One of the first steps you will need to take to put your business on the Internet will be to register a great domain name for your business. Finding the right domain name to register, however, is not always an easy process. Careful research is required before you invest in your domain name registration. Here are some questions you should be asking.

The domain name that you decide on will be the online identity for your business. The first question that comes to mind is whether you already have a traditional, brick and mortar business. If so, hopefully you will be able to register the same name for your domain. If not, you will want to find a name that is as close to that of your traditional business as is possible. This is why new traditional businesses that are being opened are first investigating whether or not the business names they are considering are also available as a domain name.

A wider range of options are available for those that are only building an online business when it comes to deciding on which domain name to register. Here are some things to keep in mind.

Which Niche Are You Targeting?

A great name for a comedy or joke website may be something like funnyguy.com, however, it would be a poor choice for someone in the dog training niche. It is recommended that the name you choose for your domain is in some way related to the business niche that you are in. Alternatively, you may decide to pick a name that is totally unique. However, this choice will mean a lot of dedication on your part to develop this name as a brand people will associate with your product or niche.

An excellent example of a branded name would be the GoDaddy.com domain. The phrase 'GoDaddy' would not normally bring to mind thoughts about domain name registration except for the fact that GoDaddy has spent a lot of time building up the GoDaddy brand and it is now a well-known in the domain registrar field.

A lot less time and effort will be required to build your brand if you choose a domain name that pertains to your niche and contains at least one of the main keywords or keyword phrases that relate to that niche.

What Keywords Are You Targeting?

People find your online business by typing in keywords when they search. Therefore, you will want to look for a domain name to register that is keyword rich. Finding one that is keyword rich may take some time. Most of the short tail keyworded names, that are one to two words in length, are no longer available. This may mean looking for a keyword phrase that relates to your niche and is more than two words in length.

Wherever possible, it is recommended that you use a.com domain extension, as it tends to have a higher level of authority with consumers. But there may be very few quality.com names available for domain name registration in your niche. This means you will also want to consider looking at the available domain extensions such as the.biz,.us,.ca, and.info extensions. While the name dogtrainingsupplies.com may not be available, you might consider looking at dogtrainingsupplies.ca if you are located in Canada or dogtrainingsupplies.us if you are located in the U.S.A.

Your preferred domain name may be available if you are willing to allow dashes between the keywords such as dog-training-supplies.com. You will want to consider this option carefully as it is a harder name for people to type and could lead to their landing on a competitor's page.

Should You Use A Misspelled Keyword Phrase?

More often than not, using a misspelled keyword or keyword phrase will make your job of drawing people to your website harder. Before considering this option, carefully research the number of times that particular misspelling is used in the search engines. If it receives a high number of monthly searches, then it may be a viable choice for you to register as a domain name. Keep in mind that using a misspelling will increase the amount of branding you will need to do.

How To Determine If A Domain Name Is Available

One easy way to determine if there is a possibility that the domain name you want is available is to simply type the name into a web browser. If the name is not in use, you will receive a message telling you that the server or website can not be found. You may also find that the name you are after is up for sale, which means you will have to decide if obtaining that particular name is worth the price being asked. Using this method does not guarantee that the name is available, it just means the domain is not currently being used.

Once you have slimmed down the list of potential names for your domain, it is time to connect with a domain registrar such as GoDaddy. Then use the search features available there to lock in a great domain name to register for your business.

The name you choose for your domain can either help or hinder your ability to reach your target customer. Visit this post, Using A Unique Domain Name, for more information. Looking for more information on Internet Marketing? Visit WBOBR.com and sign up for our WBOBR Advisor Newsletter. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sherry_Driedger