How to choose a domain name

Seven rules that work

1. Short. Aim for under 15 characters before the extension. Short names are easier to type on a phone and fit neatly on a business card, a shop sign or a moto-taxi sticker.
2. Easy to say out loud. Imagine reading your email address to a customer over the phone. If you have to spell it twice, simplify it.
3. Easy to spell. Avoid unusual spellings (kwik for quick) unless that is how your brand is written. If your customers speak Kinyarwanda, English and French, check the name works in each.
4. Matches your business name. Customers will try yourbusiness.rw or yourbusiness.co.rw before anything else.
5. No hyphens or numbers if you can avoid them: people forget them, and “2” or “two” causes confusion.
6. Think long term. kigaliphones.rw is limiting if you later sell laptops across Rwanda.
7. Check trademarks and social handles. Make sure nobody else uses the name as a brand, and that the same name is free on the social platforms you use.

Which extension?

• .rw: the short national extension (yourbrand.rw), popular with brands and recognised by local customers.
• .co.rw: a common choice for companies and businesses.
• .com: for an international audience, or to protect your brand.
• .org.rw: often chosen by NGOs, cooperatives and associations working in Rwanda.

If the registry asks for business details or documents for an extension, our team tells you what to send. More detail in domain extensions.

Your name is taken: what now?

• Try another extension: if yourbrand.rw is taken, yourbrand.co.rw may be free.
• Add a word that describes you: yourbrandrwanda, getyourbrand, yourbrandshop.
• Use your town if you are local: yourbrandhuye.rw.
• Check who holds it with a WHOIS lookup: an unused name is sometimes for sale.

Mistakes to avoid

• Registering in a developer’s or staff member’s name. The domain should be in your company’s name with an email you control.
• Letting it expire. Turn on auto-renewal; expired domains are snapped up.
• Choosing a name too close to a big brand. It can lead to a dispute and losing the domain.
• Waiting. Good names go quickly. A .rw costs RWF 26,600 a year and a .co.rw RWF 16,800.

Register more than one?

Many businesses register the .rw, .co.rw and .com versions of their name and point them all to one website. It protects your brand and catches customers who type the wrong ending.

Ready? Search for your name on domain registration.