Finding a domain name: a practical checklist
A good name is memorable, easy to say and easy to type. Here is how to evaluate your ideas.
Read guide ↗The essentials
Separate domain availability from checking existing rights. Look beyond the exact spelling and record similar names and the intended activity. Use the Austrian Patent Office’s official research resources as a starting point. Your search notes or an available domain do not constitute legal clearance.
1. Two questions need separate answers
Domain search asks whether a specific name can currently be registered as a new address. Your naming decision also needs to consider whether existing names could conflict with the intended use. Successful payment does not answer that second question. Start a shortlist before commissioning a logo. For each candidate, record the exact spelling, intended offer and audience. This lets you compare the same assumptions rather than investing in printed materials immediately after finding an available result. If an idea is already used widely, investigate it carefully before registering additional variants.
2. Describe the actual project
Research is easier to follow when you record more than one word. Write down which products or services you intend to offer and in which countries you want to use the name. Describe the real activity clearly. A later change in the offer can require another review. Include abbreviations, a place-name addition and another domain ending as variants on the list. They do not replace checking the underlying name. For a joint venture, agree the intended name and responsible person before different participants independently commission materials.
3. Use official research routes
The Austrian Patent Office explains self-research for identical and similar trademarks and identifies official databases. Start with its overview and read the notes on available searches. Do not limit your records to one result or the first empty result list. Record what you entered and which results you actually reviewed. A domain with an extra hyphen is not automatically a new, conflict-free business identity. A logo design is not confirmation that a name can be used either. If a possible conflict remains unresolved, obtain appropriate professional clarification before publishing the name.
4. Record results without treating them as clearance
For each candidate, keep a short working note with the date, search term, source and unresolved questions. Separate “no relevant result in this search” from a final decision. Add where you found similar names outside the register, such as existing websites or your own project records. A screenshot may help later but does not replace a complete description of the search. The list should make decisions traceable and questions easier to answer; it is not a protection document. If you seek advice, include the actual offer and intended countries so the same specific question is reviewed.
5. Then test the practical spelling
Once the naming decision is sufficiently clarified, test the address in everyday use too. Ask someone to write it after hearing it by phone and to enter it on a mobile device. Compare a possible umlaut form, a written-out version and the intended ending. Each registered domain has its own availability and costs. Avoid collecting many variants merely from fear of losing a name. A clear main address with a specific purpose is easier to manage. Recheck the exact spelling in search shortly before ordering. Present it as your secured address only once registration has actually been confirmed.
Test the name in practical useAssess umlaut spellings separately6. Separate the domain budget from trademark work
A standard new .at domain costs €12.99 total for one year; annual renewal currently costs €15.99 total. New .at domains also offer a 3-year plan for €39.00 total with registration and two included annual renewals without further payment during the plan term. Save €5.97 against €44.97 with annual payments at today’s prices. Afterwards, renewal uses the offer then available, without automatic card charging. These are domain prices. Trademark research, advice, a trademark application, a website and a logo are not included. Budget for those projects using their own specific offers.
View current domain total prices
Bring the decision together before registering
Summarise the chosen spelling, intended holder and clarified project in a short decision note. Keep unresolved questions separate from confirmed decisions. The domain manager needs to know which name to order, but that does not replace assessing naming rights. For a later rebrand, also review old contact routes and published addresses. This keeps the decision grounded in practical use rather than the first available search result. With that preparation, you can deliberately review availability, term and total price and then follow registration in your account.
Check the .at name you have preparedPlan existing connections when rebrandingFurther sourcesAustrian Patent Office: searching trademarks ↗Austrian Patent Office: trademark research options ↗
