When a great website idea pops into your head, one of the first things you should do is get a domain name.  Ideally, the domain name should be:

1. A .com. Try your best not to get anything else. A .net is an acceptable alternative, but a .com shows you are serious and it’s what people remember.  There’s lot of differing opinions on this matter, but conventional wisdom is that a .com is best.

2. Short. The shorter the better.  It will be easier to remember, generally easier to spell, easier to say, and is better in the long run for branding. A two word phrase works great for a domain name.

3. No dashes. Avoid dashes if you can, because they are difficult to say,  and shows that you had to settle.  Years ago, it was thought that dashes in a domain name help with SEO because it separated out your keywords, making your domain name rank better for your keywords in the search engines, but this theory has since been proven wrong.

If course lots of successful websites violate these 3 rules and are wildly popular, so don’t let this hinder your progress.  Use the following tools to find that domain that’s perfect for your idea, register it with godaddy or netfirms and get the ball rolling on your website construction.

I’ve gone through this process recently and found a few tools to help make it faster:

Instant Domain Search http://instantdomainsearch.com/

I think this is the main tool to start with. It allows you to QUICKLY type in any domain name idea you have and see if it’s taken. Oh and there’s an iphone version (free) that you can use if you have a great domain name idea and you’re not at home.

Bust a Name http://www.bustaname.com/

Bust a Name allows you to enter keywords you want, and it finds combinations that are available. Lots of options like 2 or 3 word combinations/prefixes/suffixes.

NameTumbler http://www.nametumbler.com

You enter a keyword and it lets you add some common terms to the front or back of the keyword and checks for availability.

Psychic Whois http://www.psychicwhois.com/

Similar to InstantDomainSearch, Psychic Whois lets you choose between registered and available and it also gives you suggestions, which is helpful.

A Few Final Tips

I usually gather a list of about 10 available domain names that I like, that fit my criteria, then I ask my wife which one she likes, then go with it.  Spend a good amount of time picking a domain name.  It’s probably the most important beginning step in your process.  It will be your “brand”, and you have to be comfortable with it, and actually be kinda proud of it.

So picture yourself trying to tell your family, friends or business partners about the website.  Would you be shy about it? A little concerned about their reaction?  If so, pick a different name.   After all you are more likely to get excited and work on a project with a cool and comfortable domain name that you’re proud of.