An Internet presence has become essential to promote your business

The Internet has leveled the business playing field for companies, enabling companies, no matter what size they are, to potentially showcase their products and services to people all over the world. 

Over 81 million Indians now have access to the Internet and over 1.9 billion Internet users exist worldwide, making it a rich and powerful media to create awareness of your business.

An Internet presence starts with your domain name

An important first step to transacting any business on the Internet is to select and register a domain name. The domain name represents your company’s brand and identity on the Internet.  In order to boost your company’s chances of being recognized on the Web, it is necessary to choose a meaningful domain name and register it as soon as possible.

Tips for choosing an ideal domain name

Considering that your Internet identity starts with your domain name, it is important to pay attention to selecting the most appropriate domain name for your business and registering it at the earliest opportunity. An effective domain name can make the difference between a powerful Web presence and a relatively ineffectual one. Here are quick tips that can help you make the right decisions:

1. The domain name should be related to your business: A good rule of thumb is to create and select a domain name that identifies your company’s name or the kind of business, products and services. For example if you are in the jewelry export business, www.jewelryinternational.com or www.jewelryoverseas.com could be possible domain names that relate the most to your business. 

2. A short and catchy name is more memorable: When picking a domain name, try to make it short, memorable and easy to remember. It should be easy to spell too so that visitors to your Web site do not get directed elsewhere in case they mistakenly type in the wrong spelling. Also, avoid abbreviations, hyphens or Hinglish terms in your domain name. 

3. Get a .com domain name: Selecting the right domain name extension is important as it increases your visibility on the net. A .com domain name offers you one of the best options because it helps lend instant visibility and credibility for your brand online, both in India and globally.. It is also the most likely extension to be typed in by first time users.  A .com domain name is appropriate for businesses of all sizes and it is one of the most widely used domain name extensions around the world.

4. Having a keyword rich domain name is an important factor in Search Engine Optimization. It could boost your search engine rankings. For instance, a domain name such as www.Indianhandicrafts.com will be the right domain name to pick if you are building a Web site to sell handicrafts. It may not only help you achieve higher search engine rankings, but the name also identifies your line of business. So select those key words for your domain name that are likely to attract the most online traffic. 

Buying and registering your domain name

You should access the Web sites of companies that perform domain name registrations in order to search and find out if the domain name you have chosen is available for you to use. If your desired domain name is taken, the domain name service typically recommends other selections that you could use. If the domain name that you desire is unavailable, the domain name suggestion service may be able to offer an effective alternative name.

For a minimal fee, you can register your .com domain name. The minimum registration term for .com domain names is 1 year (and the maximum is 10 years). You may be able to pay for registering your domain name online through your credit card or via cheque or a demand draft. Authorized registrars and resellers of domain names typically offer online and phone support.

A good strategy is to choose and register your domain name in advance of building your Web site. This way you will know that a certain domain name belongs to you. In the case of registering a domain name without having built a Web site, typing the domain name into the browser window will bring up a page indicating that the domain name has been registered by someone.

Now is the time to establish your Internet presence. With these handy tips for selection and registration of your domain name, you will be able to do so quickly and efficiently.

Welcome to the Internet World!

* Manish Dalal is the Vice President of APAC, Naming Services, Verisign.
* The views expressed by the author in this feature are entirely his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of SME Times.