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Domain Name Registration - Selecting A Name There are many different ways to research domain names and to find inspiration for new domain names to register. The way you research domain names will be colored to a large extent by the intended use for the domain name i.e. is it being registered for a new or existing site, for investment purposes or to "protect" an established brand or trademark. 1. Domain name for a new website You'll need: a few blank sheets of paper, a thesaurus (or Thesaurus.com) and some patience... Start by noting down what the site will be about, in a paragraph or two. Then boil down this description into a maximum of 2 sentences. Don't worry about covering all the details - just make sure you're addressing the essentials of what the site will be about. Now take your short description, and underline all the "key" words that describe your site. Let's take a specific (fictional) example:-
Now try to come up with a domain name that either addresses the one fundamental concept of the site, or that marries two or more key concepts in a single name.
Once you've drawn up a short-list of domain names to "test" for availability, it's time to fire up your favorite domain name search engine. In the above example, "weavingandknitting.com" and "knittingandweaving.com" were both available as of December 2000. But we can do better than that! "knitandweave.com" and "weaveandknit.com" are both available, and while neither has the instant impact of an "amazon.com" or "internet.com", both will be acceptable to our target audience - in fact, at the low prices today's domain registrars are charging, it would be worthwhile picking up both names! If you're having difficulty coming up with useful domain name combinations from your keywords, try a single keyword and add prefixes or suffixes. Not all prefixes and suffixes are appropriate in all situations - use your judgment when deciding which to add. If you still can't find any names you like, try brainstorming using some of the domain name research tools listed in the Resources section of IGoldRush.com! 2. Domain name for an existing website In the case that you're looking to buy a domain name for a website that is already up and running, your options will be more limited than if you're starting from scratch. First, have you already been operating the site under a clearly-recognizable "name" or "title"? Even if your site is hosted on cheap space at an ISP, or on a free host, you may have given it a short title in large letters (or in a logo). This is the obvious place to start when looking for a domain name. For instance, if your site is called "The Knitting Expert" then your search is over, as both "knittingexpert.com" and "theknittingexpert.com" are available (as of the time this article was written.) If your site's name (as given in its title) is very generic, you may well find one (or many) other sites already using it - and the corresponding domain name(s) long since gone. In that case, you have to decide whether you will make a bid to buy the domain name you want, look for an alternative extension or use the brainstorming tricks outlined earlier in this article to find a suitable alternative. You can also consult the guide to choosing the right domain name for more help. 3. Domain names as an investment Please visit IGoldRush.com for more information as this will not be covered here. This information is part of:
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