Your website, representing your digital presence, is the first impression you leave on your potential customers. It tells them your brand’s story, exhibits your area of expertise, and how your products/services may facilitate their current problems. As a result, choosing a name that properly impacts the audience significantly affects how far a business can thrive.
Every business must dedicate adequate time to finding a good name; rebranding is not only a hassle but can also be quite costly and slow down the pace of the business.
However, choosing the right website name that hasn’t already been registered is not as easy as one might think; websites have been around for over three decades, and many good names have already been taken.
Although it gets more complicated to find a good name as people keep registering new ones every day, it doesn’t mean you should give up. There are still many ways to come up with fresh, million-dollar website name ideas. So keep reading the following guide and name your business today.
First Things First; What’s a Domain Name?
Is it easier to dial a number on the phone or scroll to it in your contacts? In technical terms, the “phone numbers” represent IP addresses, and the “contacts” are domain names!
Domain names make it more convenient to navigate the internet and avoid memorizing long IP addresses. Instead, you conveniently use unique domain names, type them into a browser, and reach a website. For example, if you wanted to open up the Google search engine on your browser, you would type in www.google.com, which is the domain name for this search engine.
In the paragraphs below, you will find out how to find the perfect domain name for your website.
Initial Steps of Naming Your Website
The first steps are always the hardest. But, as you initiate the flow, it gets easier and more accessible down the road. Below you’ll find a few tips that can set you up more conveniently and help you find an innovative name for your website.
Research is Key
Solid competitor research helps you not to start from scratch. Create a thorough list of all your competitors on a global scale, businesses that sell the same products, provide the same services, and target the exact audience around the world. You can then analyze how their name affects their rate of success or how it traumatized their growth.
If you’re lucky, you can come to a general understanding of what ideas help businesses thrive in your niche. You can apply this newly acquired knowledge to generate more practical ideas.
The time and resources you save by eliminating unsuccessful name choices will be substantial.
Consider all TLDs
Although .com is the most commonly known extension worldwide, it’s essential to understand you’re not limited to it. Accordingly, if your business targets local audiences and you have no active plans to work globally, you should consider using an exclusively local TLD, such as .uk or .us.
The same goes for other non-traditional TLDs. Hundreds of domain extensions can work perfectly fine and give your business a modern look. Below is a small list of less-commonly used TLDs that are proven to work exceptionally well with many companies:
- .app: The .app extension is understandably suitable for branding mobile, web, and other applications. In many cases, choosing .app over other commonly used TLDs can express your purposes immediately and give your domain name a unique look.
- .io: Although .io is the official domain extension for British Indian Ocean Territory, it has become popular with technology and start-up companies because it looks like the abbreviation of input/output in computer science. Nowadays, a .io extension immediately implies your company is in tech.
- .shop: If you’re a digital e-commerce store or a local shop trying to scale to online sales, a .shop extension instantly tells your audience that you’re here to sell something. What better way to distinguish yourself from other websites so quickly?
- .me: Although .me is Montenegro’s official extension, it’s been used globally to help people create a personal online presence.
Make sure to experiment with such TLDs to find your unique edge over the competitors.
Plan for the Long Run
Many website names and ideas, such as Google, have outgrown their original purpose and become a part of everyone’s culture. Always remember that ideally, you’ll reach the ultimate level of success when your brand represents all businesses in its niche and grows roots within every language and culture.
However, many names don’t offer such potential. So make sure to invest some time in finding an idea that can provide such advantages over time.
Name Your Business at the Same Time
One of the many things that you should consider when creating your digital presence is whether your business name should match your website name or not. There are a few scenarios that can help you make this decision:
- Having a company name and domain name that are identical is helpful if you want customers to easily locate you online.
- If you expect your online presence to represent your business, choose the same name for both.
- Consider using different names if you already have a business name and are looking for a shorter, more memorable version.
It’s good to plan for both names simultaneously if you’re starting a new business. However, if you already have a business name, consider the advantages of each choice to help you make this decision.
