Karin Zeiler writes copy and designs texts for companies from all over the German-speaking world. She secured her domain www.textur.co.at back in 2006. In an interview she reveals why she is very happy with it, despite the fact that it was actually her second choice.

Your company is called textur. What does that mean?
It is a mixture of the German words Text (text) and Agentur (agency). I’ve been working as a freelance copywriter since 2006, which means I write and optimise business texts as well as drawing up marketing, advertising and PR concepts. And I do this for companies of all sizes in all industries. Either I’m there working away in the background for the marketing department or company management, or I’m part of a wider creative network alongside other colleagues.

How important is your website for your work?
My website is essential for me because most of my clients come to me either through my network or through the website. Businesses all over Austria contact me because they come across my website when they’re looking for a copywriter. Recently, I even had an enquiry from Switzerland. So you could definitely say that my website was a key acquisition tool.

Which domain did you go for?
My domain is www.textur.co.at. I actually wanted a classic .at domain for my website, but unfortunately that didn't work out. But it turns out that I wasn’t the only one that the name textur occurred to, as the .at textur domain had in fact been taken some time before – even back in 2006. I had also considered getting the site up and running using my own name. But that wasn’t really all that common at the time. I went away and mulled over the alternatives, and soon stumbled across the .co.at ending, with .co of course standing for the English word commercial. And as luck would have it, it was still available in combination with my chosen name textur. It was a good compromise from my perspective, given that I wanted a .at domain in any case.

Why was a .at domain important to you?
Although I work for clients in all the German-speaking countries, I want to use my domain to communicate that I am rooted in Austria and position myself accordingly. And this is exactly what appeals to customers outside Austria, too: taking German ad agencies with Austrian clients for a moment, rather than being an obstacle, my domain has quite the opposite effect.

A .co.at domain is not used as frequently as the .at domain. Have any of your customers brought it up?
To begin with, I was a bit worried that the .co.at domain would end up being a disadvantage and that people would have trouble getting the email address right. But my concerns were completely unfounded – it was never an issue. No one has ever asked me about it in all these years, either. In my experience, co.at is just as well accepted as the .at domain and is a very good alternative.

Have you also secured any other domains or do you plan to do so in the future?
No, www.textur.co.at is the only one I have so far. In 2017, I redesigned my website, and as part of the process I thought about whether or not I should change my domain. Ultimately, I decided against it because I think that the name textur is a good fit. And it expresses my love of wordplay. But maybe I'll secure the domain with my name before another Karin Zeiler does.

Looking back, would you do things differently when choosing the domain name?
When I realised my desired domain wasn’t available back when I was setting up my business, I was disappointed. But I just left it at that. Today, I would definitely do more research and ask questions. While I didn't want to spend money unnecessarily at the time, I now wonder whether I couldn’t have got hold of the domain reasonably cheaply after all. As a young entrepreneur, you’ve just got so many things on your mind that the domain sometimes ends up going on the back burner. However, websites are a key marketing tool for companies.

Protected names and trademarks are off limits – unless you happen to own them

Austrian copywriter Karin Zeiler chose a .at domain with her company name. Another possibility would be for her to register a domain featuring her own name. As in real life, the law on names and trademarks also applies to domains. Be careful not to infringe on anyone else's rights: search the net, the trademark register and the patent register. Remember: people who do have a particular name cannot simply register a domain featuring that name. That said, if there is a namesake out there, the domain can be quickly claimed by someone else. You can find out whether your desired .at domain is still available at any time with the help of our domain finder check.