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A domain name is a unique name that identifies one or more IP addresses. Domain names are used in URLs to identify particular websites located on the internet. For example, in the URL www.YourSite.com/info, YourSite.com is the domain name. The suffix indicates which top level domain the site belongs to. For example, the address www.YourSite.com has the top level domain of .com. That's the technical definition.

The simple definition for the laymen would be that a domain name is your address on the internet allowing other people to find you and your website just as your street address helps people to find your house.

If you are creating a website for personal use such as for diplaying family photos or to communicate with friends and family, then the name that you choose for your site is not really that important. You could even apply for a free domain name from one of the many free web hosting sites available. Your domain name in this case would include the name of the web hosting company preceeding your name (e.g. www.YourWebHost.com/YourName).

If you are creating a business site then you absolutely must get your own unique domain name. That way your web host can't hold you hostage and you are in complete controll. If you decide to move your site to another web host then your customers will still be able to find you because your domain name will still be exactly the same as before. This would not be the case if you had a free hosting account.

When choosing a domain name for your business it's best to pick a name that's simple and memorable. It should be catchy and give your customers at least a hint of what it is that you do or offer online. You want your domain name to be easy to remember for people when they sit down in front of their computers to look you up after seeing your name somewhere such as in an ad.

You can also improve your search engine rankings by including keywords in your domain name. Although these days that has become more difficult due to the number of businesses on the internet.

Some people like to be cute with their domain names using unusual spellings or unique words that have nothing to do with their businesses. This may work for the big boys with enormous advertising budgets for branding themselves with, but for the beginning home business owner this could just confuse people and and lead them away from your site.

Always register a .com name first. If you do not, you will be losing potential customers. Everyone remembers .com first and that's usualy what they will type into the web browser to find you. Also most web browsers use .com as the default anytime somebody fails to include the extension.

Remember, your domain name is an ultimately an extension of you and your business on the internet. You want your domain name to reflect who you are and what your website is all about.

Learn more about this author, Aaron Kirk.
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