Choosing a campaign domain name

A domain name feels like a small decision until you see it printed four inches tall on two hundred yard signs. At that point it is permanent. Spend twenty minutes on it now and you will not regret it in October.

The test is simple: could a voter hear it once on the radio, or glance at it on a sign at a stoplight, and type it correctly that evening? If yes, you have a good one.

Patterns that work

Most strong campaign domains follow one of a few patterns. Try them in this order:

• firstlast.com, like janesmith.com. The cleanest option if it is available, and it follows you to any office.
• lastforoffice.com, like smithforcouncil.com, smithforsheriff.com or smithforschoolboard.com. Clear and familiar to voters.
• votelast.com, like votesmith.com. Short and works well on signs.
• firstlastforoffice.com, like janesmithforcouncil.com, when your last name is common.
• lastfordistrict.com, like smithfordistrict6.com, for district seats where the district number is part of how people talk about the race.

If you go by a nickname on the ballot, use that. "Bubba" or "Liz" is what voters will search for if that is what they call you.

Our domain ideas tool takes your name and office and suggests combinations in these patterns, so you can check availability quickly.

Make it reusable beyond one race

Leave the year out. A name like smith2028.com looks dated the morning after the election, and it is useless if you run again, run for a different seat, or want to keep a page up to thank voters and report on your term.

Think about the office, too. If there is a real chance you will run for a different seat in four years, firstlast.com or votelast.com travels better than lastforcouncil.com. If you are firmly a one-office candidate, the office in the name helps voters place you.

Reusable domains also matter after the race. Our guide to what to do after Election Day covers keeping, exporting or archiving the site, and every option is easier when the address still makes sense.

Avoid hyphens, numbers that sound like words, and clever spellings

Hyphens are hard to say out loud and easy to forget. "Smith dash for dash council dot com" loses half the room. If the unhyphenated version is taken, choose a different pattern instead of adding dashes.

Watch for anything that breaks the "heard it once" test:

• "4" instead of "for" (voters will not know which one you used)
• Doubled letters at word breaks that are easy to mistype, like "smithforrural"
• Abbreviations voters do not use, like "bcc" for a county council
• Very long names over about 20 characters, which are hard to fit on a sign

Read the name out loud to someone who has never seen it. If they spell it back wrong, try again.

Then picture it on a yard sign under your name, next to the office. If the sign suddenly needs a smaller font or a second line to fit the web address, the name is too long for the job it has to do.

Buy the obvious misspelling

If your name is commonly misspelled (Godfrey and Godfry, Thompson and Thomson, Rodriguez and Rodriquez), register the likely misspelling too and point it to your main site. The same goes for the short version if you use the long one, or the reverse.

This costs a small annual fee and saves you voters who typed what they heard. It also keeps someone else from registering the misspelling and using it against you, which does happen in heated races.

.com vs. other endings

For a local campaign, .com is the default for a reason: people type it without thinking. If your first choice is taken on .com, try another pattern on .com before switching endings. "votesmith.com" usually beats "smithforcouncil.net," because voters who remember the name will still type .com and land on someone else's page.

Other endings can work as a secondary address, or when they are part of a memorable phrase. Some candidates choose .org, and that is fine as long as the name itself is strong. Avoid novelty endings that voters may not recognize as a web address on a sign.

Register it in your name, not a vendor's

This is the most important part of this guide. The domain should be registered to you or your campaign committee, in an account you control, with a campaign email address you will keep after the race.

Some designers and agencies register domains under their own accounts for convenience. That works until you want to switch vendors, the vendor goes out of business, or a bill goes to an inbox nobody checks. Then you may be negotiating to get your own name back during the busiest weeks of the campaign.

• Registrant name: you or your committee
• Account login: yours, with two-factor sign-in turned on
• Contact email: a campaign or personal address you control
• Vendor access: shared access or delegated DNS, not ownership

Choosing and registering a domain is part of every CandidateLaunch package. Our FAQ explains how registration and ownership are handled, and what happens to the domain after the election.

Renewal and auto-renew

Domains are rented a year at a time. If a renewal fails because a card expired, the domain can lapse, and expired campaign domains do get picked up by others. Protect yourself:

• Turn on auto-renew the day you register
• Use a payment method that will not expire before Election Day
• Consider registering for two or more years if you plan to run again
• Put the renewal date on the campaign calendar as a backup
• Remember that domain renewals are a campaign expense to report while the committee is open

Once you have a name, the rest of the site can follow. Our guide to what every campaign website needs covers the pages, and when you are ready, you can start your site.

Common questions

Should I put the election year in my campaign domain?

Usually not. A domain without the year can be reused if you run again or seek another office, and it will not look dated on signs that stay up after the election.

Is .com better than .org or .net for a campaign?

For most local campaigns, yes. Voters type .com by habit. If your .com is taken, a clear alternative pattern on .com is often better than the same name on another ending.

Who should own my campaign domain?

You or your campaign committee, registered under your own account. A vendor can manage it for you, but the registration should be in your name so you can move it any time.

How much does a campaign domain cost?

A standard .com is an annual fee that renews every year. Prices vary by registrar, so check current pricing, and turn on auto-renew so it does not lapse.