The UK business launch journey
Start a real UK business
Move from a promising name to the domain, company and website decisions. Start free, then take only the optional launch steps you need.
Three steps, one connected journey
1. Name it, with the domain to prove it
Describe your idea and NameGenie generates brand names, checks the domain at the registrar in real time, and screens Companies House search results for matching company names. Searching is free, and you leave this step with evidence to verify before you commit. The domain itself registers from about £10 a year.
2. Make it a limited company
Form your company from £102.99, including the £100 Companies House fee and identity verification. Our formation partner prepares and files the application online. You get the certificate of incorporation once Companies House approves it.
3. Put it online within 7 days
Launch Site by OnPoint, offered exclusively with NameGenie: a designed one page website with your content placed and polished, a contact form, hosting set up, and your new domain connected, live within 7 days of OnPoint receiving your content, for a fixed £149.
Why the name comes first
Your name has to work across three different questions: whether the domain can be registered, whether Companies House will accept the company name, and whether customers will remember it.
Use the business name generator from a detailed brief when you need candidates, then use this launch page when you are ready to connect the later decisions.
NameGenie gathers the first register evidence while you are still choosing. Final registrar, company-name and trade-mark checks remain separate. Before incorporating, compare the practical differences between sole trader and limited-company structures.
Questions founders ask
- How much does it all cost?
- Generating names and checking domains is free. Every step after that is optional, so you pay only for what you take: the domain from about £10 a year. Form your company from £102.99, including the £100 Companies House fee and identity verification. The Launch Site website is £149 fixed if you want it.
- How long does it take?
- The name and domain take minutes. Company formation is usually approved the same working day. The website goes live within 7 days of OnPoint receiving your content.
- Do I need a limited company to start?
- No. Many people start as sole traders and incorporate later. A limited company is a separate legal entity, which can separate its finances and obligations from yours. Companies House can reject a name that is the same as or too like an existing name, and Companies House makes the final decision on registration. Incorporation registers the company name but does not confer trade mark rights.
- Can I use my own web designer?
- Of course. The domain and company steps work on their own. The Launch Site offer is there so you can get online quickly without briefing an agency from scratch.
Company registration and website links go to our partners and are referral links. They never change the price you pay. Company information is a general guide, not legal or tax advice.
Facts reviewed 25 August 2026. Sources: Companies House fees, Companies House identity verification, Companies House company-name and trade-mark guidance, and formation partner package.