What's in a name? Well to me the name is just about everything. What if Microsoft, Amazon or Ebay were to change their name. Do you think they would still be successful? I don't think so.

So it's time to pick a domain name. So should I just try to find something that is available or should I give this some thought.

A good domain is... ? short and sharp ? meaningful -- conveys a clear message ? easy to spell ? easy to remember ? unique, descriptive, and 'you' ? solid, classic, not hokey

As much as possible your domain name should end in .com, .net, or .org. The reason is simple .com/. Net/. org are all well-established extensions to your site name. Think about your visitor's mindset or better yet your mindset when you are developing your domain name... which one has the most credibility to you when you are surfing?

When do you use dashes in your domain name? If both versions of a 3-or-more-word domain are available, I like using the dashes because they make the word breaks more obvious to the eye. Also, the engines usually treat dashes as a space. So it may be more likely to 'see' the entire string as separate words. For example, which is easier to read?...pricing-on-the-net.com or... pricingonthenet.com Dashes are less important if your domain name has only two words in it. See how netpricing.com and cyberpricing.com don't really need the help of a dash? Do use dashes (even if the domain only has two words) if someone else is already using the non-dash version.

The bottom line is domain names are so cheap that it's a good idea to take both versions (with and without the dash), just to make sure that a competitor does not take names that could be confused with yours. You can always make one domain point to the main one.

Think about 'expandability' and 'branding' for your business. However, the best way to begin is to stay narrow in scope and then expand your niche when all goes well.

Keep in mind that mixing themes on your site will dilute your site's Search Engine effectiveness and cloud the message to your visitors.

If you have two domain names in mind, you can always register both. Eventually, you could link them together through a master site. As noted earlier, registering domains is cheap. Why not lock them all in right now? That way, your expansion plans won't be derailed but someone lest cheap or should I say conservative with money as you when the time comes for you to expand your business.