Should I put "LLC" in my Domain Name?

Let’s say your business is called Haverford Dog Walking and you form an LLC called Haverford Dog Walking, LLC.

Now you’re wondering what your domain name should be:

Should it be www.HaverfordDogWalking.com?

Or should it be www.HaverfordDogWalkingLLC.com?

Am I required to put “LLC” in my domain name?

No, you are not legally required to put “LLC” in the domain name for your business.

In fact, if you look at most websites on the internet, the vast majority do not include a corporate designator (“ending”) in their domain name.

Many consider it a little “noisy”. Meaning, it’s just extra, unnecessary characters.

So… should I put “LLC” in my domain name?

Generally, we don’t recommend it.

Domain names can be long and challenging for people to remember. A good rule of thumb is the shorter the domain name, the better.

We also think it looks a bit “cleaner” when “LLC” isn’t included in the domain name.

However, this is our personal preference. There is one exception though.

When to put “LLC” in a domain name?

If you’ve found an absolutely stellar domain name (and it’s somewhat short), but it’s already taken, then you may want to consider putting “LLC” in your domain name.

We wouldn’t recommend “LLC” in a long domain name like:
www.BobsTackleAndBaitShopLLC.com (that’s a lot to remember)

However, in a shorter name, it might not be so bad:
www.MikesBikesLLC.com

If the non-LLC version of your domain is taken, we recommend that you visit that website to see if it’s operational. We also recommend doing a trademark search on the USPTO website (see USPTO: TESS trademark search) to make sure you aren’t going to infringe on a registered trademark.

If there is no federal trademark (with an international class similar to your business) or there is nothing on the website, you are safe to use the domain name with “LLC” in the name.

How do I place my domain name under my LLC?

As long as your LLC owns the domain name and you have the important parts of your website reflect that, that’s how your domain name is “under your LLC”.

Meaning, you’ll want your LLC’s full legal name properly reflected in the following areas of your website:

• terms and conditions
• privacy policy
• disclaimers
• copyright notice
• about page (optional)

What if my domain name isn’t owned by my LLC?

If your LLC doesn’t own your domain name, you can transfer your domain name(s) to your LLC by signing an Assignment of Domain Names to LLC.

We have instructions and a free form you can download here:
Transfer ownership of domain names to an LLC

Hope that helps!

Matt Horwitz

Founder & Educator, LLC University®

Matt Horwitz has been the leading expert on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offering. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.
 
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.