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Choosing a domain name is one of the few decisions in a business’s life that becomes very costly to change later on. The web address appears on business cards, invoices, email addresses, in adverts and in every link that has ever pointed to your website. Changing your name means a new brand identity, redirects, the partial loss of search engine rankings you’ve built up, and a lot of explaining to do. That’s why it’s worth thinking it through carefully from the outset.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through what makes a good domain name, how to choose between a brand name and a keyword-based name, which extension to select, what legal and technical pitfalls to watch out for, and how the registration process works.
Why is a domain name so important?
This is your digital address. Whilst a social media profile can be restricted by the platform at any time, your own domain and the website built on it are entirely in your control. All content, links and marketing activities are built around this fixed point.
This will also form your email address. An nev@cegnev.hu address is more credible than one from a free email provider, and once it’s been added to your partners’ address books, it’s difficult to change. For email linked to your domain, you’ll need hosting or the email accounts included in a hosting plan.
It’s all about trust and click-through rates. A short, clear title that reflects your business is more credible in search results and in adverts than a long name full of hyphens or with a strange extension.
You do not own it, but you have the right to use it. By registering, you acquire the right to use the domain name for one year (or several years), which requires a renewal every year. If you fail to renew it, the name will become available after a certain period, and anyone can register it. Our knowledge base article provides more detailed information on whether a domain name can be purchased permanently.
Rules for a good domain name
1. Keep it short
A short name is easier to remember, type (especially on a mobile phone) and write on a business card or the side of a car. There’s no magic character limit, but if the name is longer than 15 characters, it’s worth looking for a shorter version. Most short, meaningful .hu and .com names are already taken, so you often have to compromise: combining two short words, using a catchy made-up name or opting for a different extension.
2. Take the radio test
Imagine you’re announcing the address on the radio. Would a listener be able to write it down without you spelling it out? In Hungarian, pay particular attention to the ‘ly’ and ‘j’ sounds, double consonants and accents: if the name can be spelled in more than one way when spoken, some of your visitors will end up at the wrong address. If this is the case, make sure to cover common misspellings as well, and redirect them to the main domain.
3. Avoid hyphens and numbers
The hyphen must be pronounced and explained (‘hyphen’), and many people omit it when typing. With numbers, it is not always clear whether they should be written as letters or digits (‘4’ or ‘four’). Use them if they form part of the brand name (for example, ‘24’ or ‘360’), or if the name could be misread without the hyphen.
4. Think about the future
If you’re currently only dealing with one product, don’t limit yourself to a name that’s too narrow: kekzokni.hu would be a difficult name for an online shop that also sells shoes. Similarly, don’t include a year, city or service in the name if your business is likely to outgrow it. If you’re planning to expand abroad, check whether the name has any embarrassing meanings in other languages, and whether a non-native Hungarian-speaking partner would be able to pronounce it.
5. Be unique
A generic, descriptive name (such as webaruhaz-ruhak.hu) is difficult to distinguish from those of competitors and cannot be legally protected. A unique name is easier to remember and can also be registered as a trade mark.
Brand name or keyword domain?
Years ago, a domain containing the exact search term (exact match domain, EMD) gave a significant advantage in search engines. This advantage has now virtually disappeared: Google evaluates content quality, user experience and brand recognition; the keyword in the domain name helps, at most, in that visitors can immediately see from the search results what the page is about.
| Criteria | Brand name (e.g. zoldmanufaktura.hu) |
Keyword-based domain name (e.g. kertepites-budapest.hu) |
|---|---|---|
| Memorability | It’s best if it’s short and sounds good | Often long and general |
| Distinctiveness | Custom | Easily confused with competitors |
| As a trademark | Can be registered | Due to its descriptive nature, it typically does not |
| Scalability | Can also be used with new products | Linking the business to the keyword |
| SEO | It’s not a disadvantage – people are searching for the brand | Nowadays, it’s only a slight advantage |
For most businesses, a brand name is the better long-term choice. A hybrid solution – one that is unique but also refers to the business’s activities – can also work well. We’ve also written about this issue in our article on domains containing keywords or brand names.
