Will you be tempted by a .co.uk or a .aero address?

The right web address is crucial to getting your online presence right but is too often left until the last minute.

The most popular domains end in .com (short for 'company'). The address was intended to be used by companies with a global presence but has become highly sought-after and is fast running out of recognisable and usable combinations.

There are other options available including .net (internet), .org (organisation) .gov (government) and .co.uk (a UK company).

The group that looks after global domains launched seven more in 2001, in the hope that this would prevent a shortage.

However, the specific nature of some of those new names (.aero for aviation, .coop for cooperatives and the self-explanatory .museum) may mean they are of limited use.

Stay simple

Which name you pick is up to you (as long as someone else hasn't got there first), but as a general rule try to avoid hyphens and complicated combinations.

Stick to something that is easily memorable.

Owning a domain costs between about �15 and �75 a year depending on which one you pick.

You'll have to pay a domain name company - or registrar - to look after the name for you and remember to re-register it every two years.

DOMAIN NAMES APPROVED IN 2000 .aero .coop .biz .info .name .pro .museum

If someone already owns a domain that you think your company is entitled to, then you can appeal.

If you have a trademark, then you can ask the World Intellectual Property Organisation to arbitrate, but be aware that owning the UK trademark may not be enough to claim a global domain name back.