Naming Your Business and Internet Domain
Naming Your Business and Internet Domain
You know the rules: keep your business name simple and memorable, relate the name to your product or service, and choose a name that is not prone to misspelling - to name a few. But don’t rush into naming your business. Take the time to develop a name you are happy with and that is relevant to your business. Check that the business name you are considering is legally available. In the U.S., most states manage the name database for businesses that incorporate or that form limited liability companies in their state, whereas localities or counties manage “Doing Business As” (DBA) names for sole proprietors and partnerships.
There are some additional issues when operating a business on the Web, like the use of your business name as your domain name. Although this is usually a good practice, often the name you want is not available in the “.com” domain space. Most domain registries do suggest some useful alternatives but often a suitable name cannot be found. If the name you want is not available, try adding relevant words before or after the name to create a descriptive domain name, for example “www.rjonesaccounting.com” or consider an acronym like “www.rjaonline.com.” Depending on your situation it might be more beneficial to register a name that relates to your product or service rather than your business name. There are usually more name choices when choosing this alternative.
Here are some pointers for selecting and registering business domain names:
1) Make a list of names and review it frequently, adding or deleting until the perfect name is found.
2) “.com” is still the preferred top-level domain name for a business and should be your first choice for credibility in the business world.
3) Domain names can be from 2 to 63 characters, (letters, numbers, and “-“ can be used between them).
4) Although domain names are NOT case sensitive, you can use capitalization for word separation when referencing your domain name, (e.g., www.MySiteOnTheWeb .com).
5) Use your business name as your domain name if your product, service or brand identity will not change over time and you want to maximize your domain name marketing efforts.
6) Register domain names yourself; the person registering the domain name owns the name and retains the right to registration renewal.
7) Under the U.S. AntiCybersquatting Consumer Protection Act it is illegal to use someone else’s trademark as a domain name. You can start your trademark search on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Website www.uspto.gov to help identify U.S. Registered Trademarks (®).
Gene Yelle is the Lead Consultant at Megacom Services, LLC, a Web-based business consulting company specializing in business plan development.
© 2006 Megacom Services, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Naming Your Business and Internet Domain - To learn more about this author, visit gene yelle's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Naming Your Business and Internet Domain
You know the rules: keep your business name simple and memorable, relate the name to your product or service, and choose a name that is not prone to misspelling - to name a few. But don’t rush into naming your business. Take the time to develop a name you are happy with and that is relevant to your business. Check that the business name you are considering is legally available. In the U.S., most states manage the name database for businesses that incorporate or that form limited liability companies in their state, whereas localities or counties manage “Doing Business As” (DBA) names for sole proprietors and partnerships.
There are some additional issues when operating a business on the Web, like the use of your business name as your domain name. Although this is usually a good practice, often the name you want is not available in the “.com” domain space. Most domain registries do suggest some useful alternatives but often a suitable name cannot be found. If the name you want is not available, try adding relevant words before or after the name to create a descriptive domain name, for example “www.rjonesaccounting.com” or consider an acronym like “www.rjaonline.com.” Depending on your situation it might be more beneficial to register a name that relates to your product or service rather than your business name. There are usually more name choices when choosing this alternative.
Here are some pointers for selecting and registering business domain names:
1) Make a list of names and review it frequently, adding or deleting until the perfect name is found.
2) “.com” is still the preferred top-level domain name for a business and should be your first choice for credibility in the business world.
3) Domain names can be from 2 to 63 characters, (letters, numbers, and “-“ can be used between them).
4) Although domain names are NOT case sensitive, you can use capitalization for word separation when referencing your domain name, (e.g., www.MySiteOnTheWeb .com).
5) Use your business name as your domain name if your product, service or brand identity will not change over time and you want to maximize your domain name marketing efforts.
6) Register domain names yourself; the person registering the domain name owns the name and retains the right to registration renewal.
7) Under the U.S. AntiCybersquatting Consumer Protection Act it is illegal to use someone else’s trademark as a domain name. You can start your trademark search on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Website www.uspto.gov to help identify U.S. Registered Trademarks (®).
Gene Yelle is the Lead Consultant at Megacom Services, LLC, a Web-based business consulting company specializing in business plan development.
© 2006 Megacom Services, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Naming Your Business and Internet Domain - To learn more about this author, visit gene yelle's Website.
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