If you are considering building an online business then you need a domain name. For search engine marketing the domain should consist of the main keyword related to your business. It should be short and without numbers or hyphens. These are the basic rules for domains ideally suited for high search engine ranking.

Let's say you have an idea but no web site. What is your first step? Well, you need to register the domain first.

The .com ending is the prefered domain for search engine optimization, however, if you are trading in the UK then the '.co.uk' domain ending is the natural choice. In this case, I recommend you register both.

When you register the domain it is a good idea to use a registrar that can provide email facilities for your domain. If you are not ready to upload a web site then you can still use your domain name for your email to your new domain.

Many companies provide free email and web forwarding with domain registration. This means that you are able to register the domain and 'point' it to any website address and forward any email sent to your domain to any existing email address.

However, what you really need is a 'full' email service for your domain when you register it.

If you just use email forwarding, then you are limited to only RECEIVING email to your domain which is forwarded to your main email address. You are still unable to SEND from your new domain. So if you are marketing your new site prior to launch, you really do need a full email address that allows both sending and receiving email to and from your domain name.

A full email service is one that includes POP3 mailboxes so you can both receive email sent to your domain address and send email from your domain name. This provides a much more professional look to your email marketing as the receiver of the email will see that the message is originating from a domain name related to the kind of service you are marketing and may avoid unnecessary spam complaints.

Some companies will offer Spam filtering with the domain service. Considering that 90% of email that is sent is Spam this service is extremely useful in keeping a tidy 'inbox'

Another feature to consider when registering the domain is autoresponders. An autoresponder can be set-up to provide automatic email responses. Autoresponders reply to incoming email instantly and automatically. You can set and change the text of the reply and the trigger address whenever you like. Autoresponders are ideal for customer service or informing people when you are away.

Most companies that register your domain will offer a 'full email service' as an extra and is usually a monthly fee similar to a hosting fee.

When you are ready to upload a web site to your domain then you will need a hosting plan. The company that registered your domain may provide hosting facilities and it should be a simple upgrade of service from 'forwarding' to 'hosting'