How to Get a Great Domain Name
By CPU Review
Posted Sunday, August 15, 2004
Looking for a great domain name? Think that they’re all taken already? Think again. There are a number of creative alternatives that may be the route to getting that premium name – even now – after the dot com boom.
Where to Look for a Great Name
Registering a New Domain Name – Believe it or not, there are still a huge number of domain names that have never been registered. Sure, the so-called ‘dictionary’ and common single word domains have all be registered long ago, but there are strategies to circumvent this issue.
Why not simply add a modifier to a word in order to create a compelling domain name? For example – let’s say that you sell bicycles and bicycle parts online – here are some domain names that come to mind that are almost certainly taken:
bike.com
bikes.com
bicycle.com
bicycles.com
bikeparts.com
bicycleparts.com
So how can we modify these common names to create names that are available? Let’s try adding some simple descriptive terms either before, or after the main word. For example:
Deluxe
Premium
Best
Superior
Cheap
Discount
Online
Universal
I’m sure you can think of many others that apply to your products and business. If you simply add this short list of modifiers in front of the original short names, you can create multiple new names that are available right now! You can search for a new name here: (http://registrar.godaddy.com/default.asp?isc=cpubflt02).
Snatching Up An Expiring Domain Name – One of the most furtile sources of short, memorable domain phrases is found in the stream of constantly expiring domain names. Each day from 15,000 – 20,000 domain names expire, and are put back into circulation to be re-registered. The best of these names are quickly snapped up by domain speculators and professional domain buyers. However, you too can tap into this resource if you know where to look and how to play.
To view a great list of soon to expire and pending delete domain names point your browser to:
(http://www.cpureview.com/domains/expireddomainswithtraffic.htm) or
(http://www.cpureview.com/domains/Yahooanddmozlisteddomainswithtraffic.htm)
Find the name that you want from these lists and then go to a snapback buying service such as GoDaddy snapback service link. Remember to keep at it – the competition is intense for the best domains, as they are often worth hundreds of times their purchase price. You may not get the first name you try to grab, but over time you may obtain the best in newly expired domains – at a fraction of their retail value.
The best thing about this technique is that there are literally thousands of new domains becoming available every single day. The numbers are in your favor if you just stick with it over time.
Buying a Domain Name From the Current Owner – While it may be seen as a last resort, it is possible to purchase a currently registered domain from the owner. How do you find out who owns the domain? Simply do a ‘whois’ lookup – by typing the domain name into the search box at this location: (http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/whois/index.jhtml).
Listed in the whois results are two valuable pieces of contact information for the domain owner: their email address and phone number. Contact the owner and ask them what they would consider to be a fair and reasonable price for their domain. If they don’t respond or quote a totally unrealistic price, then move on. Just look for another name you like elsewhere. This approach can work quite well, and doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg – I’ve seen very valuable domains that were bought at prices under market through this straightforward technique.
Good luck getting the domain name that you want. Remember to keep at it and a great name will turn up!
About CPU Rewiew
CheapHostingDirectory.Com is a resource for webmasters and consumers looking to find a web hosting company or a quality expiring domain names with traffic. CHD is part of the TechPad Agency network of web hosting related sites, visit (www.thetechpad.com) for more information.
