Buy your domain name now. Build your site later.

Every website address needs a domain name — a unique string of letters and numbers making up your internet address. Usually this name starts with www and ends with com or org. Domain names can be literal interpretations of business names (www.crateandbarrel.com) or clever phrases (www.weedemandreap.com). They can abbreviate a long name (www.bhshealth.org) or use humor (www.yogabeans.com).

In my own situation, I have a difficult name to remember and pronounce. While many writers, photographers, and designers use their own names as their domain names, I knew that wouldn’t be easy for internet users trying to get to my site when trying to spell my difficult last name. I went the clever route instead with “www.sallyiscreative.com.”

A domain name is the first step in planning for your upcoming website project. I recommend you buy now and buy many.

Buy now.

Since domain names are so cheap to purchase (they typically run about $10-$12 per year), do a search now and find the names you might be interested in using, see what’s available, then purchase them. It’ll be a wise and inexpensive investment in your business future. Domain names are getting purchased so quickly in our internet explosion era that the unique combination of letters and/or numbers you want might already be taken. Even if you don’t have your website ready now — or won’t have it ready for another year or so — don’t risk losing the domain you want to someone else. Buy it now and you’ll have it later.

There are many options for purchasing domain names, but I recommend www.domain.com. You’ll find a whole array of other services you’ll be encouraged to purchase when you select your domain name and add it to the shopping cart, but don’t add anything else to your domain purchase when you checkout (for instance, there’s no need to add “Domain privacy” to your domain cost). And make note of the user name and password you create to set up your domain account.

Buy many.

Since they’re such a cheap investment, you might want to buy your company slogan as well as your business name. And your product name(s). And your personal name. And anything else that might be useful to your business marketing. In addition, you might want to purchase the .com, .net, and .org versions of your domains to prevent a competitor from diverting traffic away from your site through address confusion.

After a couple of years and a small $10-$30 investment, if you decide you don’t need the domains, then don’t renew them. Having the domain you want, when you’re ready to build a site, is incredibly inexpensive marketing…as long as you buy now. Companies can pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars to acquire the perfect domain when it’s already been snatched up by someone else.

Your domain name should be all about you and your business. Act now and you just might secure the domain name of your dreams.