Which extension should you choose?
The extension also indicates the target market and influences the level of trust visitors place in the address.
.hu – If your customers are primarily based in Hungary, this is the most obvious choice. Domestic visitors are familiar with it and look for it, and Google clearly associates it with the Hungarian market. There are more than 700,000 registered .hu domain names, so most of the short, meaningful names are already taken; in such cases, second-level public domains (such as .co.hu, .info.hu, .shop.hu) may also be worth considering. We have summarised the rules for registering a .hu domain (who can apply, which characters can be used, and what the process involves) on our .hu domain page.
.com – The international standard. If you’re planning to enter a foreign market, or if your brand isn’t tied to a specific country, this is the best-known extension, but short names are the hardest to come by here.
.eu – A good choice if you want to present a consistent image across the European Union. Only individuals living in the EU (or the EEA) or organisations registered there may register a .eu domain.
Country-code extensions – If you’re expanding into a particular country, the local country-code extension (such as .at or .de) helps to build local trust. Many country-code extensions require a local presence or address.
New generic top-level extensions (.shop, .online, .tech, .agency and the like) – These are useful if all the good names are already taken under the classic top-level extensions, or if the extension itself is part of the brand. Be sure to check the renewal price as well, as for some new extensions this can be significantly higher than the first-year fee, and some cheaper extensions are treated with suspicion by spam filters.
Technology-based domain extensions (.io, .ai) – These are popular amongst start-ups and developers, but they are more expensive, and as country-code top-level domains, they are subject to the regulations of the registry for that country.
Registration fees for information purposes (for one year, excluding VAT, at aWh): .hu €5.44, .eu €6.60, .com €13.20. You can find the current prices for all domain extensions in the domain price list.
Reserve multiple domain extensions
If your brand is important to you, it’s worth registering the most important domain extensions (typically .hu, .com and .eu) as well as common misspellings alongside your main domain, and then redirecting them to your main domain using a 301 redirect. This will prevent anyone from siphoning off your traffic using an address similar to your brand name, or from launching a phishing site in your name. Each domain has a modest yearly fee, which is a small price to pay compared to the cost of a domain recovery procedure.
Legal considerations: trade marks and registration in bad faith
Just because a domain name is available does not necessarily mean you can use it legally. If the name is identical to or confusingly similar to a registered trade mark, the trade mark owner can take the domain away from you through a dispute resolution procedure and may also claim damages.
Before registering, take a look at:
- The Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (SZTNH) trademark database for Hungarian trademarks,
- the EUIPO (EU trade marks) and WIPO (international trade marks) search engines, if you wish to operate abroad,
- Check the company register to see if there is a company with the same name operating in the same sector.
If your brand name is important in the long term, it is worth registering it as a trade mark: this provides the strongest legal basis for protecting your domain and name. Disputes relating to .hu domains are settled by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum, whilst for .com and other generic extensions, the ICANN UDRP procedure applies.
Buying an expired domain: opportunity or trap?
A domain that was previously used and has since expired can be attractive because it is old and already has links pointing to it. However, the risk is significant: if the domain was previously used for spam, dubious content or as a link farm, search engines will remember this, and the new site will start at a disadvantage.
Before you buy:
- View the domain’s previous content in the Wayback Machine archive,
- Check the links pointing to it using an SEO tool: where do they come from, and are they relevant?
- Search on Google using the
site:command to see if there are any pages still indexed, - Check whether your domain or IP address is on a spam blacklist, as this would also impair email delivery.
If you wish to purchase a registered domain from its current holder, clarify before negotiations how much it is actually worth to you, and arrange the transfer of funds only at the same time as the registrar change or transfer, preferably via an escrow service. We have a separate article on expired and soon-to-be-released domain names.
