How to choose a good .si domain name

Keep it short and clear

• Short. The registry allows 2 to 63 characters without the extension (general terms), but a shorter name is easier to write down and remember.
• Easy to say. Test the name by dictating it to someone over the phone. If you have to spell it out, it is too complicated.
• No digits or hyphens if you can avoid them. A digit or a hyphen prompts the same questions every time: "The number or the word?", "Is there a hyphen?"
• Memorable. The name of your company or brand is usually a better choice than a long description of what you do.
• Readable on a business card. Picture it in an email signature and on a sign: can someone copy it without a mistake?

A hyphen may not be at the start or end of the name, or the registry will not accept it.

The letters č, š and ž

The registry allows the Slovenian letters č, š and ž (allowed characters), and we accept the letters a to z, digits, the hyphen, and č, š and ž. A name with these letters is spelled correctly, but it has practical consequences. For an English reader: č, š and ž are Slovenian letters pronounced roughly like "ch", "sh" and "zh", and on many keyboards outside Slovenia they are hard to type.

• When typing, customers often write c, s or z instead. If that is a risk for you, consider also registering the version without the special letters and redirecting it.
• Foreign keyboards and some programs have more trouble entering these letters, or show them in a technical form that starts with xn--.
• A name without the special letters can mean a different word. Check both versions.

When you search, check both versions: availability is checked live, and if one version is free, the other is not necessarily.

Why the .si extension

The .si extension tells people it is a Slovenian domain. In its documentation, Google says that country-code domains give a "strong signal" that a site is intended for a particular country (Google Search Central). If you sell to Slovenian customers, that is an advantage. If you mainly plan to serve customers abroad, .com and other generic extensions have different properties, so consider those as well.

With DomainSpace you can check up to 10 names at once and see the price before you create an account. Details of registration are in the guide Who can register a .si domain?, and costs in the guide .si domain price, renewal and expiry.

Other people's rights and trademarks

Before registering, check that the name does not imitate someone else's trademark or company name, because the owner or rights holder may complain. For disputes between a holder and a person with a stronger right, the registry has a special alternative dispute resolution procedure (Register.si). If you are unsure, consult a professional: this guide is not legal advice.

Test before you buy

1. Write down three to five candidates.
2. Say each one aloud and dictate it to a colleague.
3. Look at how it appears in an email address: info@name.si.
4. Check that it contains no unintended words when the letters are run together without spaces.
5. Check availability and trademarks, then decide.

Once you have registered the domain, point it at a website with the guide DNS records explained and set up email with the guide Email on a .si domain.

Several names and variants

If you use the name for a business, consider whether you also need a common misspelling or a version without the special letters. Every registered name is an extra cost, so it is enough to protect the ones customers will really type. Several names can point to the same website.

With us you can check up to 10 names at once: enter them separated by spaces, commas or new lines. That makes it quick to compare several candidates and see which are free before you settle on the name for your business card.

Company name or product name?

For a business, the company name is usually best, for example your-name-here.si. If you have several products or services, you can add them as subpages or prefixes instead of buying a new domain for each. A name tied too narrowly to one product gets in your way when your offering changes.

Choose the domain as you will be using it in a few years. Changing domains means changing email addresses, business cards and links, so it is better to choose carefully than quickly.