Without getting into the specifics of how Google indexes stuff online, lets just say that having your full name as your domain pretty much guarantees that you will appear on a search for your name.

Some examples are:

http://dannycoxdidit.com/

http://pamelaslim.com/

http://chrisguillebeau.com/

Do a Google search on each of these people and their URL will be on the first page.

Let’s set something straight. You ARE going to get Googled. Even the most self-proclaimed Techno-phone will admit that.

And a large part of your personal brand comes from the results of that pivotal search of your name.

Even if you don’t intend to do anything with that domain, such as a blog, website or portfolio, it doesn’t matter. The domain company will allow you to redirect your personal URL to your LinkedIn profile.

Best of all, your domain will cost you about $8.00/year.

It’s going to be the cheapest and easiest thing to ensure your online reputation that you can do.

So what are you waiting for. Get your domain right now!

Here are some pointers:

* If you have a common name, use your middle initial in your domain. Example, www.joshuabwaldman.com
* If .com is not available, use .net or .org, but don’t use any of the others.
* If you are still having trouble finding an available url, use one of the key-phrases you want to be associated with. For example, you can be, www.joshuawaldmanmarketinggenious.com
* Avoid dashes, they are cheesey, you can always capitalize the first letter of each word, for example, www.JoshuaWaldmanMarketingGenious.com

Suggested Domain Resources

Just for full disclosure, the links below are affiliate links. That means that if you decide to use these services, and you got there using these links, I’ll get a buck. However, I would NOT recommend something that I wouldn’t use myself. And I use all of these:

* Get Your Domain Name from Name Cheap (they have monthly 10% discount coupons that you can find with a simple search. I hate GoDaddy and suggest you avoid them too.)

* Host your domain with: Site 5 (they have cheap and reliable hosting for simple sites, like blogs or portfolios)

* Learn how to set up your blog: from Laura Roeder’s Zero to Blogging videos