The mad rush for vanity URLs has been around for quite some time now. Unsurprisingly, personalized URLs based on your name can be quite difficult to get hold of. But it’s not all over yet.

Where can I find you online? and Do you have a website? are two common questions people have for you when you’re networking, both online and offline. You better be ready with an answer, especially if you run an online business. In any case, isn’t it nice to have a slice of the Web to your name?

We have already covered why it’s a good idea to register for a personal domain and also outlined some cool uses for a personal domain. 5 Reasons You Should Have Registered A Personal Domain By Now 5 Reasons You Should Have Registered A Personal Domain By Now These days I think it’s important for everyone to at least register (if not use) a domain that is personal to them. Not only are domain names under current top-level domains running out , but… Read More

Aaron has even dispelled the common myths surrounding the creation of a personal website. So you have no more excuses not to have one. Getting the right domain name is where you should begin. But that’s easier said than done. If your name is quite common, it can be downright frustrating.

Thankfully, by using one or more of the following simple methods, you can find a domain name that you like and that can be registered.

Learn The Rules Of The Web

As messy as it seems on the surface, the Web is surprisingly quite well-organized underneath. There are also certain rules that define Web behavior and the management of our activity on it.

When I first decided to work online, ignorant as I was about the workings of the Web, terms like SEO and keyword research made no sense to me whatsoever. Being excited as only a 22-year-old who has discovered the key to an online income can be, I went ahead and registered a domain name without doing any research about the right way to choose one. After a few false starts and failed projects, I had no choice but to sit up and pay attention to what I had initially thought was useless Internet jargon that I could do without.

You can give yourself a better start by reading up on the rules of the Web. Ryan’s post on picking a great domain name introduces you some of those rules, so that you can be well equipped to choose a domain name that is not just appealing to you, but also comes with the best chance of being successful online. How Do You Register A Great Domain Name? How Do You Pick A Great Domain Name? Choosing the perfect domain name for your website is like choosing the perfect name for your first child. Increase the likelihood of online success with these tips. There’s a lot in a name! 

Use A Tool Or Two

Not only do the top-level domains get taken up with shocking speed, but even the most bizarre combinations of names and words (like BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle) get registered on a regular basis. You can still manage to finalize a domain with the help of tools like Domai.nr, which generates interesting combinations of names based on keywords you submit. The site also shows whether a particular domain is available for purchase.

While you’re going through this name generation exercise, use a tool like NameChk or KnowEm to see if the domain name you have set your mind upon is available as a username on some of the most commonly used websites. That will help you use the same name across the Web and keep your identity consistent.

Be Creative

Focus on the domain name ahead of the extension. Ensure that it is fairly short and readable. If it’s easy to memorize, that’s a bonus. Experiment with different combinations like Firstname, Lastname, Nickname, FirstinitialLastname, FirstnameLastinitial, NicknameLastname, NicknameLastinitial, etc.

Leave out the quirky spellings, unnecessary multiple letters, etc. Such tweaks do seem to work for various companies and services (ifttt, for example), but when used with personal domains, they only increase ambiguity and confusion.

While there’s nothing like getting a .com extension, if you don’t find one to go with your chosen domain name, don’t despair. Try extensions like .me and .name, which have come to be associated with personal domains. Going by its rising popularity, .co is another option worth considering.

If you’re planning to use the personal domain to promote your business, depending on your target market, you can opt for a country-based extension like .uk, .eu, .au, .in, etc.

I registered the domain akshatashanbhag.com after my full name, Akshata Shanbhag. My name can be somewhat difficult to read and pronounce, especially for those who are not aware of its origin. By clubbing my first name and last name, I complicated it further, both from my perspective and that of the potential visitors to my site. Clearly, I had not put much thought into it.

After sticking with that domain for too long, recently I decided to switch to a shorter one with just my first name. Unfortunately, the .com extension was taken. When I contacted the owner, he quoted a price that I thought was quite high, and frankly, it did not seem worth paying that much, so I registered akshata.co. If I had paused to think some more, someone would have probably snatched up that domain too.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Expired domain names are re-released after a grace period of about 75 days. Buying one of these domains can work to your advantage if the original domain was popular and generated much traffic when it was in use.

