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Choosing your domain name is very important for your business. Many entrepreneurs do not realize the long-standing importance of a domain name. Your domain name will affect many parts of your business and should be carefully considered. Consider carefully what domain name you will use. It should be one that anyone can completely identify with the business you are carrying on. It isn't easy to change once you purchase one, so think carefully. Your domain name has two principle purposes:

- Brand your business

- Helps to achieve search engine optimization

Brand your business: Know that this name will represent your business and should have a professional ring to it. It will be what your customers will recognize as YOUR business. Thus your domain name must represent your company or enterprise. Keep the following in mind when picking your domain name:

- Make it memorable: People should be able to easily remember the name of your website so they will be more inclined to tell others about it.

- Make it short and easy to spell: Try not to make your domain name too complicated. It should be easy to spell and short enough to remember.

- It should describe your business and what you do. It should be easy to see what you are selling, what you are offering, how you can help them solve their problems.

- Your domain name is your business name: Due to the fact it is not easy to change your domain name, you should get it right the first time.

Optimizing your website: Try to include your keyword or key phrase within your domain name. This helps position you better in the search engines and make your website easy to find.

Registering your domain name:

- Make a list of domain names: Using your keywords, list out some domain names you would like. List out at least five or ten names, because you will find others have already used some of your ideas.

- Go to a domain register and get your domain name registered. You can use .com or .net or .org as the suffix. And here are some terms you need to know: o Nameserver: This is your host's server. Inserting the host's DNS or server code will assure that your domain name will be found for the purpose of registration. Your website will then be published to the web for the entire world to see. o Whois contact info on your website. You can make it private or you can have it for everyone to see. When Public, this can be seen by anybody so try to put as little personal information as possible.

Some important things to remember:

o You will find an option for registering your domain name for 1-5 years. Try to register for 2 or even 5 years, if you can, as this will make your business more credible in Google's eyes and you will attain a better Page Rank.

o Lock in your domain name so no one else can transfer it or tamper with the name.