• Your first challenge...to think of a name that is fairly rare
  
  Finding a domain name that isn't taken these days is pretty hard to do. If you have ever tried recently to get a user ID with a service such as Yahoo, you will understand how frustrating it can be when you think up the perfect name that nobody else could have possibly thought of, only to find that yes, you can have that name if you are happy to have 7865 tacked on to the end of it. King Solomon is reported to have said "There is nothing new under the sun"....or the Internet it would seem.
  
  With the possible introduction of new Top Level Domain choices such as .nfo and .biz, this will enable a greater range of names...or will it? Bear in mind that pre-registrations are taking place as we speak. Generally, people are pretty excited about the new TLD's, but there are some problems with this concept...more on this subject later.
  
  
• Second challenge...have a long list of rare name choices!
  
  Now that you have found a rare name that nobody else is using, before you spend your cash on registering it, consider a few other issues.
  
  Country code - e.g... .au, .uk etc. Nationalistic pride is great, but remember that the Internet has broken down international barriers. Think of your target audience. If it is only the people within your own country, a country specific domain is fine.....but remember that we are in the growing stages of the real global economy. It may be wiser to focus on .com. Another reason for this is price. To register .com.au for example, costs a good deal more than .com and traditionally takes longer.
  
  
• Third challenge...country specific or generic extensions
  
  Ok, so you have found your name and decided that you wish to build a world wide empire. You have chosen www.zacksaysevry1has2visitmywonderfulsite.com ....what is wrong with this? Sure, it's descriptive, it challenges, its generic but it is a mixture of numbers, letters, abbreviations and horribly long. A domain name should be easy to remember, easy to relay to someone over the telephone and where possible, the first letter should be as close to the letter "a" as possible. A good number of search engines and indices categorise alphabetically. Domain names should also be as brief as possible. As far as I am aware, all 3 letter names for .com and .net are taken at this time. Unfortunately, when I began "Taming the Beast" in the mid-90's I didn't consider some of these issues.
  
  
• Fourth challenge...Keep it simple, repeat the letter "a" as a mantra...
  
  New TLD's (Top Level Domains) should shortly be introduced such as .biz and .nfo. This in itself is a good idea to assist with the shortening of new domain names, but does raise another problem. As an example www.tamingthebeast.net was registered as that because www.tamingthebeast.com was taken. No hard feelings, the other person was quicker than me, that's all. But now with the new TLD's being introduced, there is the possibility that someone else may take .biz and .nfo. The solution - buy them all, but it does get expensive. So if you are starting an online business, you may find yourself in the position of needing to purchase a total of 6-8 names in order to protect your investment. There is also the expense of registering a trademark, which I wouldn't advise as it is extraordinarily hard to police, depending upon your domain name.
  
  
• Fifth challenge.....protection of investment, creating a "brand" domain that someone else cannot mimic.
  
  After you have met all of the above 5 challenges, the next issue is the actual registration. As I have a vested interest in registering domains, I will keep this part brief. My strongest advice to you is to shop around, and read the fine print. If you haven't decided on a hosting service as yet, you can usually get package deals from providers that will decrease the cost of registration, or wipe it out altogether....but please check the conditions of sale carefully and ask questions.
  
  There would be nothing more frustrating than waiting for domain registration to validate, not hearing anything for a few weeks, only to find out that the registrant service has "lost your paperwork" and someone else has registered your name in that time.
  
  Just to clarify a popular misconception regarding domain names and hosting....they are two very separate services. Many people are shocked to find all the associated costs in starting a full scale web site.
  
  I would like to clarify at this point in time that it is very difficult to become a millionaire overnight from the web. The overnight success stories that you hear about are due largely to in depth planning long before the site is actually established, especially now. I am currently planning my next large scale site, and unlike "Taming the Beast" (originally I put together 4 pages in one day, stood back and smiled...then uploaded), it will be at least 6 months before it appears on the 'net.
  
  If you employ the services of a web consultant and are wondering about the high fees they charge, this area is one of the reasons why. It is very complex, there are many choices, benefits and traps. A good decision at this point in time will pay your consultant's fee many times over.
  
  
• Sixth challenge.....choosing the right registration service.
  
  Web site Hosting is a topic that I will address in another article. It doesn't have to be expensive. I will present a number of options that can benefit start-up concerns on a tight budget.

This tutorial is taken from the site www.tamingthebeast.net. TamingTheBeast.net has Tutorials, web content and tools, software and community. Web Marketing, eCommerce & Development solutions.