Website Name Do’s and Don’ts
There are a few aspects you should consider and a few things you should avoid while trying to choose the ideal name for your website. These choices affect how functional your website will be and guarantee a safer path down the journey.
Avoid Dots and Dashes
Good website domains are short, easy to remember, and descriptive, while hyphens make domain names hard to pronounce. Imagine being in a meeting, on the phone, or during a presentation, and you try to mention a domain name with weird spelling or non-verbal symbols. Would it be easy enough for people to remember? Not so much!
Keep it Simple and Memorable
Simplicity does it all! Good domain names are understood as heard and don’t require further explanations or spellings. In addition, such terms are easily pronounced and are more conveniently remembered. So, avoid using phrases that are either hard to spell or misspelled for branding purposes (such as misusing double letters).
Don’t Be Specific
A more general name for your website can come in handy when expanding the business or even deciding to change its direction. However, choosing specific phrases will limit the website’s functionality to one particular niche. After all, it never hurts to have a plan B.
Research Names
Start by brainstorming ideas that go best with your business. When the list is loaded with your initial thoughts, add the synonyms of these words to the list to make it more thorough. Also, add niche-related adjectives to make them more diverse. Finally, you can mix and match all these words to generate the perfect idea.
Write Them Down
At this point, many ideas may sound incredible. However, you might want to consider writing your favorite names down to see how they look with no spacing. This little technique helps you avoid choosing phrases that might look like non-related words or even embarrassing ones.
Read Them Out Loud
As well as writing down the names, it would be best if you considered reading them out loud. Sometimes an idea can feel great, look beautiful on paper, and sound horrible simultaneously! So, make sure to read your ideas out loud for yourself and a group of people to find out how different people would feel when hearing that name. This way, you can also avoid using bizarre-sounding website names.
Use Name Generators
Don’t like your original ideas? No worries; technology always helps! Several name generators are currently available to help you develop even more ideas. These websites can mix related words and generate new ones, so they rarely run out of new ideas. In addition, they are equipped with powerful AIs that come in handy when you’re feeling overwhelmed and can’t find a name you love.
Register Your Name Quickly
Although you don’t want to rush into anything, you must also avoid sitting too long on ideas you like. Many domains are being registered as you’re reading this article, and you want to ensure someone else doesn’t register the name you like.
Also, consider registering several TLDs of your chosen name so other people can’t register them in the future to pose as you and damage your reputation once your brand goes viral.
Great! Now that you have mastered the basics, you can read in more detail about regarding the steps above.
Develop Some Original Ideas
Always start simple! Grab a piece of paper and start writing a few ideas. Then brainstorm more ideas using related keywords, synonyms, etc. Mix and match these names to create a complete list of ideas that may work well with your business. Finally, you can use this list with name generators to create your ultimate name ideas.
However, sometimes there aren’t just enough words in the whole world. So, if you’re feeling stuck in developing your first ideas, here are over 20 essential ways to get started:
Places and Locations
Combining your favorite keywords with a place’s name is one of the simplest ways to come up with a domain name. This way, you can either imply the actual location of your business or give the impression that your website has a physical establishment:
“keyword + place = goldfields.com”
Gold Fields is a corporation with mines in several parts of the world. The keyword mixed with “fields” efficiently reflects the business and has created a beautiful domain name.
Personal Pronouns
Personal pronouns leave a strong influence on visitors’ first impressions. So if you pick a domain name containing a personal pronoun, it shapes visitors’ understanding of your business before checking out your website.
“pronoun + keyword = yourbusinessmagazine.com”
Your Business Magazine is a premier UK celebrity & lifestyle mag that uses the technique to spread the latest news. This method helps users bond with the website and symbolizes their importance to you.
Emotive Words
Emotive language is using specific words to inspire an emotional reaction in people. Such techniques are commonly used in poetry and novels and add more personalization to your name.
“emotive word + keyword = seriouslyhelpful.com”
Seriously Helpful is a digital marketing website that is serious about helping businesses grow and uses emotive language in its name. Such names reflect the owner and the aim of the company ideally.
