Choosing a name for your cleaning business is one of the more enjoyable parts of starting out. You get to create an identity that represents you and the service you’ll provide. This chapter will help you understand the difference between your legal business name and your domain name, then guide you through finding and registering the perfect domain.
What You Will Learn
- The difference between your business name and domain name
- How to brainstorm effective domain name ideas
- Simple rules for choosing memorable domains
- How to search for and register your domain name
Business Name vs Domain Name
Your business name is what appears on legal documents, your bank account, and your tax returns. Your domain name is the address where people find your website – and your business.
Here’s the important part: you can start your cleaning business under your own legal name without any special registration. Janet Fleisman can open a business bank account as Janet Fleisman, file taxes under that name, and start taking clients immediately.
But her domain name can be completely different. She might register OaktownCleaners.co.uk. The domain name is purely for marketing purposes. To make the connection clear, she simply adds a line to her website: “Oaktown Cleaners is the home of Oaktown’s premier boutique cleaner, Janet Fleisman.”
This gives you maximum flexibility. Operate with your legal name to keep things simple, then choose a domain name that works best for marketing.
Coming Up With Domain Name Ideas
Grab a coffee or tea, open a notepad, and start brainstorming. The best domain names are either personal, location-based, or branded. Each approach has advantages depending on how you want to position your business and whether you might sell it later.
Firstly you can open up a website that will help you search for domains. There are lots out there but for searching we always like using Domainr. Its fast and easy to use.
Domain Name Extensions:
Before we start searching for a name lets take a quick look at the extensions – the part that comes after the name – Thats the .com or .co.uk or .ca
These extensions tell you what the business is or which country the website is in. There are many different extensions but the main ones are –
- .com – a company or a business in USA (note anyone in any country can register this)
- .net – originally used for internet and network companies
- .org – used by charities or clubs
- .edu – often used by schools, universities
- .gov – used by government departments
- .ai – for artificial intelligence companies
- .co.uk – UK companies
- .ca – Canadian companies
- .co.nz – New Zealand companies
- ….and the list can go on for ever.
Our recommendation: Go with the local domain for the country you are in. If you are in Canada register the .ca, if you are in England register .co.uk, if you are in the US register .com etc.
If you are unsure what you should register do a quick Google search for local cleaning companies and pay attention to the extensions you see. You should use the same.
Naming Ideas:
Now we need to pick an actual name. You can just use your own name or your name with the word “Cleaning” on the end. But there are lots more options for creating a great sounding name:
Personal Name Domains – As we mentioned you can use all or part of your personal name and also add words. Note: All the names below are purely for example. They may or may not be registered.
- JanCleans.co.uk
- JanetCleaning.co.uk
- CleanByJanet.co.uk
Location-Based Domains – Here the domain uses the location only. These are great when you want to target a very specific location
- OaktownCleaners.co.uk
- MapleHeightsClean.co.uk
- OakCleaners.co.uk
- OakHomeCleaning.co.uk
Branded Domains – Here we are looking at fun, memorable names that are not specific to a person or location. These would be great for bigger companies that cover multiple locations.
- Sparklicity.com
- JustDusted.co.uk
- BeyondShiny.com
Adding a Modifier – When simple names are unavailable, descriptive words can create new options. Words like “boutique,” “luxury,” “home,” or “premier” work well if they match how you actually position your service. These additions make your domain longer, and hard to remember.
- OaktownBoutiqueCleaning.co.uk
- PremierCleaningOaktown.co.uk
- OaktownHomeCleaning.co.uk
Using Variations – Small changes to your preferred name can reveal available options. If JanCleans is taken everywhere, try using different word-forms.
- JanClean.ca
- JanCleaner.co.uk
- JanCleaning.co.nz
Finding Synonyms – When every variation of “clean” seems taken, a thesaurus can be used to find new words. Think of different words for Clean such as Sparkle, Shine, Dust etc…
- JanSparkle.co.uk
- JanetShine.co.uk
- JanetDusts.co.uk
- SparkleByJan.co.uk – Don’t be afraid to switch word order as in this example
Things to think about before registering the domain.
The guidelines above will help you come up with a memorable name. Before we actually register the name there are some other considerations to look at…
Make Sure to Keep It Short
One or two words is ideal, three words maximum. Each additional word makes your domain harder to remember and increases the chance someone will misspell it. OaktownCleaners.co.uk works. OaktownPremierBoutiqueHouseCleaning.co.uk is too long.
Make Spelling Obvious
Choose words that are spelled the way they sound. Avoid unusual spellings or complicated names. When someone hears your domain spoken aloud, they should be able to type it correctly on the first attempt. Some modern companies looking for hard to find domains will remove letters. Its all very cool and trendy but also hard to remember – For example don’t use OaktownClnr.com
Skip Hyphens and Numbers
Domains with hyphens like Janet-Cleans.com cause problems because people forget the hyphen. They will just type in JanetCleans.com and end up on another website.
Numbers also create confusion because people can’t tell if they should type “2” or “two.” Keep your domain to letters only. No hyphens. No numbers.
Does the name pass the “Back of the Bus” test?
The “Back of The Bus” test determines whether your domain is easy to remember. Imagine someone driving behind a bus sees your advertisement. They think “I should check them out. I need a cleaner.” but they have no pen to write down the name. They arrive home twenty minutes later. Will they remember your domain name well enough to type it correctly? JanCleans.co.uk passes this test. JanetFleismanBoutiqueCleaning.co.uk fails. Go for simple where possible.
Where to Register The Domains
There are lots of places to register your domain name. Namesilo is one we use. A domain name will cost around $10-$20 a year. Beware of companies offering free or $1 domains. The renewal fee will usually be a lot higher. Namesilo charge the same fee for renewals as they do the the first year which is why we recommend them.
Once you’ve registered the domain name you will then need a website and you will have to point the domain to the website. You will also need to add a security certificate so that the domain and website can make a secure connection to the viewers browser. If you don’t want to get into the technicalities of registering a domain and connecting it to a website, you can sign up for a Cleaning Website at MaidHost. and we will register a domain for you free of charge.
Bonus: Creative Domain Name Ideas
When you need inspiration, sometimes seeing what’s possible helps spark your own ideas. Here are some creative domain names that were available at the time of writing this book. Some are better than others, but even the questionable ones might trigger your own ideas –
- BeyondShiny,
- CaptainDust,
- CaptainMop,
- Cleanerly,
- DontStopCleaning,
- DustyBus,
- DustDuster,
- Dustoly,
- Dustyoo,
- GetDusting,
- GiveMeClean,
- ItsClean,
- ItsVeryClean,
- JustAddSparkle,
- JustDusted,
- JustScrubbed,
- JustDustIt,
- HoneyDusted,
- McShiny,
- McSparkle,
- NeatoCleaners,
- NewdayCleaners,
- NoMoDust,
- RayOfClean,
- RealGoodClean,
- RealGoodCleaners,
- MomCleans,
- MumCleans
- ScrubbyCleaners,
- ScrubbedClean
- ShinyFreaks,
- ShinyMo,
- Sparklicity,
- SpotlessBy,
- StayCalmClean,
- TidyYours,
- UpTopCleaners
Key Takeaways
- You can operate legally under your own name while using a different domain for marketing.
- Domain names are simply marketing tools that help clients find your website.
- Location-based domains can work well for cleaners because they highlight your service area.
- Keep domains short (1-2 words), easy to spell, and free of hyphens or numbers
- Test names with the Back of the Bus Test: Will someone remember it twenty minutes later?
- Search Google to ensure no local competitors use similar names
- Register your local extension to start – or get it free with your MaidHost website