Checklist for Choosing a Domain Name

When you are starting a business and you desire to have a Web presence, the first essential step is to acquire a domain name (such as www.Microsoft.com). The difficulty is that almost all good domain names are already taken or trademark issues might impact on use of the name. The following is a checklist of key issues to consider when choosing a domain name.

1. Is the domain name available from the domain registrars? The easiest way to check is to go to www.networksolutions.com or some other name registrar, check on the "Whois" section, and see if someone already owns the name.

2. If the domain name is available, the cost is usually minimal (for example, $9-$35 for .com and .net names).

3. If the domain name is already owned by someone, check out the Web site for that name to see if the holder is actually using the name. If they are not using it, it will be more likely that you can buy the name from the holder.

4. If the name is a common word (such as tennis.com or recuperate.com), expect to have to pay a lot, if the holder is even willing to sell (business.com sold for $7.5 million and loans.com sold for $3 million).

5. Don't pick a domain name that can easily be misspelled.

6. Before getting wedded to any particular domain name, do a trademark....