by Donna Walsh

A domain name is the address of your web site on the Internet and is unique to your particular site. It can end in different extensions such as .com, .net, .org, etc. much as street names end in road, way, or place. All domains are managed by a global Internet database which is called SRS(Shared Registration System). It takes between 24-72 hours after registering your domain name for it to be live on the Internet. For a list of accredited registars visit Internicat: http://www.internic.net/ .

Choosing the correct domain name for your business can prove to be a difficult task. While it might seem that all the good names are already taken, with a little inspiration you will be able to think of an appropriate name. You want to choose a name that is functional as well as creative. Don't choose a domain name just because it's available.

You will want your domain name to be descriptive of your website as this helps visitors to get a better grasp of the concept of your site. It should contain one of your most profitable keywords since search engines rank your site higher if your domain name includes your keyword. (Some experts don't think this has any bearing on your search engine ranking well others believe it does. I personally will try anything that has a possibility of getting my site ranked higher!)
You'll want to choose a name that contains keywords or phrases that a user is likely to enter when searching. Ifyou use a proper name as your domain name, most of your visitors will not remember it and thus will be unlikely to find your site again. By using keywords in your domain name, your site name will be easier to remember making it easier for these visitors to return. Also, more users will be directed to your site from the search engines, resulting in more traffic.

Here are some tips for choosing a domain name.

1.Try to keep the name 5-20 characters long. Although you are alloted 63 characters, using all of these will make for a very long name. People tend to remember short names rather than long ones.

2.A domain name can be a combination of letters and numbers. Spaces and special characters are not permitted.

3.Domain names are not case sensitive. It doesn't matter if you use capital or lower case letters. However, capitalizing the first letter of each word will make the domain name easier to read. For example: http://www.YourDomainName.com

4.Try to chose a name which is easily remembered. Use common words, not rarely used ones which are not readily recognized by the majority of users.

5.Use hyphens if your name is more than 3 words long. By using hyphens, you break up the name into smaller single words making it easier for your visitor to remember.

6.If financially possible, register your name with other extensions [.net, .org, etc.]. This prevents people from copying your name.