Choosing a domain name

Choosing your domain name is the first step to staking your claim on the web. Your domain name is a unique web address that can be used to build your digital presence. As you select your domain name, there are a few considerations to keep in mind:

Your domain name must be available
Domain names must be unique, which means in order for you to claim a domain you need to be sure that it is currently available (and not being used by anyone else or any company or organization). When you sign up for domains.stanford.edu, we’ll check the availability of your domain. If you’d like to spend some time thinking about your choice and checking availability before you sign-up, we recommend using whois.net.

You must choose a “Top Level Domain” or TLD
TLD is the suffix (or ending part) of your domain name. On domains.stanford.edu, you have the choice of multiple TLDs. You must choose which one you want to use (and the availability of your domain may depend upon the TLD you choose). Historically, .com domains were meant for businesses and commercial entities; .org domains were usually used by non-profit organizations; and .net domains were meant to be used by internet service providers. However, you may find that .com domains are easier for people to remember, or you may like the “non-commercial” message of using a .org. Your choice of a TLD is entirely personal. Just make sure you choose one of the TLDs allowed by domains.stanford.edu.

You may wish to include your name in your domain
There is no requirement that your domain reflects your specific identity in the form of your first and last name. However, choosing a domain name that includes your name may make it easier for you to achieve higher rankings in search engines when someone queries your name.

Pick a domain you like
At the end of the day, your domain should reflect you. Pick a domain you like and are proud of. It can reflect your interests, sports you play, or your hobby. Or it could just be your name. The “right” domain for you is the one you’re comfortable with.