Personal Brand Domain Strategy: Own Your Name Online

Why Every Professional Needs a Personal Domain

Social platforms come and go. Algorithms change. But your domain is yours. It's the one place online where you control the narrative, the design, and the content. Whether you're job hunting, freelancing, or building a following, a personal domain is foundational.

Choosing Your Personal Domain

FirstnameLastname.com

The gold standard. If it's available, grab it immediately. Even if you don't build a website today, owning it protects your name for the future.

What If Your Name Is Taken?

Common names face this challenge. Try these alternatives in order of preference:

Add a middle initial: JohnRSmith.com
Add your profession: JaneSmithDesign.com
Use a different TLD: JaneSmith.co, JaneSmith.me, JaneSmith.io
Use a brand name: A personal brand name that isn't your legal name

Check what's available with BrandScout before settling.

Domain TLD Strategy

.com

The default. Most people assume .com when they hear a domain. If you can get it, do.

.co

A solid alternative. Widely recognized, especially in tech and startup circles.

.me

Popular for personal sites and portfolios. "About.me" popularized this TLD.

.io

Common in tech. Signals a technical background.

.dev

Specifically for developers. Requires HTTPS by default, which is a nice trust signal.

Country TLDs

If you work primarily in one country, .co.uk, .de, or .ca can work well for local personal branding.

What to Put on Your Personal Domain

The Minimum

A single landing page with:

Your name and photo
A one-sentence bio
Links to your social profiles
Contact information

This takes an hour to set up and immediately looks more professional than no web presence at all.

The Portfolio

Add your work samples, case studies, or writing. This is essential for creatives, consultants, and anyone whose work speaks for them.

The Blog

Regular content establishes expertise and improves search rankings. When someone Googles your name, your own site should appear first.

The Full Brand Hub

Your domain becomes a hub linking to everything — your newsletter, courses, speaking page, media kit, and social profiles.

Email on Your Personal Domain

Set up email forwarding or full hosting so you can use you@yourname.com. This is especially valuable for:

Freelancers sending proposals
Consultants reaching out to clients
Anyone who wants to look professional

Google Workspace or Zoho Mail can set this up for under $10/month.

SEO for Personal Domains

Own Your Name in Search

When someone Googles your name, your personal site should rank first. To achieve this:

Use your full name in the page title, meta description, and H1
Add schema markup for a Person entity
Link from your social profiles back to your domain
Publish regular content

Build Authority

Google ranks sites with backlinks higher. Get links by:

Guest posting on industry blogs
Being quoted in articles
Speaking at events that publish speaker pages
Contributing to open-source projects

Protecting Your Personal Brand

Register Variations

If you're serious about personal branding, register common misspellings and alternate TLDs. Redirect them all to your primary domain.

Claim Social Handles

Use the same handle across platforms: Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, GitHub, YouTube. Consistency makes you easy to find.

Set Up Google Alerts

Monitor your name in search results. If someone else starts ranking for your name, you'll know.

The Long Game

Your personal domain is a decades-long investment. The cost is roughly $12/year. The return — in career opportunities, client acquisitions, and professional credibility — is enormous.

Even if all you do today is register the domain and set up a one-page site, you're ahead of 90% of professionals.

Start by checking what's available. Use BrandScout to verify your personal domain and social handle availability in one search.