Combinations
Combining two words to create one with the mixed meaning of both is a well-known technique used in various businesses. Terms such as smog (smoke and fog) or bromance (brother and romance) are a few examples of combining words to exhibit more meaning.
“word A + word B = wikipedia.org”
Wikipedia is an extensive library of all sorts of information on the web. It merges the words “wiki” and “encyclopedia” to create “Wikipedia.” Such ideas make unique names and represent the website’s primary intention.
Adjectives and Descriptions
Like emotive language, adjectives are also used to describe specific words. Such descriptions help understand the aim of a website and subconsciously imply how users should feel about a business.
“adjective + keyword = vitaldollar.com”
Vital Dollar is a financial blog that shares a range of information on how to be more economically successful. It has put the words “vital” and “dollar” together to imply some critical financial information on the website.
Authoritative Words
It’s relatively challenging to imply your level of professionalism on a website. However, authoritative words, such as captain, agent, officer, etc., help deliver such messages.
“authoritative word + keyword = captaindata.co”
Captain Data is a Data Extraction & Automation Platform that manages sales & marketing workflows. Such names imply their confidence and allow users to trust them more conveniently.
Primary Intention
Websites contribute to several purposes; some are personal, many are for business, a few provide information, some help connect people, etc. Using the primary intention of a website helps users understand its functionality more comfortably.
“keyword + intention = nbcnews.com”
NBC News is an information website that spreads the latest news worldwide. The word “news” clearly exhibits the kind of content users should expect to find on the website.
Transformation Verbs
Transformation verbs, such as thrive, improve, renew, etc., show change. These verbs next to your primary keywords create potent combinations that make users feel your business is a game changer.
“transformation verb + keyword = thrivedomains.com”
Thrive Domain registrar uses the methodology to separate itself from other competitors. Thrive implies how their premium quality domains help businesses reach their full potential, and the name serves this intention.
Inspirations
Motivation is a powerful tool that helps people pick themselves up. Inspirational names suggest the business is already helping others even before visiting the website.
“inspirational word + keyword = positivityblog.com”
Positively Blog is one of the best sites for self-motivation. The motivational word used in the name states how positive their content is and immediately contributes to the initial intention of the website.
Creatures
Using a creature in your business name can make it both exciting and imply the nature of the website. Whether the word’s real or imaginary, it’s an excellent way t create a domain name.
“Keyword + animal = mailchimp.com”
Mail Chimp is one of the best automation platforms, considered an essential asset for every successful business. Chimps symbolize curiosity and playfulness, just like Mail Chimp.
Synonyms and Similars
Most people use almost the same vocabulary in one society. So, always use a thesaurus when you feel like you’re running out of valuable ideas. This way, you can find multiple alternatives that mean the same.
“cool albums = crisp, frosty, chill, etc. albums”
This way, you can sound unique and stay close to your original idea even if someone else has registered the domain.
Although this method can’t be ideal for plenty of websites, it’s pretty rewarding for many of them. Words that imply the meaning of a community, such as Tribe, League, Family, etc., help users understand the level of engagement that’s expected from your website.
“community word + keyword = tribegroup.co”
Tribe Group is an Influencer Marketing Platform For Brands & Agencies. The name implies a strong bond between community members and works well for specific niches.
Personal Names
For several types of businesses, personal names work fantastic. Individual blogs, for instance, gain value when they represent the blogger’s identity. So, if you’re primary goal is to create a brand surrounding your identity, you should consider using your name in the domain name.
“Gary Vaynerchuk = garyvaynerchuk.com”
Gary Vaynerchuk is a Serial Entrepreneur, Chairman of VaynerX, CEO of VaynerMedia, CEO of VeeFriends, & 5X NYT Bestselling Author who’s created his website on a domain with his full name.
Alliteration
You can use multiple words that start with the same sound together to create a unique style. This technique is called alliteration and is commonly used in literature. It helps users remember the names and connect with them more conveniently.
“Paypal, Rolls Royce, Coca-Cola, Gorilla Glue, etc.”