There are also other domains that are advertised for sale. These can turn out to be expensive, but if you spend some time doing your research, you can find a fair deal on them. The important thing is to stay alert for opportunities that have a chance of giving you a nice, workable url.

Have A Little Patience

The powers that be have given the go-ahead to expand the Internet by rolling out more than a thousand new domain suffixes. Can you imagine the number of options that you will have when that happens? If all goes well, as early as the end of 2016, you can sign up for domains with suffixes like .bio, .page, .contact, and .web. Till then, work on getting a nice web design ready.

A Good Domain Name Is Important, But…

These days, it’s desirable to have a personal domain with a vanity url, especially if you have plans of showcasing your work online. But remember, if you don’t manage to find the URL you want, it’s not the end of the world.

Instead of fretting over it, choose the next best thing and direct your efforts toward putting up an appealing website and following it up with interesting content. Eventually, netizens will trace it back to you even without the help of the right domain name.

Everyone wants a killer domain name these days, so here are tips to register a domain name. With estimates of over 10,000 domain registrations per day, sometimes it can seem like good domains have become an endangered species. Consider yourself lucky to live in a day when mainstream internet is still in its teens and with a little effort you can find a number of good domain variables out there. The challenge is finding a domain that is available, relevant, memorable and intuitive. With that said, here are 7 tips to help you register that perfect domain name you’ve been searching for.

1.) Make it Memorable
With so many different domains online, it’s easy to get lost in a crowd. One of the best ways to stand out is by crafting a domain that is clever or witty. Making your domain uniquely odd will gain attention and be remembered. For example, if I have a side business selling baseball cards, the domain CrackerJackCards.com is shorter and much more memorable than BestBaseballCardSeller.com. Consider using lingo from the industry that is relevant for your market rather than common terms that could already be taken. Using uncommon words also gives you a better chance at finding a shorter domain.

2.) Go for the .com First
By far the most popular Top Level Domain (TLD) is Com. Here are a few of the more common TLDs to consider if you aren’t familiar with them: Com, Net, Biz, Info, and Org. The majority of searchers out there will put a .com on the end of every domain. Many people still think there aren’t any other domain extensions available. If you don’t own the Com extension, you’re missing out on a lot of traffic.

3.) Consider Misspellings
To protect your brand and prevent misdirected traffic, consider registering any common misspellings of your domain. If you find yourself misspelling your domain, chances are, other people are too. Domains with double letters in them are constantly misspelled when the second letter is omitted. As an example, if you owned the domain WeddingGuestRegistry.com, you should also purchase WeddinGuestRegistry.com. In addition, typosquatters and competitors are always on the lurk. Protect yourself by owning these misspelled domains. Once you own the misspelling, just redirect them to your homepage as always. Here’s a typo generator site that will spit back a list of common misspellings of your domain.

4.) Buy other TLDs
When it comes down to it, paying an extra $15+ dollars a year isn’t too much to ask for all the additional traffic and peace of mind you’ll get by registering other TLDs. Cybersquatters and competitors are always looking for ways to increase their profits, and you should too. If you don’t register other TLDs of your domain, chances are, your competitors just might. Our domain registration page will let you check for domain availability.

5.) Keep it Short
It goes without saying, the shorter the better. If you have a short domain, it will be easier for people to remember and find. Short enough for ya?

6.) Don’t Include Hyphens or Numbers
Although you might see a lot of domains with hyphens in them, I would suggest doing otherwise. I know it’s so tempting when you see that your desired domain is taken and all you need to do is insert a hyphen and you’ve got it! Inserting odd characters like a hyphen in your domain name can often cause you to miss out on traffic. Many times, people forget to include the hyphen and be directed to the other domain that you originally wanted. The hyphen can also get lost in translation, like when you tell someone over the phone. The same thing goes for substituting a number where a similar phonetic word would go. I’m not pointing any fingers (numbers 2 and 4), but you know who you are.

7.) Consider a domain for Promotional Purposes
When running a promotion, try buying or registering a domain that fits the name of the promotion and use the domain as a landing page. That way, if you were to do any advertising for that promotion, you can mention the promotional domain name so it sticks with your audience even better.