While choosing a good domain name is important for any internet business, online businesses also need to choose a domain name to correspond with a business name. Try to start thinking about building a business and not just a website. A business sticks around for a long time and continues to generate profits but websites come and go. It is what is behind the website that matters. The customer service, the quality of the content your website provides, the ability to grow and change with your industry. Focus on your business and then determine how a website can best represent that business.

If you are trying to find a domain name for a new business then first think about what your business name is going to be. This is the name that is going to be on your business cards, checks, and other printed material. The business name is also going to be the name you register with your state and local officials. Again, you want to create a business that lasts and generates profits for years. Spend some time to create a high quality business name. A high quality business name will be:

1. Marketable and able to adapt to various branding efforts easily.

2. Easy to remember, at least with your target market.

3. Representative of the image your online business is trying to portray.

4. Not infringing on the trademark of any other company or website.

Once you have decided on a full business name, begin choosing a domain name for your online business or website. Here are a few basic considerations when choosing a domain name for your website:

1. What domain name extension do you prefer when choosing a domain name? (.com?, .net?, your country code?) I have had many debates about whether or not to choose a .com or another extension and I still lean toward the .com. In my opinion, a .com can be compared to an 800 number. Yes, there are 877, 866, 888, etc. but when we talk about toll free we think of 800. When we think about the internet we think of .com so if you own mygreatwebsite.net there are going to be people who try to find you at mygreatwebsite.com. Don't send visitors to your competitors. Instead try to find a .com that will work for you.

2. How long should your domain name to be? Shorter domain names tend to be easier to remember, but that might not be an issue if you plan to exclusively market your business online, rather than needing people to always remember, and type in, the domain name (such as using radio advertising to promote the website).

3. Do you prefer the domain name to be the company name, or something heavily related to the company name, or do you prefer a domain name that is keyword-rich for search engine optimization, even if that means using a less memorable or more unattractive domain name? Again, this depends a lot on how you intend to market your website. If you are going to only be doing online marketing then having keywords in your domain name can't hurt. If you will be doing offline marketing and want to brand your company's name then you would probably want to go with your company name as the domain name.

4. When choosing a domain name, do you want to avoid using hyphens in the domain, or is that not an issue for your particular online business? Once again, if you plan on just getting people to your site through online advertising you can get away with hyphens. If you have A-B-C-Company.com and you have printed advertising or radio advertising the hyphens will surely cause you to lose potential customers.

5. Do you want to buy a previously-registered domain name that has a history (especially if its previous use was related to the new online business), or would a domain name that’s entirely new and that has never been used before be better? If the previously used domain name fits your business then there is no reason not to buy a previously registered domain.

6. Do you mind having numbers in the domain name, or would you prefer that everything be spelled out? If numbers are important to the domain name, will they be confusing to site visitors? Try to put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer. A name that sounds catchy like GreatStuff4You.com can send lots of customers to GreatStuffForYou.com. If you have to provide an explanation with the domain name then it is probably not a good choice.

Once you’ve answered those questions about choosing a domain name, and have a basic business name (or keywords) in mind, you can often find some great tools at registrars that will help you find a great domain. A registrar is where you go to purchase the domain name. When visiting the site of a domain name registrar, conduct a search for your domain name idea(s) to see if the domain names are available. Many registrars have a built-in tool that will suggest similar domain names, if your first choice isn’t available. When targeting a general keyword, and not worried about prefix and suffix options, run a search for keyword.com, even if you know it’s not available. The registrar’s tools may suggest a substitute domain name that will meet your needs. An example of a registrar is www.GoDaddy.com. GoDaddy offers a number of domain services that are worth checking out.