Domain Name purchase and registrations are often confused with hosting fees and other expenses related to starting a web site. Hosting refers to the service provided by companies which have several specialized computers called "servers" which are always on in order to keep a web site. up and running 24/7. On the other hand, domain name registration is the action of researching, choosing and locking up a web site. name' which is also referred to as a 'dot com' address for your web site.

In order to launch a web site., these are two indispensable things a webmaster must have as one can not work without the other. Ever since the web became popular 'dot com or domain names' have revolutionized the industry as many users would like to lock highly effective-one word terms as their web site. names, a few examples are: buy, men, sell, business, cardiology, seniors, text, local, spices, etc.

Most the one word domain names mentioned above are being auctioned at incredibly high prices (in some cases millions of dollars) because many users will bypass search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) by typing the site name directly into their browsers, thus having a greater deal of highly targeted traffic without having to pay for advertising or pay-per-click ads.

What is even more amazing is the amount of money these domain names were originally purchased for! As many webmasters and savvy web users know domain names are very cheap nowadays. Depending on the hosting company used (GoDaddy, Netfirms, Gator, etc) to purchase the domain, users can own a domain name for a period of one up to 5 years for just a few dollars a year (usually between 1.99-9.99 USD)

Choosing the right domain name can certainly the the best investment a webmaster can ever do, that is why domains are called 'online real estate'. A very important aspect to have in mind when purchasing a domain name is to understand the copyright infringement laws, patents, trademarks, do's and don'ts in your country. If a webmaster registers a domain name such as "AOLcomplaints, yourFicoCreditScore, eBayPrograms and such" the domain owner may have to deal with a great deal of 'undesired email' from these companies as those specific names can not be used without their written authorization, so choose carefully and wisely.

Domain name prices usually vary according to their top level domain (TLD) which are coded according to the web site. type for instance, government sites will have a TLD of .gov, commercial sites a .com TLD, educational sites will have an .edu TLD and specific countries will have their special TLD as well. The trick to choose a good domain name is : KISS (Keep it simple stup...!) and choose words which can be easy to remember without using too many hyphens.

by IC

Choosing an effective domain name is a crucial first step to setting up an affiliate business. To be taken seriously, you need to purchase a domain name of your own. It is also an important factor when it comes to branding yourself and your online presence that your affiliate business creates. Therefore, it is important that you take note of the 5 important points listed below when you have decided upon an affiliate program to promote as an affiliate business.
1. Avoid “free” domains
Your domain name will be your business’s “address” on the Internet, so it’s important that you choose the right one. That is why you MUST get your own unique name, as opposed to one you can get from a web hosting company that includes their name (eg. /YourWebHost/yoursite). With your own domain name, you can easily move your site to another host while keeping your domain name if you are unhappy with the current host’s range of services.

2. Always register a “.com” name first.
Everyone remembers a “.com” before “.net”. Even most web browswers, if the extension is not entered, will default to “.com”.

3. Consider registering other top-level domains like “.net” and “.org”
No, this is not a contradiction to the previous point. Rather, it’s always a good idea to protect your business and your domain names by registering the less popular top level domains as well.

4. Protect Your Business by Registering Product Names and Plurals
You should also go beyond the basic top level domains and register some variations on your domain as well, including plurals and even misspellings. Now, you may ask why misspellings? Because believe it or now, there are “typo-squatters” out there who make a point of registering misspellings of popular domain names just to scoop up the traffic of people who made an innocent typo error.

5. You can create your own sub-domains
If you cannot find a domain name that has the keywords you want to focus on, there is another solution. You can take advantage of a sub-domain, which is anything that comes before the main domain. Search engines love keyword-rich domains. Well, by using your keywords in your sub-domain, you can have the same effect.

by Tim Ng