web domain and a social handle, across the Companies Register, IPONZ and the NZBN Register — so it catches sole traders and partnerships a company search alone would miss.
Should I avoid hyphens and numbers in my domain?
Generally yes. Both get mistyped, misremembered and misheard, especially over the phone, and the un-hyphenated version is often owned by someone else. A slightly longer name made of real words is easier to say, spell and remember than a short one with punctuation or digits.
How long should a domain name be?
Short enough to type on a phone and repeat out loud without error — there’s no exact character count that matters. Real-word names read and travel better than clever abbreviations. Prioritise clarity and memorability over hitting a specific length.
What if the name I want is already taken?
Check whether it’s genuinely in use or just parked — a parked name is often for sale. You can try the other second level (.nz if .co.nz is gone), adjust the name with a descriptive word, or approach the holder through the registrar. Don’t register a deliberate misspelling of an established brand; that’s a Dispute Resolution Service risk.