As you create and grow your Internet business you will often need to register new domain names.
You should ensure that you own the ".com" version of your brand name. Try and get the same name in other relevant TLDs like net, org, biz, info, etc and also in your local country code (.uk, .us, etc).
You should also keep a watch on emerging technologies and new domain extensions made available by ICANN (example? the Mobi TLD). ICANN does approve new domain extensions now and then. Keep a watch for this and do a defensive registration to ensure that you own the brand under the new domain extensions. Of course, you may not need to register your domain names in every ccTLD and TLD, just do what you think is best!
If you have different products, try and register the ".com" versions for the product names. You should also register domain names for products you plan to develop. It is always a good idea to registrar the domain name even if your plans are far into the future.
A Warning About Domain Name Availability Checks
Avoid searching for domain name availability at the registrar websites. There have been reports of certain registrars and websites monitoring searches and then blocking the domain name. It is safer to use a software like Domain Name Analyzer because it has an option to check for availability with minimum number of lookups and also use the registry whois servers. Since the software is run directly from your own computer, nothing is monitored or logged.
Go to the registrar website after you have decided the name to register and do the registration immediately. It is better to keep a credit balance in your domain name registrar account. This will ensure that your domain name registration is successful on the first try.
Domain Name Portfolio Management
Registering domain names is only the first part, you should make sure that you renew these domains on time. As already mentioned in the previous post, you could end up losing a good part your business if you forget to pay the $10 domain renewal fee!
Domain name portfolio management is a very important part of your Internet business. There have been posts on this subject before. So I will just link to them!
