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Sites you can use to register your domain name include Network Solutions (www.networksolutions.com), Google Apps (www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business), and Intuit (www.intuit.com/domain-name-registration/).

To find out if your preferred URL has already been claimed by another company, you can check with any of the companies that host websites or with the Network Solutions website, www.networksolutions.com. (Network Solutions was one of the original official keepers of the domain name registry.) Type into the WebAddress search box up to 10 names you’d like to use, including the suffix (three-letter code such as .com, .net, .org) you’d prefer. For example, if your desired company name is Widget Manufacturers, type in widget.com.

Don’t be disappointed if your desired business name (even your trademarked name) has already been taken. Today it’s increasingly difficult to find a website name that exactly matches your business name. With so many companies vying for valuable virtual real estate around the world, chances are good that another organization has already claimed what you would consider the perfect URL. And then there are “cyber squatters”— those people (or organizations) that have bought domain names with the intent of selling them to businesses that might want them later. It might not seem right, but even if you get a trademark for your business name, someone else may legally own the right to that domain name, especially since companies can have the same trademark name in different categories.

Try to find a domain name that is as close as possible to your desired company name. Use the entire company name, for example, widgetmanufacturing.com, or adding a “co” or “inc” to the end of the name—i.e., widgetmanufacturinginc.com—if the basic URL is taken. And you can choose a different suffix, such as widget.net, to distinguish your URL from one with the more popular .com suffix.

Although a domain name is only as good as the marketing budget—and the business—that it is attached to, it is, for most, a critical part of doing business. Some people even modify their company names slightly to make sure they can get a domain name that works for them. And, of course, you can always investigate who owns your perfect domain name (by typing it into your browser) to see if it’s for sale, and make an offer if it is.

Ultimately, however, the success of your business won’t rise or fall on your domain name. You will have many other means for spreading the word about your business—business cards, brochures, networking events, advertising, word-of-mouth, and so forth. If customers like you and your company, they’ll find you online.