Your "domain name" is your unique address on the internet. In the above example, "yourbusinessname" would be considered the actual domain name.

To start the process of getting online, you need to register a domain name for you web site. Even if you don't plan to have a website for several months, or even years, you can reserve your domain name for future use by registering with a domain name registrar.

To keep yourself safe from unscrupulous registrars, make sure that you register with an ICANN-accredited registrar. (ICANN = The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.) But keep in mind that there are several ICANN-accredited registrars out there with widely varying prices for the same product. I've seen 1-year domain registrations through ICANN-accredited registrars ranging from $9/yr to $50/yr. Many people who are unaware of this are grossly overpaying for their domain registration renewals. Don't let this happen to you!