Check whether the domain is available before you settle on a company name. Company registration, domain registration and trademark protection are three separate things administered by three different bodies, and a name that is available at one may be taken at the others. Discovering that after printing signage is an avoidable and expensive way to learn it.
Do the checks in the order below, because reversing them is what costs money.
Search everything before committing
Check the company name register, the domain, the trademark register and social media handles together. A name is only usable if it is free across all of them.
Company name reservation runs through the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, and you can register a company without reserving a name at all, taking the registration number as the name and adding a trading name later.
Domain registration is separate and cheap
A .co.za domain is registered through an accredited registrar and costs very little. Register it as soon as you have decided, because domains are taken quickly and cannot be recovered from someone who registered first legitimately.
Register the obvious variations if the budget allows. It is considerably cheaper than buying them from someone later.
A trademark is the only thing that protects the name
Neither company registration nor a domain gives you the right to stop someone else using the name. Only a registered trademark does, and it is granted per class of goods or services.
Search the trademark register before committing. A name already trademarked in your class means rebranding sooner or later, and doing it after you have built recognition is the expensive version.
Keep it all in the company’s name
Register the domain to the company, not to a developer, an employee or your personal account. Businesses regularly lose control of their own domain because it sits in someone else’s account and that person is no longer contactable.
The same applies to social accounts, hosting and analytics. Ownership of these is part of what makes a business sellable, and reclaiming them later ranges from difficult to impossible.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before choosing a business name?
The company name register, domain availability, the trademark register and social media handles, all together.
Do I have to reserve a name to register a company?
No. You can register using the registration number as the name and add a trading name later, which is faster.
Does owning the domain protect the name?
No. Only a registered trademark gives you the right to stop others using it, and it is granted per class of goods or services.
Who should the domain be registered to?
The company. Domains registered to a developer or employee are regularly lost when that person becomes uncontactable.
What else should be in the company’s name?
Social accounts, hosting and analytics. Ownership of these forms part of what makes the business sellable.
Further reading
Originally published in January 2018. Updated September 2026 into guidance on securing a company name, domain and trademark in the right order.
