subject: 6 Ways To Dream Up A Great Domain Name That Is Still Available [print this page] 6 Ways To Dream Up A Great Domain Name That Is Still Available
I'd be a zillionaire if I earned a dollar each time someone complains that all the great domain names are already taken. It's just not true, however. Even in a highly competitive industry, you can think up original, appealing domain names for businesses by using naming tactics that few people use, such as these:
1. Focus on results. What is the outcome or end result that people want to have from buying a certain product or service? How do they feel when they have finished the transaction?
2. Look for puns. Make a list of relevant keywords, say each out loud and play around with the sounds. Puns are much less likely than other kinds of names to have been registered because their component parts are not actual words. For instance, the name Sitesfaction, for a web design company, was a finalist in our first naming contest - and an available domain at that time despite tens of thousands of web design firms in the English-speaking world.
3. Think slang. Let your imagination and memory fly around for pleasing-to-the-ear expressions. As of today, the domain WhatABoyToys.com for an online toy store is unregistered, as is a domain for its sister store WhatAGirlToys.com.
4. Go symbolic. Suppose you're an expert on the horror genre and want to start a paid online community for horror fans. Fearrific.com, feargate.com and Fearrnet.com are all taken, but as of today, the less obvious and more vivid AllTheHorror.com is not.
5. Vary real words. "Google's name is a play on the word googol, which refers to the number 1 followed by one hundred zeroes," says the Press Center of the world's most successful search engine. "The word was coined by the nine-year-old nephew of mathematician Edward Kasner," it continues - providing another hint for creative naming: consult a kid.
6. Use a Domain Name Suggestion Tool, such as the one available at Gossimer.com. This tool will help you find and register good domain names. Enter the word / phrase / domain name that you are looking for in the below search box and click on the "Suggest" Button to generate a list of suggested domain names. To specify multiple words or phrases use a space between words.