Technical details
Domains with diacritics
Accented characters (á, é, í, ó, ö, ő, ú, ü, ű) can also be used in .hu domain names; the system converts these in the background to a format known as Punycode (for example, xn--...). Nevertheless, we recommend using the unaccented version as your primary address: many email systems, forms and international services do not handle accented addresses properly, and some visitors will type the address without accents. If your brand name contains accents, register both versions and set up a redirect for the accented one. Our knowledge base article covers Punycode and the encoding of accented domains.
Length and characters
The domain name may be up to 63 characters long, excluding the extension; it may consist of letters, numbers and hyphens, but may not begin or end with a hyphen. A name of at least 2 characters may be registered directly under the .hu domain.
Whois and data protection
Domain details can be searched in public databases (WHOIS, RDAP). For .hu domains, the details of private domain holders are hidden by default, whilst those of companies are public. For other extensions, it depends on the provider whether WHOIS privacy protection can be requested.
Steps for registration
- Find a name. Check the availability of your chosen names using the domain search tool. If it’s taken, try different extensions or make a slight change to the name.
- Check the legal page. Trade marks, company names, the history of the name.
- Register it in your own name. You or your company should always be the domain holder, not the web developer or an agency. If someone else registers it on your behalf, they will have control over the domain.
- Please enter your real details. For .hu registrations, the registry will verify the details and send a confirmation link to your registered email address; you must confirm this within 30 days, otherwise the application will be cancelled. Your email address and telephone number will also be required for managing the domain in the future (for example, to request the code needed for the transfer), so please provide details that you will continue to use in the long term.
- Set up your DNS. Point your domain to your hosting account using name servers or an A record, and configure the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records required for email. Our knowledge base article explains the different types of DNS records.
- Enable automatic renewal. And keep your payment details and notification email address up to date so that your domain doesn’t expire without you realising.
We have set out the detailed steps for .hu registration and the rules for 2026 in our .hu domain registration guide.
Summary
A good domain name is short, easy to pronounce, unique, suited to your target market and legally sound. Choose a brand name rather than just a keyword; for the Hungarian market, opt for the .hu extension; secure the most important variations; and register them in your own name. If you bear these points in mind, the domain will serve your business without any problems for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I check if a domain is available?
Enter the name into our domain search tool: you’ll see straight away whether it’s available for registration, and if it’s taken, you can check other extensions too. The WHOIS database can provide information on who is using the taken domain.
How much does a domain cost per year?
It depends on the extension. At aWh, registering a .hu domain costs €5.44 per year, and a .com costs €13.20 per year, excluding VAT. For some extensions, renewal is more expensive than the first year, so be sure to check the renewal price as well.
Can I change my domain name after registration?
No. You cannot change the name of a registered domain; if you’ve made a typo or chosen a new name, you’ll need to register a new domain. You can set up a redirect from the old one to the new one so that your visitors don’t get lost.
Should I use a domain name with accents?
We do not recommend using this as your primary domain name, as many systems do not handle it well. If your brand name contains accents, register both the accented and unaccented versions, and set up a redirect from the accented version.
Is .hu or .com better for a Hungarian business?
If your customers are in Hungary, go for the .hu domain. If you’re also targeting the international market, register both: the .hu for local visitors and the .com for international visitors, or set up the .com to redirect to your main site.
How long does it take to register a .hu domain?
If your details have already been verified by the registry and the name does not require special consideration, the domain will be provisionally registered within a few minutes and you will be able to use it. The registry will then publish it for 8 days, and if no objections are raised, the registration will become final. We have set out the details on our .hu domain page.
What happens if I forget to renew my domain?
Once the domain has expired, the website and email will stop working, but you can still renew a limited time, possibly for an additional fee depending on the domain extension. Once this period has elapsed, the domain name becomes available and can be registered by anyone. Our article on domain expiry and the grace period explains the process in detail.
Can I transfer my existing domain to aWh?
Yes. Request the authorisation (auth, EPP) code from your current registrar, then order the transfer with us. The name servers remain the same, so your website and email will continue to work throughout the process. The steps are described in the article on domain transfers.