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Domain Name Registration Tips:

Your domain name is the center of your Internet identity. So what type of things should you take into consideration when choosing the name that will represent you on the Web? Jumpline.com offers these 8 handy tips.

1. Keep it short
Although some places allow you to register a name with up to 63 characters, you have to keep in mind that people need to be able to remember it, and easily type it into their browser. Try to register the shortest name that your customers and visitors will associate with your Website. The general rule of thumb is, keep it under seven characters if possible. (Not including the suffix.)

2. Dot What?
There are many different extensions available right now. For businesses, we recommend a .com suffix. It is the first extension that most people try when searching for a Website. Also, since it is one of the oldest extensions, .com shows that your business has been around for a while and that you have a well-established presence on the Web.

3. Avoid Trademarked Names
There are two really good reasons for this. First, it’s not very nice. We have all heard the stories about the zany guy who thought ahead and bought "some-huge-multi-million-dollar-company.com" and sold it to the company for enough money to retire on. But, remember that those companies, like yours, have spent lots of time and money creating their brand, and what goes around comes around. Also, companies are no longer opening their pocketbooks to get their names back. They are calling their lawyers.

4. Register Your Domain NOW
Domain names are being snatched up faster than candy at the St. Patrick’s Day parade. You must register soon unless you want to get stuck with "the-domain-name-that-no-one-wanted.net". You do not have to have a Webmaster or an ecommerce department or a Web design consultant or... Heck, you don’t even need a Web page. Just get out there and register before you loose the opportunity to get the name you really want.

5. One May Not Be Enough
Sometimes, it isn’t a bad idea to register several similar domain names. If you have "yourname.com", register "yourname.net" so no one else takes it. You can register your full company name and a shorter, easier to remember version. Some people even register common misspellings of their company’s name. (You don’t need a separate Web page for each. Several domains can point to the same Website.)

6. Character Types
Just a reminder. Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and dashes. Spaces and symbols are not allowed. Also, domain names are not case sensitive.

7. Ask Around
When you have settled on several available name choices, see what your friends and clients have to say. A name that may make perfect sense to you may be too hard for other people to remember. Is your domain easy to say? Is it hard to spell? Do you have to explain why you chose the name?

8. Don’t Shell Out Large Amounts of Money
At one time, companies were able to get away with charging reservation fees plus a "mandatory" $70 InterNIC fee. Recently, it was decided that other companies should be able to compete to sell domain names. This has lowered prices dramatically.

And remember, if you think that if you have found the right domain name, but you're not quite sure if it's the one... register it anyway before someone else does!

It is worth spending a bit of money registering your own domain and paying to have it hosted. You will also receive email addresses that contain your domain name; this looks very professional and is a great advertisement for your site.

Choosing a domain is not the deciding factor of your site's success, but it sure goes a long way to creating a first and lasting impression. Put some thought into your domain and make it as descriptive if possible. Also, decide what the purpose of your site is. If your main goal is to attract people to join in your home based business plan, then take that into consideration. If your main goal is to sell your product and maintain customer relations, then consider that when choosing your domain.

For example:
www.workathome.com would be an acceptable name for selling your home based business idea
www.kidsbooks.com would be suitable for selling children's books.

You may want to consider having separate web sites for your recruiting and selling activities so you can target specific keywords (words people would enter into a search engine to find your site) in your domain name (if applicable), but of course - these should always be linked together. If your product is a well-known brand, you would be wise to include it in your domain name. If not, include important keywords in your domain.

For example:

http://www.ebay.com

or with a key word

http://www.internet-auctions.com

Make it something easy for people to remember and not too complicated. It should be something people can type into their browser by memory.

Protect Your Good Name
Experts say it is always a good idea to register all the variants of your domain name to protect someone from stealing your virtual identity. You are unique and you want to stay that way. Even if you have a trademarked name, it will save you a lot of hassle to be prepared.

You can purchase .net, .org., .biz, etc. variations of your name. In addition, you can purchase hyphenated versions of your domain name. For example, we have registered internet-based-moms.com, among other domains.

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