Choose a domain for an author website by starting with the name readers see on your covers and bylines, picking an extension people recognise (.com, or .co.uk or .uk if your work and readers are mainly in the UK), and testing that it is easy to say, spell and remember. Before you buy, check trade marks and existing sites using that name, register it in your own name with an account you control, and switch on renewal reminders and two-step verification. The domain is the one part of your online presence you can keep for decades, so it is worth an afternoon of care.

This guide explains each decision and the official sources behind it. It is tool-neutral: any accredited registrar can sell you a domain, and you can host the site wherever you like.

Why your own domain matters

A domain is an address you rent year by year, but as long as you renew it, nobody else can use it. That makes it different from a profile on a social network or a publishing platform, whose rules, layouts and even existence can change without your say.

Owning the address also lets you move. If you switch website builder or host, you point the domain at the new site and every link on your book jackets, business cards and old articles keeps working. Google's documentation on site moves with URL changes recommends server-side permanent redirects (such as 301) when addresses change and advises keeping the redirects for as long as possible, generally at least one year. A stable domain means you rarely need to go through that at all.

Start with the name readers know

For most authors, the right domain is simply the name on the books: firstnamelastname plus an extension. If you write under a pen name, use the pen name, because that is what readers will type and search for. If you publish under two names, you can register both and redirect one to the other, or give each its own site if the readerships are genuinely separate.

If your exact name is taken, the common workarounds are:

  • add a middle initial or full middle name
  • add a short, stable word such as "author", "writer" or "books" (for example yournameauthor)
  • choose a different extension for the exact name

Avoid basing the domain on your current genre or a single title unless you are building a site for that book only. Your writing will change; your name will not. A book-specific domain can still be useful for a series or a major launch, pointing to a section of your main site.

Choose an extension carefully

The extension (top-level domain) is the part after the final dot. There are two broad kinds, and the difference matters.

Generic extensions such as .com, .net and .org are not tied to a country. Disputes over them fall under ICANN's Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy, which all registrars must follow.

Country-code extensions belong to a country or territory. The .uk zone, which includes .co.uk, is managed by Nominet UK according to the IANA root zone record for .uk. Some popular "vanity" extensions are also country codes: IANA lists .me as Montenegro's country-code domain and .co as Colombia's.

Does the extension affect search? Google's guide to managing multi-regional sites explains that country-code domains are tied to a specific country, and that Google treats some vanity ccTLDs, naming .tv and .me, as generic because users and website owners frequently see them that way. For a UK author with mainly UK readers, .co.uk or .uk is a natural fit; for an author with an international readership, .com is the familiar default. Neither choice decides how well your site ranks; the content does that.

Be cautious with newer, niche extensions. Some exist in the root zone without being available to the public. The IANA record for .author, for example, shows it delegated since 2015 to Amazon Registry Services, but Amazon Registry's own website promotes other extensions such as .bot, .now and .you and does not mention .author at all (checked October 2026). Check that a registrar will actually sell you an extension before you plan around it.

Prices vary by extension and registrar, and introductory prices are often lower than renewals. Compare the renewal price, not only the first-year price, before you commit.

Make it easy to say, spell and type

Your domain will be read aloud at events, printed on bookmarks and typed from memory. A few tests catch most problems:

  • The phone test. Say the domain to someone and ask them to type it. If you have to spell it letter by letter, consider a simpler version.
  • The run-together test. Write the name without spaces and read it fresh. Words that merge into unintended words are best spotted before you print anything.
  • Hyphens and numbers. Both are easy to forget when spoken. Use them only if they are part of how your name is actually written.
  • Length. Shorter is easier, but clarity matters more than a character count.

If a common misspelling of your name is cheap to register, buying it and redirecting it to your main domain can catch readers who guess wrong.

Check trade marks and existing uses

Before you register, search for the name you plan to use. The UK Intellectual Property Office offers a free trade mark search on GOV.UK. A personal name that happens to match a registered mark in an unrelated field is usually not a problem, but a domain that looks like an established brand can attract a complaint.

The WIPO domain name dispute service explains that the UDRP applies to all domain names in generic top-level domains, including new ones, and that many country-code registries have adopted the UDRP or a national variant. The .uk zone has its own dispute process run by Nominet. This is background, not legal advice: if a search raises doubt, take professional advice before building a site on the name.

It is also sensible to search the web for your intended domain and name. If another writer with the same name is well established, a middle initial or different extension avoids confusion for readers, editors and search engines alike.

Register it so you stay in control

How you register matters as much as what you register.

Register it in your own name. If a web designer, publisher or friend buys it for you, make sure you are the registrant and have the login. A domain registered to someone else is, in practice, theirs.

Protect the account. Your registrar account controls where your website and email go. The National Cyber Security Centre recommends turning on 2-step verification for your most important accounts; the registrar account belongs on that list, and so does the email address it sends reminders to.

Renew on time. ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy requires registrars to send at least two reminders before a generic domain expires, one about a month before and one about a week before, plus another within five days after expiry if it has not been renewed. Those emails only help if they reach an inbox you read. Turning on automatic renewal with a valid payment card, and registering for several years at once, both reduce the risk.

Check the public record. ICANN's registration data lookup shows the registrar and key dates for a domain. Check yours after registering, and note the expiry date in your calendar.

Put the domain to work

Once the domain is yours, use it consistently. Point it at your website, and use it for a professional email address (for example hello@ followed by your domain) so that editors and event organisers see the same name everywhere. If you send email from your domain, ask your email provider to set up the authentication records it recommends; the NCSC's guidance on email security and anti-spoofing explains why those records make it harder for others to send mail pretending to be you.

Finally, add the domain to every place readers might find you: book back matter, social profiles, your newsletter footer, publisher author pages where you are allowed to supply a link. One address used everywhere is easier to remember than five. More tool-neutral guides on building and running an author website are collected on uniblog.org.