How to choose the right domain name for your business

Now that you've done all the research, come up with a marketing strategy, and have design in mind for your website, all that's left is to do domain search and pick a domain name. Although that sounds easy to do, it must be a name that everyone will remember and associate with your business. Adding to the challenge is the fact that as more and more businesses build websites, it has become increasingly difficult to find a clever URL that is not already taken. The bottom line is: it is still possible to get a great domain name - you just need to be creative! Here are some tips to help: Use short, easy to remember keywords that describe your business. The website's name should reflect your company's name, describe the services and/or products provided, or describe what's sold. Keep the name as simple as possible, so customers can remember it. Typically the best names are usually the key words of the name of the company. For example, a pet store that calls itself Posh Pets would want the URL Poshpets.com. If you are a US-based business, keep the name in English. For example, some people won't connect that you design and sell chairs with chaise.com. Personalize your name by geography or come up with a synonym. If two companies are using the same name, try to differentiate your website from theirs. For example, PoshPets.com might be located in Chicago, but yours is located in New York City. Try PoshPetsNYC.com. Can't register it under ".com" - try the other extensions. Such as .biz, .net, .org. The extension at the end of your domain name is called a Top Level Domain (TLD). Although .com TLD's are always top of mind, others are gaining popularity and may offer more availability for the domain name you desire. Try the secondary market to purchase pre-registered domains. As the supply of new (un-registered) domains decreases, there is a growing demand to purchase domains that have been already registered but are not in use - so don't abandon hope yet! You can search for available 'premium domains' at many domain registrars. But the caveat, once again, is price. Purchasing a pre-registered domain name can cost anywhere from $100 to over $1 million, depending on the quality of the name. Don't use symbols. Your domain name needs to be at least two characters long, and can't contain symbols, such as $ # or @. For example, if your business provides tracking services for the stock market you're not allowed to use $tocks.com. If your company name is taken, go to WhoIs to find out who has registered it - maybe they will sell the registration to you. You can find registered users of the domain you desire by searching the WhoIs database but beware - some domain name owners might ask a higher than expected premium for a highly desirable name. Watch your expiration dates! A domain name isn't forever and needs to be renewed. Be careful not to accidentally allow your domain name to expire, and have it become available for registration by others. Add your expiration date to multiple calendars so that you don't forget to renew the very key to your online business- your domain name.

Now that you've done all the research, come up with a marketing strategy, and have design in mind for your website, all that's left is to do a domain search. Although simply picking a domain name sounds easy to do, it must be a name that everyone will remember and associate with your business. Adding to the challenge is the fact that as more and more businesses build websites, it has become significantly more difficult to find a good url that is not already registered. The bottom line is: it is still possible to get a awesome domain name - you just need to be creative! Here are some tips to help:

Use short and simple keywords that describe your business. The website's name should reflect your company's name, describe the services and/or products provided, or describe what's sold. Keep the name as simple as possible, so customers can remember it easily. Generally the best names are usually the key words of the name of the company. For example, a pet store that calls itself Fun Pets would want the URL fun1pets.com.

If you are a US-based business, keep the name in English. For example, some people won't connect that you design and sell houses with casa.com.

Personalize your name by using geography or come up with a acronmy. If two companies are using the same name, try to differentiate your website from theirs. For example, FunPets.com might be located in Chicago, but yours is located in New York City. Try FUNPetsNYC.com.

Can't register it under ".com" - try the other extensions. Such as .biz, .net, .org. The extension at the end of your domain name is called a Top Level Domain (TLD). Although .com TLD's are always top of mind, others are gaining popularity and may offer more availability for the domain name you desire.

Try the secondary market to purchase pre-registered domains. As the supply of new (un-registered) domains decreases, there is a growing demand to purchase domains that have been already registered but are not in use - so don't abandon hope yet! You can search for available 'premium domains' at many domain registrars. But the caveat, once again, is cost. Purchasing a pre-registered domain name can cost anywhere from $100 to over $1 million, depending on the quality of the name.

Avoid using symbols. Your domain name needs to be at least two characters long, and can't contain symbols, such as $ # or @. For example, if your business provides tracking services for the stock market you're not allowed to use $tocks.com.

If your company name is taken, go to WhoIs to find out who has registered it - maybe they will sell the registration to you. You can find registered users of the domain you desire by searching the WhoIs database but beware - some domain name owners might ask for a large sum of money if it is a highly desirable name.

Watch your expiration dates ver closely! A domain name isn't forever and needs to be renewed each year or every few years depending on how long you oroigonally registred it for. Be careful not to accidentally allow your domain name to expire, and have it become available for registration by others. Add your expiration date to multiple calendars so that you don't forget to renew the very key to your online business - your domain name.

-http://www.bukisa.com/articles/102361_how-to-choose-the-right-domain-name-for-your-business

Clickbank and Paypal for Malaysians

I truly understand the frustration of being an internet marketer in Malaysia. Both Clickbank and Paypal do not send cheques to Malaysia. That makes it really really tough! I know cuz I've been through the vicious cycle of contacting both Clickbank and Paypal numerous times and in case you were wondering - No they don't make any exceptions. As long as you have a registered Malaysian address you won't be receiving any cheques.

I've been receiving the question a lot lately on how I managed to get a Clickbank and Paypal account. Well here's my short little story. When I first started out on Ebay selling video games consoles like Sony PSP and Nintendo (did really well but couldn't be bothered with the hassle of shipping etc) I realized that I needed a Paypal account since most buyers purchased on Ebay via Paypal. Fortunately my sister lives in the UK so I used her registered address and Clickbank/Paypal would send her the cheque which she would then bank in to her UK bank account and later transfer the cash over to my Malaysian bank account.

Things got a little more complicated cuz after awhile the cheques stopped coming. Not due to Clickbank or Paypal but thanks to my little sister who just got too lazy to bank in the cheques. I then looked for other alternatives. I wrote to Clickbank asking them if they could switch my address to my Malaysian address, Initially I was registered under my sister's address in the UK. Thanks to my good track record with Clickbank they obliged and now I get my CB cheques sent to me here in Malaysia and I just bank them into my Maybank account. The cheques take about a month to clear!

Most of you may not have a relative or a friend living in CB accepted countries and will then have to look for other options. One of which is sign up with a Virtual Office. A virtual office will provide you with a email address in the country that they're located in and they'll forward all your email to your given address. Just do a google search for virtual office and you'll find quite a few. I suggest looking for one in singapore so at least if you need to call them up directly your calls will be a whole lot cheaper.

Find out more ways on how to open a Clickbank account and withdraw money from Paypal if you live in Malaysia.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheryl_Goh