Alliteration might be the best way for your business to become memorable. It works with almost every niche as long as you can develop a good idea.
You’re now ready and loaded with plenty of ideas. It’s time to use a name generator and reach out for more combinations.
Find Website Name Ideas with Name Generators
Name generators are stunning AIs that help expand your little group of original ideas to unlimited names and phrases. However, you should know these AIs work best as long as you already have your original ideas. Starting blank with a name generator only leaves you with hundreds of abstract results and may feel like a total waste of time.
To avoid such scenarios, you should follow the steps discussed in earlier paragraphs and develop some original ideas. First, create a thorough list of keywords that work best with your business. Then, you must enter the keywords into the name generators and let them do the hard work.
Also, remember that multiple name generators result in more diverse ideas. So enter your keywords into the top AIs available and compare results to have your business’s ultimate list of ideas.
Once you have a few website names you’re happy with, check to see if their domains and social media accounts are available. This way, you can guarantee brand consistency and establish the foundation of your brand recognition.
A list of top website name generators and several tools that can help you check whether your chosen names are available are listed in the following paragraphs.
Top Website Name Generators
There are plenty of website name generators available online, but not all are efficient enough. An overview of the most popular website name generators is provided below, along with a brief summary of the tools and features each one offers.
Nevertheless, keep in mind that it is recommended to use multiple name generators to result in a diverse range of ideas. You can ultimately mix and match all the results and pick the fine choices amongst them all.
Domain Wheel
Domain Wheel is one of the best website name generators you can find. It’s powered by a brilliant AI that receives your primary keywords and generates name ideas based on your original keywords, their synonyms, related words, and some randomly created ones.
This brand suggestion tool offers a high-quality algorithm that does all your hard work. You can surf through the names and slogans and pick the ones that best articulate the purposes of your business.
Domain Wheel checks domain availability and connects you to Bluehost to sign up for a web hosting plan and get the domain immediately.
This tool is straightforward to work with and offers several tutorials, guides, reviews, and valuable research pieces that can help you pick the best name and start your ideal business.
Features:
- Robust algorithm with great ideas
- You can filter the results only to see your desired extensions
- All generated results are available for purchase
Nameboy
The second tool on the list is Nameboy. Nameboy has been around for a very long time (since 1999) and is one of the top available tools online. To generate fresh ideas, it uses an algorithm to mix your keywords with similar phrases, prefixes, suffixes, and other random words.
Nameboy also verifies domain availability and allows you to register a name with Bluehost immediately. It even provides users with essential tips and guidelines to help them find the best website names.
Additionally, Nameboy is not limited to blog and website name generators. It also offers Business, YouTube, Store, Brand, Podcast, Startup, App, Restaurant, Fitness Gym, Charity, Software, Bakery, Lifestyle, Cafe, Food Blog, Clothing Line, and School & Academy name generators. These can help the AI understand your business better and generate more suitable names.
Features:
- Solid AI with excellent name ideas
- Register your favorite domain immediately through BlueHost
- Offers more than just website name generators
Namelix
Namelix is also one of the best name generators. The AI asks for as many keywords as you currently have to generate better results. Namelix is an excellent choice for both small businesses and giant corporations.
You can use effective filtering choices to limit the results to specific keywords or domain extensions. You can also mark the names you like to help the AI generate more ideas you might like. This way, the AI grows more and more customized as you continue to work with it.
With Namelix, you can adjust the randomness of the results to your desire. You can even select the style of the names it generates among seven choices; Brandable Names, Alternative Spelling, Non-English Words, Compound Words, Real Words, Two Words, and Short Phrases. This feature helps you to customize the algorithm further and generate more potential ideas.
Features:
- The intelligent algorithm generates a good mix of ideas
- You can adjust the randomness of the results
- Select the style of the names it generates
Shopify Business Name Generator
Shopify Business Name Generator also offers a website name generator that allows you to look for conceivable ideas and check their availability. In addition, the AI pairs your entered keywords with several domain extensions and provides alternative suggestions by modifying related keywords.
