The domain name of your business, blog or website is your cyberspace address. It is unique and will take visitors only to you. It�s like the deed to your home and gives you credibility online. If you are just starting an ecommerce business or other online endeavor, domain name registration should be your first priority.

What�s in a Domain Name?

The image and prestige of your online presence is crucial for attracting and keeping visitors to your website. The sooner you select a domain name the better. In fact, it is recommended by experts to select several. Each one should be relevant to your product. Your domain name can make the difference between people finding your web presence or never knowing you exist.

Five Reasons a Domain Name is Important

1. A domain name shows the public that you are forward thinking and that you understand emerging technologies. Even if you are just starting out, a good domain name can put you ahead of the competition.

2. A domain name gives you flexibility. You can change hosts or start using an in-house server. If you don�t have a domain name, you�ll need to take a new URL, which will set back all of your previous branding efforts.

3. A domain name can increase the public�s awareness of your brand. If it is the same as your company�s name, it will make it easy for customers to return and give it to friends.

4. A domain name can generate traffic to your website, which will result in more customers and better sales.

5. A domain name gives you credibility. A generic address may look suspicious and untrustworthy, but a domain name suggests that the company is serious and offers valuable products or services.

Features of a Good Domain Name

� The name should be short, memorable and logical. If you�re selling homemade fudge, you may not choose the name ilikecats.com. Search engines select top rankings based on content. This is the main reason your domain name should harmonize with or relate to your content. However, an exact match to your targeted keywords may not be helpful in getting a higher ranking.

� The name should be as close as possible to your business. If your business is homemade candles, the name prettylights.com may work.

� The name should not have hyphens or symbols. Stick to words and letters, and if possible, get a .com name, as this is the most valuable.

You may also want to consider registering misspellings of your domain name. For example, pretylights, preetylights, prettylites, may all take visitors to your correct domain name. Once you have a domain name, make sure your email address uses it as well as your employee�s addresses. You�ll be marketing every time you send an email.

With more and more commerce done online, it�s important to have a unique address on the Internet for any endeavor. There are about 100-million domain names used online today, so don�t wait to register yours.