Among the many decisions that must be made in starting an internet home business, among the most important and, perhaps, the longest lasting is the domain name.

With the growth of the world wide web, many of the possible (and most desirable) domain names one might choose for a specific enterprise are all taken. Still, there are many possibilities left to contemplate – one needs only a little imagination.

If one has already been informally developing a brand, especially of one’s own name, a good place to begin is with the brand name. Combining that name with the product or service – say, JanesDolls or JimWoodsDTP (DTP is short for DeskTop Publishing) – can yield a number of possibilities that may well still be available. Also additional an additional descriptor may be the trick that is needed, such as JanesHomemadeDolls or JWProfessionalDTP. While the possibilities seem endless, there are literally millions of web sites across the globe. Do not be too surprised if the really cool name you contrived is already taken.

Indeed, the next step is to repeat the first as many times as possible – develop a list of possibilities then check their availability. If one particular idea for a domain name is taken, the likelihood of many different names all being taken is much lower.

Should one not have already begun developing a brand, there is no need to despair. Combining a personally favorite word along with the product or service and even a descriptor can yield excellent, even enlightening results. What would one think of ParamourChocolateDolls? Still, while a name may be interesting and even intriguing, simplicity (insofar as can be done) is still the rule of the day.

Regardless of the existence of a brand or not, selecting keywords that describe your business is important, and using those keywords in the domain name can be crucial for success, especially when so many of the ‘good’ names are taken. Equally important is that good keywords employed in the domain can do double duty in anchor links thereby increasing search engine optimization of the business website.

The most important aspect of choosing a domain name really isn’t the words that the domain might contain. Take Google for example, the domain implies nothing of search but it has become a mammoth online success. Choosing a domain name with the right keywords will increase the value of your incoming links. This is because the default anchor text many of your fans will use will contain simply your domain name. It is often more beneficial to choose a name good for search over a name good just for branding . As an online business owner its time to start thinking in terms of search engines as well as visitors.

Domains must be periodically registered, but, as the name that one’s business will be known as on the internet and as the place that will be linked to in both social media and marketing campaigns as well as by savvy, tech-literate bloggers and others– all driving traffic to one’s internet home business – a domain name really seems permanent.

Fortunately, checking the availability of a domain name is quite easy. Many web hosting sites will provide the service for free, such as GoDaddy.com or 1&1 as will name registrars such as namecheap.com. Now choose your domain name.