How To Find The Best Domain Name - Tools and Tips

Finding the best domain name for your business website is very important. It is like trying to find a good name for your business. The name can be the single most critical factor that can determine how well you do online. Finding the best domain name is a difficult task and must involve a lot of thought and research.

Currently, there are more than 200 million domain names registered with the domain name registrars. A large fraction of them are in the .Com TLD (top-level domain) with over 84 million domain names (statistics as of March 2010). The trend is likely to increase. So how do you find the best name for your business, organisation or online enterprise?

Tips to help you find the best domain name:

1. Find and define the niche that you are involved in or want to get involved in

What is your business, product or organisation about? What industry is it in and in what smaller / specific niche? Knowing your own business and what exactly you are in is the first stage in your research for the best domain name.

2. Research

Research the market of your niche. One way to do this is to visit online forums, blogs and directories in the niche to get an idea of what the people want. Research the audience. What are they buying or searching for online? What keywords or keyword phrases are they searching under in the search engines? Make a list of potential domain names that you will check domain name availability in a domain name finder. Try find domain names that are generic and already have traffic going through them. Also, research market trends and analyse keyword/terms/names that you may be poplar in the future.

3. Keep It Short and Easy to Remember

To be found easily on the worldwide web, choosing a short domain name for your website is better than a long name that cannot be remembered easily. For example, you have online enterprise that you earn money from blogging. A domain name www.enterpriseonline2cashfromblogs.com is too long. A short domain namewww.blogcash.com can be remembered easily.

4. Be Unique and Creative

You may find that most good one-word domain names, especially the .Com names have already been taken. Be creative and add suffix or prefix to the word that describes what you want to do. Combine good keywords that describes your niche or consider using common phrases that people.

5. Keep It Generic

Find the right balance between being very specific and being general. Your company may diversity into other niches or products in the near future. You don’t want a domain name that limits future opportunities for growth.

6. Get The .Com Extension (if available)

Dot Com (.com) is the most popular TLD name. Try to get a Dot Com (.com), try Dot Net (.net) or Dot Org (.org). Get your .com name at GoDaddy here.

7. Do a legal search

It is important that before you register the domain name, conduct a legal search regarding possible trademarts or intellectual property that may be associated with the domain name. Ensure that you do not violate intellectual property rights (IPR) of a third party. Use online trademark companyTMExpress.comorwww.uspto.gov to find out if your domain name will violate a third party IPR.

The following are free tools that you can use to check domain name availability and help you get the best domain name.

1. www.namesilo.com

Name Silo provides cheap, easy and secure tools where you can check domain name availability and register your domain name with domain name extensions .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info and .mobi.

2. www.namebio.com

Name Bio is a searchable domain name sales index. Here you will find history of domain sales, domain sales comparisons and domain sales comparables, domain name auction results and useful resources and tools on domain information.

3. www.domaintools.com

Domain Tools is a free domain name finder you can use to check domain name availability.

4. www.domainit.com

Domain It provides domain name availability checks, domain registration, backorder or domain name transfer. Also offers web-hosting services. With the affiliate program you get a $50 sign-up bonus when you register.

5. www.domaintyper.com

Domain Typer is a site where you can search for your domain names as fast as you can type. It is simple and easy way to check domain name availability. The domain name generator tool allows you to create a good and easy to remember domain name.

6. www.moniker.com

Moniker can help you find the right domain name – even it it’s already registered. Whether you want to manage a domain or several thousand domains, Moniker can help you do that safely, securely and easily. Moniker also offers domain name registration service with over a decade of experience.

7. www.namestation.com

Name Station offers an easy way to find available domains. The domain name availability check tools generate random domains, combine and blend words, find short web 2.0 domains, fast bulk domain search and holds name contests .

8. www.nametumbler.com

Name Tumbler is a free domain suggestion tool service where you can check domain name availability and find great, generic domain names in minutes.

9. www.panabee.com

Panabee is the simplest way to brainstorm names for websites, mobile applications and products. You not only check domain name availability but translations, phonetic variations and related terms. You also get inspirations from people on Facebook and Twitter. An interesting site.

10. www.olddomains.net

Old Domains is the site for expired domains that are no longer in whois register. Here, you can find valuable domain names with history of cheap price and purchase domain names that have expired.

There are many other sites on the internet where you can check domain name availability. The above are just 10 of those that I've listed.