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When you are starting your own website, the first decision you are going to need to make is your domain name. Your domain name is the name that customers are going to use to find you. It needs to be memorable, relevant to your business or service and right for your company.  Making a mistake in choosing a domain name can get your website off to a bad start, and you should always do a little research and think carefully about the decision on the domain so you can make the right choice.

There are a lot of things to think about when selecting the domain for your site, but here are a few simple tips that can get you on the right path to picking the perfect domain:

• Keep your domain name simple. While you might be tempted to use puns, add numbers of double letters, or use other fancy language, you want your domain name to be as simple and straightforward as possible. This will make it easier to remember and easier for people to type in.
• Keep it short and sweet. The total length of your domain name can be as long as 67 characters. However, you do not want to make your domain name long since people will have a harder time remembering it and a harder time finding you when searching the website.
• Get advice. When you are thinking about a domain name, you may want to ask for some advice. Customers, marketing experts, friends and family can all give insight into what they think would be a good domain name. You might get some ideas you never thought of and find the perfect domain name, or they might give you some key feedback on why a domain you are considering won’t work.
• Consider the extension. The extension is the three letters at the end of the address (.com, .net, .org and so on). Because .com is the most widely used and most popular extension, many people will automatically assume that a website has a .com address. This means that you may be better off picking a .com. Although the first choice domain name you want may be taken when picking a .com, it is still better in most cases to pick a different domain name. Otherwise, if you kept that preferred name and just switched to .net, someone might be directed to the other .com website if they paid attention only to the first part of your name and put in the wrong extension.
• Avoid any copyright concerns.  You don’t want to choose a domain name that is copyrighted, trademarked or that belongs to another company. This could result in intellectual property litigation and annoying hassles if the company who owns the copyright decides that they want you to stop using their name.
• Pick a domain that is relevant to your business. If you want to use your company or brand name, for example, customers would be more easily able to find you. You could also pick something that describes what you do or that helps people to find your particular type of business. Picking a relevant domain name that has a direct connection to your business is far better than picking an unrelated domain name, no matter how clever, because this would make it harder for people to find you or to know what you do.

By following these basic tips, you can pick the right domain name that is memorable, that helps customers find you on the website, and that can help your business to grow.