There are countless unknown junk websites, hosted by free web hosting services or Internet Service Providers, without their own domain names, which are just there but not doing any great business. And there are many well-known websites, commercially successful, whose very domain names rake in tons of money.

It is likely that a few of the former variety are doing some profitable marketing, but the chances of successful marketing by those with their own domain name get multiplied. For some reason, over the years, people have developed a prejudice against websites that have not got their own domain names. Most of these cannot win any customers. With a professional look, which accompanies companies with own domain name, business naturally prospers.

To appreciate better how important domain names are for promoting business on the web, let us understand what domain name actually do rather than what they actually are. Every computer connected to the Internet is allotted a unique number, rather a unique string of numbers, called the Internet Protocol (IP) address, for its website identification.

This number is not based on the geographical location of the computer, for one thing. For another, it is dependent on the web hosting companies that provide their service to the computer concerned. That is the number is changeable, not fixed forever. Unlike the IP addresses, domain names are easy on the mind and, once registered, remain unchanged. Domain names of prosperous companies have become Internet household names. If your website is successful, the popularity of your domain names grows, which in turn drives your business better.

Structure of domain names

A domain name has at least two parts in its structure. Take hp.com as an example. The suffix (.com ) is known as the top level domain and the prefix (hp) the subordinate level domain. Top level domains indicate the areas of interest or activity of the websites registered under them.

For instance, .edu is for websites related to education and .gov to government agencies and so on. So when you think of a domain names for your business, you will typically want it to be under a .com because it is the easiest to remember. However, with the incredible number of domain names out there, .biz, .tv, .us among others, have been introduced as new top level domains.

What is most important is your choice of the subordinate level domain for your domain names.

Here comes the role the keywords play in your choice. If you know that search engines locate your website more easily when your domain name is keyword-related than otherwise, you will chose a domain name that earns your website a high page rank. Your business will thus succeed better if your domain name is more search engine friendly.

Make your domain names short, simple and sweet for making at once memorable and easily visible to search engines. Do not use spaces and symbols. They are not allowed. Only letters, numbers and dashes are permitted in domain names. Also, always remember to renew your domain name registration before the it expires.