Choosing A Domain Name:

One of the most basic, yet most critical steps in the process of building an e-business is to select and register a domain name that will serve as the home of the business on the Internet.

In addition to being the - usually - lasting home for an online entity, a domain name very much serves to define the profile of that entity. Many e-businesses are known simply by their domain name - so called dot.com businesses.

So, finding the perfect domain name for your business is an important step in your quest for success. Ideally, the domain name should reflect the nature of your business - if you business is carrying a certain message, the domain name can reflect that too. The perfect domain name also is easy for customers to remember, short enough to quickly type into web browser and distinct enough to help you create a unique identity for your store.

Ultimately, you may register a domain for your business simply because you like it. However, the following are some of the factors that combine to define the quality/value of a domain name. These are issues that you may want to consider when zeroing in on the perfect domain name for your business.

Domain Name Length:
Generally, keeping a domain name fairly short will make it easier for site visitors to remember and type the name.

Keywords In A Domain Name:
A domain name that includes catchy, sought after and most important, relevant keywords will help you in the search engine optimization process for your business web site. Although certain search engines ignore it, others pay much attention to the occurrence of applicable keywords in the domain names when ranking the web pages in their indices.

Domain Name Recognition:
If any part of your business will generate particular name recognition with potential customers, then, by all means ensure that that is reflected in your domain name. Note that you, being the domain registrant, must ensure that a given domain name does not in any way infringe on a third party's trademark.

Top Level Domain Names:
The .com top level domain (TLD) remains the most ubiquitous extension on the internet. Consequently, Internet users likely will expect to see this extension when visiting a web site. This of course also means that .com names are relatively harder to find than less popular extensions such as .ws or .biz.

Because of its popularity on the internet, it is recommended that you at least consider registering the domain for you business with a .com extension. Other popular TLD's such as .net and .org might limit the versatility of the domain as they may imply a certain type of site residing on the domain. In some cases, a country code TLD (ccTLD) will be more applicable than a generic TLD. For example, a domain or web site that contains French or Italian language would be better suited with a .fr or .it TLD than a .com or a .net extension, as ccTLD's tend to be more popular than generic TLD's outside the United States.

Obviously, registering other, more specialized TLD's serves its purpose too. Indeed, using a country code TLD for your business' domain serves as a clear, albeit subtle indication of the nationality of you and your business.

As a means of reeling in visitors that type in your store's domain name, but with the wrong extension, it is worth considering registering not only the desired domain, but also a selection of other TLD variations of the name. For example, it might prove advantageous to own the registration of the .com, .net, .biz and .us (assuming that the business is based in the U.S.) variations of your domain.

Current Domain Name Trends:
Domains that contain words or phrases that are particularly en vogue may catch potential customers' attention. However, such domains may loose their value as current trends change.