Consistency is an essential step to building a strong brand. Your brand should convey the same message each time someone sees it. This consistency must be established throughout all aspects of your brand.

The first place you can start branding yourself is through your name. Think about it for a moment, your name is one of the most consistent brands that you posses. Unless you are a woman who marries and changes her maiden name, you will more than likely have the same name for the rest of your life.

Purchasing your own name as a domain name is something that is highly recommended for personal branding. Even if you are not ready to host your own website, blog, or career portfolio, you should consider purchasing your personal domain name as a commodity that will have future value.

There are billions of people on the planet and chances are there is someone else who shares the same name as you. If you are lucky to find that your name is still available as a domain, I would recommend that you purchase it immediately before someone else does.

The first thing you should do is conduct a domain search for your name. If your name is common, there will be a great chance that your name is already taken. The returned search results will determine the strategy that you will use in branding your name.

The easiest and simplest way to conduct a domain search is by visiting the popular domain registrar, GoDaddy. On the front page of GoDaddy you will find a search box labeled, “Start a Domain Name search”. In the search box, enter your full name without any spaces. The search function is already set up to search the .com extension. Click the Go button and the system will let you know if your name is already taken as a domain.

If the .com extension is taken, you will have to brainstorm some alternative ideas about what combination of your name you will be able to register. You could check to see if other domain extensions are available such as .net or .info. GoDaddy will show you if other extensions (.net, .info, .org, .me, .tv, .mobi) of your name are available.

Another option is to add your middle name in your domain or add something onto the beginning or end of your name. An example might be www.bobhenryjohnson.com or www.bobjohnsononline.com. Whatever your choice, consider it carefully as this will be the brand name that you will build consistency with.