Those just starting out in a virtual assistant career are immediately faced with decisions that will impact the long-term success of their business. Two of the most important considerations in startup mode are the selection of a domain name and how to handle email.

When selecting a domain name, determine if your business name reflects what you do. If it isn’t clear in your name, consider using your tagline or service description rather than your business name. Be careful not to make the domain too long where it will be difficult to remember and cumbersome to type.

Your domain will be advertised on your business cards, brochures and by word of mouth. You need it to be easy to say, quick to type and something people will remember. Take some time and make a list of potential names. Practice saying and typing in each option and see which feels most comfortable to you. With careful thought, you can create a domain name that suits your business as well as makes an impact with clients. Once you have your domain selected, you will need to register it through a registrar like GoDaddy or through a hosting company like Tiger Technologies that includes domain registration with a hosting account.

Your email address should be considered another online branding tool. You should consider using your newly registered domain for your email. Using the domain allows you to be someone@yourdomain.com, identifying you with that domain.

If you are not quite ready to launch your website, GoDaddy offers email only accounts for your domain. If you are ready to launch your website, you should secure a hosting account for your site, which will include email accounts. Either way, using your domain is much better choice for branding over a free email service like Yahoo or Gmail.

The choices you make about your online identity in the beginning will help shape your business and will serve as a foundation for your Internet marketing.