Markets vary over time in growth and robustness, and from industry to industry. The perfect synergy between a business and their internet success depends on having a premium domain that beautifully fits the design of a particular company’s internet expansion goal.

Most companies exist within a narrow market (or business classification), and a company’s relevance to consumers is based on a combination of factors:

• Is the company credible? Do I trust them?
• Are the company’s products & services quality, and reliable?
• Is the company accessible?
• Does this company offer value? Is this company legitimate?

Achieving credibility, quality, accessibility, and legitimacy is the goal of every company. Making the all important first impression with your consumer base is what drives great business. With internet presence so critically important to every company’s future, having the perfect domain name just cannot be overstated.

Have you ever conducted an online search for a product or service and been taken aback by a somewhat ill-fitting website address? With so many scams and illegitimate enterprises on the internet, consumers have learned to question a company’s authenticity.

Your internet web address is your company’s online storefront. The domain name, or portal to your company, is the doorway through which consumers will pass … or not. A premium domain name says “Come on in, we’re a credible company.” It raises the trust level, the confidence level, and says to customers that they can pull out their credit card and do safe business with you.

So you need to ask yourself: Is my website address helping my business? Is it logical, clear, and easy for my customers to remember, and relate to? Does it reinforce my company’s status within our business category or local market?

Or, is your online identity being compromised by a domain name that lacks synergy? Think about it. Does your domain name really describe what your customers are looking for? Is it tailored to your market? A premium domain is “premium” for a reason. It raises the integrity level.

FACT: A high-quality web address that is descriptive of your product or service says to the consumer that your company is: credible, quality-conscious, accessible, and trustworthy. That’s synergy. That’s an ingredient in the success formula.

.BIZ Domain Names, Internet Domains business domains, strategy

For the uninitiated, .US is the official country code domain of the United States. It was once reserved exclusively for the U.S. government, public schools and libraries, but finally became available for public registration in April 2002.

When .US availability was announced, scores of internet users and companies positioned themselves to acquire America’s top .US web address. The .US domain space garnered instant appeal. Savvy registrants considered the importance of American patriotism, the need for a .com alternative, and the fact that the U.S. economy was the # 1 business engine of all time. And so our story begins …

In the vast universe of domain name real estate, one occasionally comes across a very rare internet property. A brilliant star above the landscape which draws attention … and sparks imagination.

For me, it is a domain name registered to a man from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His name is Robert DeMartinis. Robert is the sole investor, registrant, and owner of …

One must restrain the hyperbole, and awe, that is often associated with discussing such a premium-quality internet property. The mind races with possibilities. I was actually introduced to the domain industry in 1999 while in bed one night listening to the 11:00 pm news. The TV news anchor announced with enthusiasm that the domain name, Business.com, had been sold for 7.5 million dollars. My mind froze for a second … and then the light bulb turned on. Years later, we now clearly understand the inherent value contained in a premium generic domain.

Business.com went on to be sold again in 2007 as a developed internet business. The purchase price was $345,000,000. It was acquired by telephone directory publisher, R.H. Donnelley, who outbid News Corp., Dow Jones & Company, The New York Times Company, and InterActiveCorp. No small corporate monikers there.

It’s relatively safe to say that Business.com is now permanently out of reach, and will be “occupied” for some time to come. Which leads us back to Mr. Robert DeMartinis and his jewel, Business.us. Make no mistake, Robert is an astute domain investor having acquired his gem through a series of strategic moves that required foresight, impeccable timing, and an odd dash of irony (an amusing story for another day). In case you’re curious, Robert holds other synergistic properties that compliment his portfolio quite well …

• Products.us
• Services.us
• Delaware.biz
• Housing.biz
• … among others.

Mr. DeMartinis, like many of us, is employed in another profession. Family, responsibilities, and the other callings of life often interfere with time needed to explore the next step for one’s portfolio. Sometimes, the next step is just a phone call away. Or, materializes as a unique and unexpected veer in the road ahead … a turn that is not yet seen, but which may arrive suddenly and with refreshing clarity. This mystery, and journey, are half the fun.

Possessing prime internet real estate is a uniquely rare opportunity. One in which impulsivity and haphazard decisions have no place. Mr. DeMartinis knows this, and he is in no hurry. I have no doubt that someday, as time allows, Mr. DeMartinis will fully ponder the paths available to him. For now, keeping one’s options open is a good play.

Until the eventual course of Business.us is one day revealed, I invite you to share your thoughts and speculations …

1. What enterprise, what exotic venture, might come to be launched via Business.us?

2. Is there an existing corporate entity who could elevate their US presence with Business.us?

3. Assuming a large corporate interest within the next 5 years, do you see this domain being acquired by a U.S. company, or a foreign investor? (assuming the foreign entity meets U.S. nexus requirements)

4. Which unique products, services, or business concepts could shape the future identity of Business.us?

.US Domain Names, Internet Domains .us, business domains, Neustar, premium domains