How to Find an Available Domain Name

Are you looking to take your business online? Maybe you want to start your own blog? If you plan to take your business to the virtual world, then you will need to purchase an available domain name as a starting point. The domain name that you end up deciding on will be like an address for people to find you on the internet.

Since domain names are unique, chances are your first choice for the address of your website will not be available. So how can you find an available domain name that meets your needs and fits with your business model or personal website? You can begin by following the steps defined below to find if your domain name is available and what you can do if it is already taken.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer
• Internet Access

1. Create a list of potential website names that you are interested in that are associated with your business or mission. If it is a personal website, you should still build this list in order to find an available domain name for your site. It is very important to take this step seriously as you will need to live with this decision for the life of the website. Since you will be paying money for your new domain name, make sure it is one you will be happy with!

2. Research how effective your available domain name would fit into any search engine optimization (SEO) efforts you may be planning. Unless you are not interested in having anyone visit your site (business or personal), you should at least consider the domain name in your SEO strategy. One practiced used by many is to take a keyword or list of keywords and use them as part of your domain name. This will at least give you a head start on optimizing your site for the keyword of your choice. Filter out any possible domain names that will be poorly optimized from this step.

3. Take your narrowed down list from the previous step and determine if there are any available domain names that can be purchased. There are plenty of websites (i.e. GoDaddy) that can tell you if a domain name has been taken or not. You could also type in the URL name in your browser to see if there is already another website using this domain name. Don't be surprised if your first choice on a name is already taken.

4. Consider purchasing an available domain name with a different extension if the one you had planned on is taken. For example, using a ".com" extension is usually the first preference by many websites. You may be able to find the domain name of your choice available with a different extension like ".info" or ".biz". Just be sure you are OK with accepting an alternative extension before you make your purchase.

5. Look for deals on sites that sell available domain names like GoDaddy and Yahoo. Look for coupon codes or special discounts offered by these sites to save on your costs. Many sites that sell domain names will have special promotional periods so be sure to keep your eye out for when these deals occur. This can be a great way to limit your costs when first starting your website.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are certain that you cannot live without a certain domain name that is already taken, there may be an opportunity for you to purchase it still. This option may cost you a lot of extra money but is available if you think it is necessary.
• Be sure that you plan to use any available domain name that you decide to purchase. Many people waste money buying up domain names that never get used.