| Question: Is your website name recognizable and easy to remember? cheap hotels in NiceIf you answered no to this question, you've flunked Domain Name 101, and you're probably doing more damage with your site than you know. There is nothing worse than seeing a home-based business with a domain name like www.aol.com/members/~myhomebiz060568.html and an e-mail address like myhomebiz060568@juno.com. These kind of addresses show you're not very serious about being online. "Your name must be easy to remember and spell,"said Wendy Martin, owner of Shades of White. "Remember, this is the Internet and spelling counts. Also, leave out the dashes and slashes, because those just make the name harder to remember." The problem for some businesses is finding a site name that hasn't been taken. InterNIC (www.internic.net) keeps an active database that you can search to see if a certain name is available. Businesses must come up with a unique name that accurately describes your business, and that consists of no more than 26 letters, dashes and numbers. "A lot of times it's not that difficult to get a name that matches,"said Kevin Vogler, owner Vogler & Associates. "Businesses should choose a name that is close to their business name. Most companies have names that are pretty unique, so they don’t have much of a problem. "The more original the name, the less chance it will be taken." If the .com version of your name is gone and you can’t buy it from the owner, try .net or .org. New domain names, .biz, .info, .name are also available. If you are still stuck, get creative. Many business owners can get close to their name by adding prefixes and suffixes like e, I, cyber, online and the. For example, when Shannon Rubio, of Spring, Texas and owner of the gift-box company Smile Box, found SmileBox.com was already registered, she registered TheSmileBox.com. Other companies are placing city initials before their names. Still others are condensing their names. When Martin found Shadesofwhite.com already taken, she registered shadesdesign.com. "I waited one month too long for my name,"Martin said. "If you find a name that isn’t taken, act fast." In addition to registering the exact domain name, consider registering any nicknames, common misspellings, and the name with and without dots between key elements. If you can't use your name, it's not the end of the world, according to Vogler. Said Vogler, "If you’re marketing yourself properly, customers will find you." hotels KolnOnce a business chooses a name, it then must register the name. Registering names reserves the name for future use and for e-mail and/or Web addresses. It prevents others from using the name. Domain names are portable. Once your name is registered, you won't need to worry about having to rename your site or change your e-mail if you decide to change e-mail providers or have your website hosted elsewhere. For many businesses, the easiest way to gain domain name registration is through their host companies or Web designers. Many times, the hosting company will bundle registration in with hosting services. Experts warn that registration should be in the company's name, not the hosting firm's name. And like any other contract, watch the fine print. Continue to: Domain Name Registration: The Basics > > See also: e-Commerce 
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