Choosing the right domain name for your website is absolutely crucial!

It's not as simple as it seems and many people get it wrong.

First thing I will say is - you may need more than one Domain Name.

Yes - more than one. Don't be worried - they aren't expensive!

Note that all the domain names in this article have had the "www." removed from them so they are not links and therefore do not violate the editing guidelines of the article directory.

The first decision to make is are you going to choose either a "branding" or "keyword rich" domain name.

If you have an existing business, I suggest you use the business name as your branding domain name. So for example, our business name is "The Only Smarter Business Club".

Our "branding" website is TheOnlySmarterBusinessClub.com - which is excruciatingly long to type - so we have also registered SmarterBusinessClub.com. Still a bit long - but better! Our website visitors can use either domain name because both "point" to our website.

Our main business is assisting small businesses with their marketing and technology, so the domain name and website reflect that.

However, due to our clients being constantly charged huge amounts of their precious cash flow by web designers, we decided to put together a video based, click-by-click training system on how to build a great website for less than $200.

The domain name we chose for that product is CheapEasyWebsite.com.

This is more of a keyword based domain name.

This is a very competitive area - web design - and so many of the really good domain names were already taken - or were being sold as "premium" domain names for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This one cost us the usual $10 (or thereabouts).

A keyword based domain name is usually going to have more benefit as far as search engine rankings etc. than a branding domain name.

Here's the reason why. A lot more people will type "cheap easy website" into a search engine like Google, than "smarter business club"!

But - and this is a big BUT - in the majority of cases, as a small business owner, you need to have a domain name which is the same as - or very close to your business name - or in some cases your primary product.

I'll give you a different theoretical example.

Let's say you are a seafood merchant called Smith & Sons Seafood.

You could register SmithandSonsSeafood.com.

But a keyword based domain name may be BestOystersinMetung.com.

This domain name tells people not only what you sell, but also, where you sell it.

So the first tip - consciously decide on a branding or keyword based domain name.

Next thing to consider is that a domain name must be unique.

Domain name registrars will not allow you to register a domain name that is already registered.

I seriously suggest you do not try and "fudge" an existing domain name - by doing something such as ebaye.com or cnnn .com. It is just not good business - and suggests that you are "scared" of being you!

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