However, if you can choose a domain for your website that has never been used before you will be able to register it for less than $20 without having to buy it at all.

How To Choose A Domain Name

There are two approaches to choosing a suitable domain for your website: (1) Branding, and (2) keywords.

1. Branding – Use your own name or company name as the domain name of your website.

If you want to raise the profile of your company and turn it into brand in its own right, using it as your domain name is a great idea.

Take a company like Amazon.com for example. There is nothing in the domain name amazon.com to suggest that Amazon sells books, yet when you hear the name Amazon you will probably think either of a big river in South America, or a big bookstore on the Internet, and in many cases it will be the latter that is thought of first!

That is the power of brand names.

Some people choose to turn their own name into a brand name. Entrepreneurs, politicians, artists will often secure their own name as their brand name. The most famous recent example of this is now living in the White House. You can check out his website at barackobama.com.

So, branding yourself via your domain name can be a very smart move.

However, if you are just starting out, you might want to consider using relevant keywords in your domain name to raise the profile of your website. This is an excellent idea if you are promoting a well defined niche market.

2. Keywords – Choose a domain name that reflects the type of business you are in.

There are a couple of advantages to be had with a keyword rich domain. Firstly, it sends a clear message to anybody searching for the products you are selling that your website is the place to find them. Secondly, the keywords in your domain will help your website’s search engine ranking for those particular words.

Choosing a Keyword Rich Domain Name

Make a list of keywords that are related to the main theme or chief content of your website. Aim to get a domain name with one or two of your keywords in it; a short domain name is better but you will probably need to use more than one keyword to find a domain name that is available.

The easiest way to work on your domain name is to use a free domain search website such as http://instantdomainsearch.com/ and type your ideas straight into the search browser to instantly discover whether or not they are available. If your first search is not successful, play around with the keywords and try to find a good combination that (a) makes some kind of sense, (b) is a fair reflection of what your business is about and (c) is available.

Also, if you are planning on starting a business site, make sure that you get the.com extension. Generally speaking, domains that end in .com are easier to remember and look more professional. However, if your business is focused on a single country then you might want to use .co.uk, co.jp, etc.

If your chosen domain name is not available and is one that you have set your heart upon, you may be able to buy it from the owner. As I mentioned, many people buy and sell domain names as a business. Be warned, though… A domain name with a couple of high ranking keywords in it is likely to be expensive. Whereas you can register an available domain name for a few dollars, you may have to spend several thousand dollars to secure a great domain name on the open market.

Some of the most basic and understood reasons for wanting to register an independent domain name are as follows;

1. Unique identity. Many search engines will no longer list redundant affiliate Websites as they see them all as simply the same Website which would inundate and clutter their directory. Additionally, Internet surfers are not looking for replicated sites and would search using a service that provides the best and most varying information for a customer’s valuable time. With a personal domain name however, you get Websites listed in search engines, increased exposure and subsequently generate more free traffic and sales for the site you work so hard to put up in the forefront.

2. Professionalism. Customers seek out professional companies offering quality products and services. A personal domain offers and presents a professional image, prestige, and invaluable credibility. A personal domain allows the webmaster to customize, add, alter, include or delete and present their products and services in the manner they specifically choose.

3. Another words, Control. The Webmaster (you) have complete control as to what your site looks like and what information it contains.

4. Short, sweet address. Instead of having to advertise long, hard-to-remember URLs, you, can create an easy-to-remember domain name (e.g. www.MyBusiness.com). From there, building a Website with links to your Gateway(s) or, in the case of affiliate sites you wish to promote is a simple matter. You can easily set a personal domain to automatically redirect (referred to as “URL forwarding”) to a favorite Gateway or any other site. For example, you could advertise a name like www.OurBusiness.com, but when your prospects enter that URL, they’ll be automatically be redirected to the Gateway of your choosing.

5. A Permanent address. With a personal domain, you and your family or business can have permanent, lifetime e-mail addresses that you’ll never have to change. Likewise, you’ll be able to create exactly the e-mail addresses you want (e.g. YourFirstName@YourDomain.com, Info@YourDomain.com, MyBusiness.com, Support@YourDomain.com, etc.).

Like everything, not all similar services and products are created equally. You do in fact get what you pay for. Domain registrations can go from $1.99 up to and exceed $30 annually. Check the fine print and be sure you know exactly the benefits each registrar has to offer. There is some pretty common ground out there among the competition.

Some offer you hosting as well (a place to park your Webpage). Web hosting packages include storage, email accounts, domain and more services to consider for your complete business needs! Some sell you a domain name at a highly affordable rate but you might just be sacrificing the ability to transfer your new domain name to another hosting service so again, read the small print if you have other plans and services already in place.

Many domain services allow you to keep your contact information updated easily by using their Domain Management System. You will also be able to renew your domain name and update the Domain Name Servers (DNS information). By using your unique username and password established when you registered the domain name with their company.

The domain registrar that I personally use has some unusual features such as Word Wizard which allows me to use the name of a major city or state as part of a domain name to make it memorable. The Word Wizard combines my keyword with either category to create a domain name. Then to there is a function called Domain Twist where if you are having trouble coming up with an available name, the Domain Twist takes words and gives them a twirl to come up with variations of the original name. A function that I particularly like is in an instance where if you already own a domain name that you registered using another registrar you can save money by taking advantage of their low transfer price. An added benefit to transferring your domain to the service I use is that they will also add one year to the original registration term you had with the company you are transferring you domain name from.

They also let me search and register a maximum of 30 domains at one time and register variations of my primary domain names to avoid confusion and copycat sites. Best of all now that we all deal with international customers (and I have personally not found it anywhere else) is the ability to create domain names in Korean, Japanese, traditional and simplified Chinese characters. This function means the name you create will work just like any English-character name in that you can enter it into your browser and be taken to the corresponding website.

So, in a nut shell we talked about the advantages of registering a personal domain name and covered some limited information about the services domain registers offer. Most importantly, we addressed some unique features offered by the domain registrar I’m thrilled to be associated with and just had to share. You can find out more about my domain service that I’m excited about by visiting the link I placed in the resource box following this article. But in conclusion I’ll say for the third time, read the fine print to ensure they offer you everything you need as well.