subject: How To Register A Domain Name For Your Ecommerce Website [print this page] To successfully sell online, you require a domain name; this is literally your website home in the World Wide Web. It's the domain name that gives your ecommerce store an internet address. Domain names as specified under the DNS (Domain Name System) are made up of four elements namely: (a) server prefix (b) Domain Suffix (the extension), (c) Domain name, (d) Country code - this is the optional element. "www" is known as the server prefix, the middle part that identifies your website is known as the domain name and the "com" extension is the domain suffix.
Domain names are also classified according to the Domain suffix, in this case the "Dot-Com", in these category we have Top Level Domain (TLD), generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) and Country code To Level Domain (ccTLC). There are currently 239 country top level domains in Existence. You can tell a ccTLD because the domain suffix identifies the country domain. I.e. Philippines ccTLD is dot.ph
Here are a few points to keep in mind about DNS for business
You have to register your own domain name
If you can't afford a domain of your choice or it's already taken, then you have the choice of registering your domain through ISPs or web hosts who offer cut rate services by making your domain name an extension of their. Say for instance the web host's domain is "cheapdomainserve", when you register with them your domain could look something like www dot cheapdomainserve/geryshop/index dot html.
As a business, you need to register your own domain name. An extension name such as the one in my example makes you look like an amateur and will lose you business. Also, with an extension domain name, every time you change your ISP or Web Host, you will have to redo all your business cards and promotion materials.
Domain names matter
Just as when you originally named your business, names on the Net matter. You need a domain name that not only identifies your business but is easy to remember, as so many people type names or partial names into search engines to find the site they're looking for.
The problem, of course, is that so many of the best or most obvious names are taken. You may need to think deeply and explore many different possibilities to come up with a good domain name, unless you are already running an established company off-line and are just giving your established business an online home. (In that case, the name of your established company is your best choice of domain name for your online business - if it's not already taken.)
If you are marketing a product or service internationally, you may wish to register your online business as a dot-com (or a dot-biz or whatever other generic Top Level Domain is appropriate).
Many people who remember a business's name try to access the business's site on the Web by typing a name directly into their browser, and dot com is most people's first "guess" as to what a domain name might be.
