1. Keep it short

Although you can now 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 ten 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 lucky 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, mydomain.com is the same as MyDomain.com

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 $$$

At one time, companies were able to get away with charging reservation fees plus a "mandatory" $70 InterNIC fee. This has now changed completely. There are so many companies registering domain names, you should be able to get a good bargain. Active-Domain offers one of the lowest price you could find, on top of the free services you get which most companies are charging extra fee for them. Don't just look at the price; see what other features you get with your domain. You shouldn't have to paying anything extra for email/web redirection and even subdomains.

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!