Secrets Revealed: How I Pick Domain Names
November 30, 2007
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We all know the best domain names are taken, right? No way!
For every cool domain taken, there’s at least one other one that has yet to be discovered. That’s just my opinion, of course, but to say that they’re all taken is like saying the English language has no more words to add.
Yeah, right. 
So we have to be creative. We have to dig down into our bag of tricks to find the next best domain name. Here are a few of my tricks that you may find useful.
Bustaname
I’ve posted about this great tool before and frequently use it to test the waters. You can type in a domain name and have it tell you — on the fly — if it’s available for .com, .net, and .org names. You can even enter in a bunch of keywords and have it come up with combinations. If it didn’t hit the mark, you can select from other synonyms and add those to the mix. Another great feature is that you can save your finds in lists on the site. I have two gripes about the service though: there’s no way to export your lists; and sometimes it says a domain is available when it really isn’t. I’ve spoken with the owner and he informed me that enhancements are on the way so the accuracy should be improved.
PC Names
I found this while browsing Kyle’s Cove a while back. This is pretty cool. You type in your keywords just like Bustaname and it spits back to you combinations of those words and others. I like the results better as they seem to be more marketable, but that may be in the eye of the beholder. Plus, you can select your preference of top-level domains (TLD), which I use only for .coms. My hangup about this site is that the view cart doesn’t work. It would be nice if it would allow you to save your finds in lists, but at least it gives you really good suggestions.
Thesaurus.com
When I find that my perfect domain name has been taken, I turn to Thesaurus.com for inspiration. Maybe I can find an alternative to the name I want, heck, maybe it’ll be better! I’ve spent many an hour searching on this site for ideas. One word leads to another, which leads to another…you get the idea.
Everyday life
This can be the most easily overlooked resource we have available to us. I carry a notepad with me everywhere I go just in case I think of a name I want to check later. But sometimes I don’t think of them, but notice them instead. I love these moments because they’re so genuine in their randomness, which to me makes them all the more special and (hopefully) more likely that no one has registered them yet. Case in point, I was watching a documentary on Christmas recently. The narrator described Santa as “shimmying down the chimney”. I picked up on that right away, thus ShimmyDownTheChimney.com was born (coming to a blog near you)! So if you pay careful attention, you’ll possibly score some cool domain names in a conversation, on TV, or on the radio.
Mix it up
If somebody already beat you to the perfect domain name, perhaps you can add a verb or noun to it. So if homerun.com is taken, why not try something like homerunnews.com, homeruncenter.com, homerunblog.com, and so on. Or maybe change the order to get the one you want: blogonhomeruns.com, cyberhomeruns.com, etc. The point I’m trying to make is that by adding a word or two with the word you really want, you could still land a pretty cool domain that you’ll be pleased with owning. Tip: by adding these words to your core selection, you could open up a number of opportunities: blog, online, web, news, source. Or you could try modifying a word slightly by going from singular to plural: resource to resources, photo to photos, etc.
The Crystal Ball Approach
So you’re striking out on names. You’ve racked your brain on it so long that you can’t see straight. So stop trying to think what’s happened in the past or in the present, and trying looking ahead. What trends do you see coming? Are there any new products arriving to market? What would you have done if you thought this way about the iPhone before it came out?
So here’s my latest sampling of domains that may wish to register (hint: clicking on the links will get you one step closer). And if you don’t find one you like, perhaps they’ll provide the spark you need to come up with your own. As of this writing they’re available:
BakingHoliday.com
BirthdayConcepts.com
BlogsCheap.com
CoolWii.com
FunFamilyAndFood.com
GreatGolfTravel.com
SafeThinker.com
ToyJuice.com
VideoGameSpark.com
WonderfulRecipe.com
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18 Responses to “Secrets Revealed: How I Pick Domain Names”
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I just purchased my first bunch of names a few days ago and then got one more today.
Today I got Indianajoned.com and the ones I got a few days ago were…
electionsection.net
fasttry.net
foreverclubbing.net
mumzcorner.com
passionatetravels.net
theecoplanet.com
timelessbritain.com
timelesstowns.com
yournewjoboffer.com
nudeandold.com
I felt bad about the adult orientated one after I got it!
Do you think any of these have potential?
I started on a whim but am enjoying the idea that I may be able to make something from having a portfolio of web names.
Thanks for the inspiration for finding new names. I keep reading the negative POV from everyone!
@Forest
Your questions seem very appropriate to a thread going on over at the Bloggers Message Board. I can’t address the potential without knowing the intent, however, IMHO, while I think having a good match between the name and the content on the blog is good, it isn’t necessary. I mean, consider MeAndMyDrum. Nothing to do with drums, so it’s clearly what you make of it. 
You got bitten by the bug I see.
Good point and thanks for helping with ideas for my site. I like your new holiday image!
Michelle’s last blog post is: I Want More Polyvore
@Michelle
You’re welcome!
Really well said Mark. I’m a PCNames addict. It gets me discounts with my domain registrar and it really helps me find good domains. I also wish I could bundle domains before purchasing.
One thing I’ve been doing is searching recently available names including names that just came available that day. Sometimes you can find a gem or two in there.
Thats funny you mention Thesaurus, as I use that ALL the time. Its how I came up with Kyle’s Cove after Kyle’s Korner and Kyle’s Corner was taken.
Stumbled!
Kyle Eslick’s last blog post is: The Credibility of Blogging
Thanks for the post, Mark, it was actually just what I needed. Currently SuperBloggingTips.com is my only domain name but I do have a lot more projects in mind for some of my other hobbies. I can’t wait to get started.
Tay - Super Blogging’s last blog post is: Get iPod Accessories and Protection!
@Kyle
Thanks for introducing me to PC Names. It for sure has helped me too.
@Tay
You’re welcome! Can’t wait to see those new projects launch.
[…] lastly, from a blogger who had not previously written a comment on my blog, comes Mark from MeAndMyDrum who gives us an insider on how he picks domain names–something that I did not realize so many people have trouble with, until I read about someone […]
[…] Secrets Revealed: How I Pick Domain Names by MeAndMyDrum. […]
[…] of MeAndMyDrum shares his domain hunting secrets with his readers. I spend a decent amount of time domain hunting, so I love seeing what methods […]
Too bad anyone who wanted those websites could just choose a different generic top-level domain than the one you own.
@Warhol
I’m not exactly sure what you mean. Could you please elaborate? Thanks for commenting by the way.
Hi!
Nifty tools. The thesaurus is an underrated tool for finding good domain names but I have it on speed dial, very useful.
instantdomainsearch.com is also good, similar to bustaname but less cluttered interface.
Thanks.
@Bong
That instanddomainsearch.com looks pretty cool. I’ll add that to my bookmarks.
You’re a first-time commenter here. Thanks so much for doing so.
@Mark
Though I’m a bit partial, I use http://www.domainscour.com all the time to check some of the less common domain extensions like .us , .biz and .mobi .
Feel free to link to it or write an awesome article about it
Hi Mark,
Hey, that is a pretty nifty site you have there. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. I’m always on the lookout for neat things to write about and will definitely add this to my list. And thanks for stopping by!
You could also try http://www.domainnamesoup.com. It has a built in thesaurus.
@DNG
Thanks for bringing that one to our attention. I’ll go check it out.