Steps to choose your domain name when the one you love is not available
Are you starting or rebranding your business? If yes, you must choose a domain name to create a website. While selecting the name, you should opt for a premium domain name representing your niche. Also, it has to be unique and specific to your brand. Your prospects can easily find your website when you have a unique domain.
A major problem that many businesses report while choosing a domain name is the unavailability of the desired name. Imagine how you would feel when you spend hours finding the perfect domain name only to find out that someone has already purchased it.
Now, what should you do in such a situation? If you are thinking of choosing another domain name, then hold on as you can still use the same domain name that describes your business and niche in a better way.
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Strategies to Choose Domain Name When It’s Not Available
Here are some ways to choose a domain name when the one you want is already taken:
1. Change the Domain Name
Changing doesn’t mean that you have to start from scratch and select a new domain name. If you can’t find a domain name, you can always modify it in different ways to make it unique. With simple changes, you can find a suitable domain name.
You must consider adding or removing any word or symbol from the domain name. You can still modify your domain name, even if it is your brand name. Here are a few adjustments you can perform to make appropriate changes:
You can include hyphens in your domain name to make it unique. This should not be the first thing you should opt for, as customers might confuse your business with the website having the original domain name. Also, potential customers want to ensure that your company has credibility before doing any business.
If you have a blog post site, you can use a hyphen. Normally, businesses use a hyphen to increase the legibility of their domain name.
That said, adding hyphens often creates confusion for businesses and their customers. Many users think that spammy websites contain hyphenated domain names, which is why it would be best to use hyphens as a last resort.
Adding an article at the beginning of your domain name such as “a/an” or “the” will make your domain name unique. For instance, if “café.com” is not available, you can try “thecafe.com” or “acafe.com” instead.
However, there are downsides to using a domain name with an article. Your potential traffic may get confused about whether the website is actually yours, which may cause them to divert to other websites. You can try other techniques mentioned in this list to avoid confusion.
To select a good domain name, you have to keep things simple. Many businesses choose complicated names because they are easily available. But, these domain names can be quite confusing for customers. So, if you want to increase your website’s traffic, try selecting simple names. Also, avoid adding numbers, funny spellings, and symbols in the domain name. This will make it hard for your customers to remember your website. Selecting a complicated domain may reduce the credibility of your business, causing the potential traffic to divert to the competitor’s website.
2. Change the Endings
Sometimes, you can change the extension of your website to find an available domain. For instance, if you search for the “.com” version domain name, try using other versions such as “net”, “.us”, or “.online”.
Today, the “.com” domain extension is hard to find due to oversaturation. So, finding a domain name with the “.com” extension can be difficult.
Do you want to change the endings of your website? If yes, you may choose an alternative domain name for your website. Here are three different ways to select an extension for different purposes:
Generic domain extensions don’t have a specific meaning, and anyone can choose them. For instance, you can opt for “.xyz”, “.space”, or “net”. These extensions are easy to find because of their distinct identity and will make your website stand out.
You can also select a domain name according to geographical location. For instance, if your website is from the United States, you can choose “.us” as your domain extension. You can find geographical domain endings for every country, such as “.fr” for France, “.de” for Germany, and “.uk” for the United Kingdom.
Domain names according to continents are available as well. For instance, you can choose “.africa” or “.asia.” Moreover, you can select an extension based on your city and even province. But remember that not every city or province has a separate domain ending.
Extensions with geographical location will offer more information to your target audience.
There is a unique category in generic domain endings, including specific industries, interest areas, and communities. These extensions also contain sponsored endings such as “.travel”, “.museum”, or “.coop” Many corporations, such as industry groups, prefer these extensions.
Other extensions such as “.irish”, “Nowruz,” and “.lgbt” represent social, cultural, and linguistic communities. What’s more, you can choose a platform specific to a particular area, such as “.tech”, “.wine”, or “.pet”. So, choose these specific extensions if you are considering a name for your hobby.
Moreover, these extensions will help you with SEO marketing so you can improve your ranking on search engines. Niche-specific domain endings can tell a lot about your website. But, you must choose the niche while selecting the domain name carefully. For instance, choosing a “.tech” extension won’t make any sense if you have a real estate business.
3. Buy the Domain Name from the Owner
If you are very interested in a domain name, you can determine the domain owner’s contact details and ask them to transfer the domain to you. If they agree to sell the domain and website, you should choose this option. Otherwise, you can change your domain name by following the tips mentioned above.
That said, many website owners don’t sell their domain names because their website is already operational. Also , spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on a domain name can be expensive if you have a small business.
You can find the details of the website on Whois.com. You can enter the domain name on this website and hit the “WHOIS” button. You will find the website owner’s information with contact details. You can find the owner’s contact information if the website is public. Sometimes, you will find business names rather than owners’.
Also, if you can’t find contact details on Whois.com, you should visit the website and look for contact details on the contact us page.
Conclusion
When the domain name you want for your business website is unavailable, you can try plenty of other options. Firstly, you can include additional details in the domain name. Adding an article, changing the spelling, or including the hyphen might help make your domain unique. Also, you can change the extension of your domain name. Having a “.com” domain extension doesn’t influence your web traffic. So, you can go with other extensions as well.
However, before choosing the extension, you should ensure that it is relevant to your brand and country. For instance, if you live in the United States, adding a “de” extension won’t make any sense. You can choose an extension based on your location, niche, and industry. Moreover, you can include a generic domain ending to make your name unique.
You can contact the domain name's current owner if you want a particular domain name and extension. If none of the above-mentioned techniques to choose domain name works, you can start from scratch. A Domain Registration Services can help you find a unique domain and suggest an available domain name.