Creating your business presence on the Internet is very important to its success; your domain name is the main attraction, so plan carefully. If possible, start first with your domain name rather than a company name, this way you can clearly market and promote your niche on the web and in print. The consistency in what you call your business and web site makes it easy for your customers to remember. That’s what you want!

Selecting your domain name may turn out to be a daunting task, but an important one. You want it right the first time. Some helpful tips are:

• Brainstorm as many words as possible that you prefer and are related to your niche.
• List your niche keywords, which would be words used when searching for a web site in the search engines or directories. Try a combination. Also, the smaller and more defined your niche is the less competition you will have and the easier the search engines will find you.
• Make sure all your word choices are easy to remember, easy to type, and easy to spell. Avoid any confusing possibilities.
• Then make a selection of your favorite unique options, followed by searching for the availability.

Here are some tools and services to help you along the way.

http://ajaxwhois.com/ and http://www.domjax.com/ are tools to make your domain search effortless.

http://www.nameboy.com/ can search and generate a domain name based on your primary and secondary word choices.

http://www.dnscoop.com/ has statistics and estimates a domain name value.

Oh, I should mention a couple more things. First, you do not have to purchase your domain name from the above tools and services. Go to a registrar of your choice when you are ready. Second, be aware, domain names can cost under $10, read the fine print, registrars make more money by selling you packaged services. Pay for what you need.

Good luck and have fun!