Why a Name is Important When Opening a Small Business Online

When opening a small business offering services or products online the domain name you choose is important. At first glance it may appear that a name is not important when opening a small business online. You may point to such name as Yahoo, Google and YouTube which appear to have no relation with what they do but dominate their niche. This article gives some reasons why you should consider your domain name carefully when opening a small business online.
You can make money online without a website. However, a website offers flexibility and a presence on the internet that is difficult to attain without a website. Depending on the purpose, opening a small business online will require you to register a domain name for your website. Usually the business name for your website will also be your domain name.
While trademark law protects product names, trade names, logos, even slogans, copyright law protects works of art, fiction, sculpture and other creative works. However, business law does not guarantee the exclusive use of a domain name. If you decide to use the name StartASmallBusiness.com as your domain name when open opening a small business online, you cannot prevent someone else using the same domain name but ending with .net, .biz or .info.
You should choose a domain name that reflects the activity or service offered by your business. Since an online store is different from a shop on a high street that can be seen by passersby, choose a name that people can easily remember. Usually people will come to your online store by typing your domain name into the web browser. For this reason a memorable name is important when opening a small online business.
Another reason for a good domain name is the Search Engine factor. You will notice that many domain names online are descriptive. They describe the service that a website offers. Search engines are slaves to key words. When opening a small business online, do some research using Google's Keyword Tool, to find out the words people type into the search engines to find what they want. Create a domain name based on a key word that enjoys decent number of searches per day but is not so competitive.
A domain name based on a key word will help you to rank higher in search engines when the particular key word is typed into search engines, which result in free traffic to your website. A domain name is therefore important when opening a small business online. If the name you want is already taken just insert a dash between the words and see if the domain name is available. Opening a small business online starts with choosing a name. Make sure that you get the right end of the stick.