How to Create and Secure Your Business Domain Name

So you want a presence on the Internet? That's great! In today's age, the Internet offers many business owners the opportunity to introduce their company or product to a potential customer thousands of miles away. A successful marketing campaign targets your audience, with as little out of pocket expense as possible. Even if your budget allowed you to spend unnecessary amounts of money advertising your product or service, why would you?

Whether you are already in business or thinking about starting a business, securing your spot on the Internet is very important. Many computer users find the products and services they are looking for by simply typing their desires into a search engine. If I was looking for auto insurance, the days of picking up the telephone book has long passed. Cellular phones now offer users the ability to surf the net almost anywhere. Are they going to find your business on line?

Type your company name or product into a search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc...) and see what comes up. Is your business or product listed? Chances are you will see hundreds, maybe thousands of similar businesses pop up. Refine your search and add a city and state. That will reduce the amount of results returned. If you still don't see your business, try typing in the address. If you are not listed, that means no one can find you!

You may already have a presence on the Internet. I made the mistake of signing up with a "free" website provider that gave me an unnecessarily long domain name. Don't water down your brand by allowing someone else's brand to be in front of your company name or product. Choose a name that is specific to your product or business.

After deciding on what name you would like to use, you must find out if it is available. I use www.godaddy.com. They are very affordable. Right now they are selling domain names for only $11.99 a year. That translates into about a dollar a month for you to have your business on the Internet. What other forms of marketing allows you to reach millions of potential customers globally for only $1 per month? Select the name that's right for you, and in a later article I will walk you through building that website for FREE. At this point, all you need is your domain name. Do not buy any hosting, additional email addresses, or any of the other "extras" that end up costing you unnecessary money. You do not need a subscription to anything else. All you need is that domain name and the rest will fall into place.