What do you do when your desired domain name is taken?

[Aarav Patel]

Do you try to find another extension? Say the .com is taken and you'll use .co? Try another option? Buy the domain from the owner?

 

[dojo]

I usually stick to the .com option. Have purchased .net or .org before, but it's usually because the domains had pretty high DR (Domain Rating) and a hefty backlink profile. Otherwise I'll try to either use a dash or find something similar. For my main business, webdesignnj.com, this domain was taken and they'd ask 800 bucks for it, being "premium". I used web-design-nj.com for a while and, when the price dropped to 150, I purchased the desired domain and redirected the one with dashes. I'd have been content without it as well, but it was a good opportunity.

 

[Nomad]

Domain extension does not matter in search engine ranking, however, the word you use for your domain name actually matters in terms of SEO value. Therefore, you should not compromise with the name but you can use other alternative domain extensions. For example, if you cannot find dot com, you can try other popular options like dot net, dot info, etc.

 

[freelancermaria]

While there are numerous domain extensions available, I have always favored dot com because of its overall recognition and common use. The majority of users usually expect a website to end in dot com. In addition, the dot com extension looks more professional compared to others, which give websites that end in dot com a better shot at higher rankings in search engines. When a desired domain name already is taken, I go for alternatives that still resonate with my interests and preferences.

 

[Nomad]

If you have a registered business or a established brand and you want to get a domain for your business or brand, you shouldn't compromise your business/brand name for a dot com. If you cannot get a dot com you should use something else. However, if you do not have established brand and you need a domain before starting your business, getting a dot com can be a good choice. People trust dot com more than anything else.

 

[Dominique]

We can always look for synonyms, right? What if we add numbers in the domain to make it unique. For example of we want a domain called marketing and we cannot get it can we bot use 101 marketing for the domain?

 

[Nomad]

I have seen some domains using numbers and they look cool, for instance there is a website called 99 Designs and it is good. However, if you listen to marketers, they will tell you to avoid numbers, hyphens, senseless alphabets, etc.