If I was given a dollar for every time someone told me “all the good domains are taken”, I’d have a second income stream. Heck, my second income stream would be more than my first. Nonetheless, the statement “all the good domains are taken” is far from the truth. There are many neat domain names available – you just need to put a bit of time and thought into it. Below are some tips that should help you think of a great domain name! I felt this was a great time to make a post about domain names, as I changed domains recently.
1) Short and sweet
Sometimes, webmasters try to buy the domain names that have their desired keywords in them. In doing so, they often pick the longer domain names, leaving the shorter ones. Sure, it is good to have keywords in your domain name, but only do that if you can still keep the domain short. Having a long domain name is not a good idea at all. That is exactly why I changed my previous domain to this one.
2) Search for puns
Sit down, and make a list of relevant words (that you want in your domain). Try saying each one to yourself, and play around a bit. For example, I turned “guru” into “gooroo”. Having a pun in your domain name is a great method for driving traffic in the future. If your domain name sounds neat, people are almost sure to check it out.
3) Slang, slang slang.
Domain names with slang in them always make for an interesting domain. They are also, more than not, unregistered. Yeah, that’s right. Unregistered, and free for you to grab!
4) Think symbolically
If you’re in the money niche, and looking for a good domain name with the word money in it, chances are, you won’t find anything great. Why? Because it is a popular niche. So what do you do now? You think outside the box. Think of words that symbolize money. Green, cash (maybe), paper, dough, etc..
5) Play around with words.
Look at Google for exactly. Google plays around with the world googol. Googol is the number 1, with one hundred zeroes following it.
I hope this will help people. I’ve bought many domains in the best, and got a bit better at it every time. Choosing a domain may seem difficult, but it really isn’t. You just need to put some thought into it. Sorry, let me restate that. A LOT of thought. A domain is an important part of your blog/online business, and should be interesting. Happy domain buying!
I really like the puns and the slang tips. I have to admit I can sometimes spend ages searching through for a domain I want that isn’t already registered, so it definitely takes some thinking outside the box.
Yeah,
I’ve been there to. I’ve gotten better at it though. I guess it takes experience — you keep getting better at it.
Play around with words is only the best way to get a good name.
Yeah, because obviously, chances of getting the actual word is impossible. If someone wants to start a site on money, http://www.money.com is not going to be available. They need to play around with it.
I totally agree that good domain names still exist because I only just purchased one the other week, and guess what, it’s no1 on Google already. I must admit though that it took me awhile, but it was well worth it.
Wow, that is amazing Sire! Is there a website that allows us to check when a domain will be expiring? Or to look for domains with PR that have been dropped?
There probably is but I don’t know of any. My latest blog is Top Sexual Aids, and I just kept trying different names until I found one that was available. Like I said it took awhile and I gave up a few times but kept trying until I found the one I wanted.
I see. May I ask what you used to find the domain? I only know how to buy new domains (from GoDaddy). How can you look for pre-existing domains?
Most domain directories will tell you if a domain is already taken, but you may find this post from Mitch pretty interesting and helpful.
Thanks for providing the link. I’ll definitely have a look shortly!
Too easy. I’d be really interested as to what you thought of the post.
I submitted my site for the free appraisal, and didn’t receive an email from them. I’ll try again and let you know how it goes.
I have to agree with your potential ’2nd income stream’ assumption — have heard that ever since started blogging. I remember when I first thought about my domain, it didn’t take me long since it was a personal blog back then. Although if I know I’ll be jumping in a social media niche, it may (or not) be chosen differently. But here are some great tips for starters. I give you a thumbs up in Stumbleupon. Keep the informative post coming.
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Glad we’re on the same page! Thanks for dropping by, and for the stumble.
I wonder how the “domain world” would look like if people were not allowed to own a domain name that they were not actually going to use, and not just use it for redirect etc.
I think personally I have more than 10 different domain names, “just in case” I wanted to do something with them one day – or maybe some company/guy wants to buy one, you’d never know.
Haha, thought provoking Klaus! I never thought of that, but now that you mention it, I do have many domains that are just sitting around — no use for them really. Like you said though, maybe someone will make a good offer on one.