Domain Name

Do you have a domain name in mind ? meaningfull, short and snappy is our advice, easy to remember and quick to type.  RaceHost can register any domain type for you (com, info, uk, org etc.) but there are hundreds of domain name registrars on-line for you to choose from.  You can register as many domain names as you wish and have them all point to your main domain e.g. the owner of "cheap-cds.com" may also wish to register "cheap-cds-online.com" & "cheap-cd.com" to help promote the main domain but also restrict the competitions choice of domain.

Fit For Purpose

Decide what you want your website to do.  This may seem obvious to you but having a clearly defined idea of the 'point' of your domain will help enormously when starting out.  Once your host/web designer/advisor knows what you want out of your domain they will be in a far better position to give you the best solution possible.
Your first website can present a lot to learn and develop without battling against inappropriate software or ill-advised technical support.

It's Never Too Early

Start collecting your content now.  With few exceptions your website is going to need text and images at the very least to start the building process, lot's of quality unedited photo's are invaluable during design and variations of front page text and other text rich areas of your site should be given special attention.  Do you have a logo or some other branding which you want included in the website design, do you have digital versions of this logo ?
If you are selling on-line do you wish to accept credit card payments ? you will need a "Merchant Account" and a method of transfering credit card details using secure servers (SSL) which can be arranged through your web provider.
From what search terms in Google or any other search engine would you like web surfers to arrive at your domain ? these are called "Keyword Phrases" and are used to target your site towards the most appropriate visitors.  It's worth considering this before even purchasing a domain name, as the more relevant your domain name and site content are to achieving the goals of the website the greater the chances of success and maybe a smoother road there.

Be Patient

Some websites explode into the internet with claims of servers crashing under the strain of new visitors, most (almost all) do not.  It will often take dedication and perseverance over a long period of time to build a successful website robust enough to absorb the fluctuations of the internet and the markets it serves.