Do I need a domain name for my business? If so, how do I go about buying one?

A domain name is the unique address through which every website on the internet can be recognised.

Domain names are generated from a huge variety of sources, but they all end up on a central register. This allows customers everywhere to find your website with only the help of their favourite search engine...

E-business, conventional company, or something in between?

Before considering a domain name, first ask yourself what type of business yours is.

• If the internet forms a significant element of your business strategy, then your domain name will certainly be important to you. If you plan to trade, advertise, or just communicate with your customers through a web presence then you are, to a greater or lesser extent, an e-business. You need a domain name.

• If your primary commercial activities take place through conventional channels such as face-to-face meetings, telephone sales, direct mail, advertising, retailers, and so on, you may not currently think of yourself as an e-business. But that’s not to say you will never become one.

• Wouldn’t you be annoyed to find another company had taken your business name for their website? Even if you have no active plans to trade your business on the internet at present it can be a wise (and inexpensive) precaution to register a domain name for future use.
  
  

What makes a good domain name?

Domain names may only include lower-case characters, numbers, and hyphens. No other symbols or punctuation are allowed. Domain names always come with a suffix, designed to indicate what type of organisation they belong to:

• .com – this designation was originally intended for US based commercial companies, but has now become a global corporate suffix
• .org – indicates a non-profit organisation
• .net – indicates an internet or computer-related organisation
• .co.uk – the principal designation for UK-based commercial sites
• .biz/.tv – these newer suffixes are sometimes attractive to certain companies.

With literally millions of websites on the internet, domain names are one of the primary ways to distinguish one site from another. Many companies simply use the trading name they already have as a name for their website, or try to come up with something that relates to their products and services.

Whilst you may wish to follow such an approach for the sake of commercial consistency, it’s also worth noting that some of the characteristics of really successful domain names include:

• Being brief – short names are easier to remember than long ones. If your business has a long name you might consider abbreviating it, or using initials instead 

• Being memorable – although a name may not be that closely connected to your business, if it’s easy for your customers to remember it’s doing a good job

• Being distinctive – if you have lots of competitors all offering similar services from similarly named websites, it can be worth your while trying to come up with something that little bit different.

Before you rush off to register your new name, do be aware that many of the more obvious and popular choices have already been taken. It is often worth coming up with a short list of acceptable names before you go any further.

Once you have your name

Now it’s time to do your research. Just as you would investigate possible names for a new company thoroughly, researching any new domain name requires a similarly rigorous approach. If the name you are after appears to be free at first glance, that’s not necessarily the end of the story.

Look out for names that are similar to yours, always being aware of sites you would not want to be associated with even by remote implication.

Where to buy your name

Once you have finally decided on the name you want and you’ve done the research to check that your target domain name is suitable, it’s wise to register it as soon as possible. The world is full of people who came up with the greatest ever name for an e-business, only to find someone else had got there first.

Any number of websites in the UK offers domain name registration services, from as little as £3.00 per name per year. Look through these sites (by typing 'domain name registration' into any search engine) and you’ll soon realise that all offer something different.

Some simply provide name registration at rock-bottom prices, whilst others include name registration as part of a package of services that can also include web hosting and email. Since the chances are that you’ll need a web host for your domain name at some point, it’s worth considering carefully which package is right for you.

In summary

Decide how important a good domain name is to your business, and spend the appropriate amount of time devising and researching one. Once you have a name you are happy with lose no time in registering it, taking into account any other services you may wish to purchase along with the rights to your domain name.