The first step toward e-commerce is selecting the name of your site. Your Web address (domain name) tells customers who you are and how to find you on the Internet. It is the core of your Internet identity, your online brand. And because no two parties can have the same Web address, your online identity is totally unique.
How important is a domain name?
Quite important, actually. Remember that not only does your domain name tell customers exactly how to find your business on the Web, but also it communicates and reinforces the name of your business to every visitor.
Keep these tips in mind before you choose:
- Make it memorable. Amazon.com is much catchier than booksonline.com.
- Describe your business. Another approach is to simply and logically describe your business. Flowers.com works perfectly for a florist. If you are setting up an online presence for an established business, keep the name of your site the same as the name of your business if possible.
- Keep it short. The best domain names are those that customers can remember and type into their browsers, so complicated strings of words like onlinecdstore.com don’t work as well as a simple phrase like cdnow.com.
How to Get and Manage Domain Names
Once you’ve decided on your online identity, the next step is to determine if it is available and then register it. Registering is easy and inexpensive, so do it as soon as you’ve decided on your domain name to make sure you get the name you want. Many businesses register a number of variations, just in case they want to use them later, or to stop competitors getting them.
E-commerce businesses most often register a name with .com, especially if the products will appeal to an international audience.
How to Buy an Existing Domain Name
What happens if the domain name you want is already registered? You can either choose another name or buy your first choice from whoever got it first. You can easily find out whether a domain name that has already been registered is for sale by checking out the Network Solutions domain name marketplace site at http://www.greatdomains.com. However, with a bit of lateral thinking you will probably find something suitable using hyphens or slightly different words.
How to Register Domain Names Worldwide
The Internet is global—shouldn’t your business be, too? Registration of multiple domain names for use around the world protects your intellectual property, brand name, and trademarks against infringement by global cybersquatters. If you plan to do business in other countries, you can register country-specific domains (with country-specific extensions such as .ie for Ireland and .uk for the United Kingdom).
Once you’ve established your Web identity by selecting and registering your domain names, it’s time to build your site.
We register domain names on your behalf; be careful of those who register names for you, but in their own name.
