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Let’s face it: Finding a good domain name is tough these days. More than 100 million domains have already been registered, and from all accounts, the trend is not likely to stop soon.

1. Start the search @

For a New Domain name

• www.Domaintools.com
• www.godaddy.com
• www.enom.com

For pre-owned names

• www.afternic.com
• www.sedo.com
• www.buydomains.com

2. Get the .com extension

Make sure you buy the .com extension if not then you will regret it in future when your customers default to the .com address.

This can be a costly mistake in terms of customer confusion, and you’ll spend valuable time explaining the .net or hyphen to each new client you encounter.

So the moral is ‘be patient and get a name that’s unique, distinguishable and memorable — and one that’s a .com.’

3. Be Creative

The domain names with simple one words are gone baby gone or they are too expensive to buy from the person who owns it.

You can trying adding industry specific modifiers such as:

• Media
• Medical
• Tech
• Capital

Generally it’s better to go one step further and create a truly unique domain name that won’t show up with a slew of others.

4. You might want to use a phrase:

Try finding a domain which is like a phrase which still describes your business so for example if it is toy company then you can try looking for domains which are related with the action of the toy or that industry.

5. Come up with your own original names:

f you invent a domain name, try to use familiar parts of speech that contain some sense of feeling or emotion you can build your brand on.

6. Run a legal search:

Go-to www.uspto.gov to make sure you can trademark a domain name you like.

To make sure you have a clear name, check it with your attorney or an online trademark company such as TMExpress.com.

7. Hire a specialist:

If your time is valuable or you can only find domain names with huge price tags, consider hiring a naming firm. They can help create a name often for less than the cost of purchasing a mediocre domain name. Instead of just a domain name, a specialist can create an entire brand identity that includes a matching tagline and logo artwork.

In the end, it completely comes down to a choice. and to move forward in a business you have to make a choice.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 10:09 am and is filed under Web Design Tips | . You can follow responses to this entry through the Comments RSS Feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.