Shopify, however, requires you to sign up for the platform once you decide to register a name you like. But you don’t need to use Shopify beyond finding the ideas you want.
Furthermore, Shopify offers many guidelines and tutorials to help you create a brand from scratch. The articles are beginner-friendly and are considered an excellent starting point.
Features:
- Offers a diverse range of name ideas
- Check domain extensions and availability
- Several guidelines and tutorials
Top Domain Name Registrars
As previously stated, you should spend enough time selecting the ideal name for your business. However, taking too much time to finalize your decision and register your best ideas might lead to losing that domain name. So, it’s essential to register your ideal name as quickly as possible.
The list below exhibits several hosting companies and domain registrars that offer the best services.
NameCheap
NameCheap is the first and the top choice when it comes to registering domains and web hosting. NameCheap has been around since 2000 and has over 11 million registered users.
As the best domain registrar, NameCheap offers the most cost-friendly TLD registration prices at $6.98 for a .com extension, ordinarily worth $10-15. Of course, the discounted price is only for the first year, but it’s still a solid deal.
NameCheap provides users with free WHOIS privacy as well as other paid features, including hosting, VPNs, exclusive emails, DDoS protection, and SSL certificates.
Free privacy, fair registration fees, and low renewal costs make NameCheap an excellent choice for anyone who’s looking to register a domain name.
Features:
- Lowest registration prices
- Free WHOIS privacy
- Cost-friendly SSL certificates
- 24/7 live chat support
Domain.com
The second on the list is Domain.com, a domain registrar and web hosting company founded in 1999. Domain.com offers excellent services at reasonable prices, and that’s why it’s one of the top choices.
Pricing is a bit higher than NameCheap; however, still reasonable. A .com extension costs $9.99 for its first year and renews at $13.99 annually, a bit steeper than what NameCheap had to offer.
Domain.com charges extra for WHOIS privacy, DDoS protection, hosting, SSL certificates, and exclusive emails.
Across the board, Domain.com will do just fine for short-term projects. For long-term projects, you might be better off with other domain registrars.
Features:
- Adequate registration prices
- 24/7 live chat and phone support
- Hosting services available
Google Domains
Google Domains is an explicit domain registrar. It was initially released in 2015 and provided users with reliable services. Everything on Google Domains is transparent and fair; that’s why it’s on the list.
Most popular domains start at $12 annually with free domain privacy; however, there are no choices for DDoS protection. Also, Google Domains offers much fewer domain extensions than other registrars.
Google Domains offers exciting insights about the names you choose, explaining whether they’re hard to spell, easy to remember, etc.
Google Domains is only a domain and email registrar. So, it’s best to use it if you already have a favorite web host.
Features:
- User-friendly interface
- Transparent pricing with no hidden extra fees
- Workspace addon
DreamHost
DreamHost is known chiefly for its web hosting services, but it’s also an adequate domain registrar. It was founded in 1996 and has offered superb quality services ever since.
DreamHost charges $8.99 for a standard .com extension which is pricier than some registrars and less expensive than others. However, the .io extension seems to be at its fairest price at $29.99 annually.
With DomainHost, you can get free privacy, but you’ll have to pay for email hosting. There are also no options to enable DDoS protection.
DreamHost offers exciting prices for the first year, but everything gets a bit expensive after that. However, DreamHost is still a great choice if you also use its web hosting services.
Features:
- Domain privacy for free
- Appropriate pricing for .io
- Straightforward pricing list
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is an excellent complete store for almost all web services. GoDaddy started in 1997 as a domain registrar and now offers web hosting, a website builder, email, and marketing tools.
Pricing is a bit higher on GoDaddy. A standard .com costs $19.99 for the first year and renews at the same price. So, even though it offers many discounts, it’s still more expensive than other registrars.
GoDaddy is a good choice if you’re looking for an all-in-one registrar. With GoDaddy, you can get the domain, web hosting, and a website builder to start immediately.
Features:
- Excellent first-term discounts
- Offers complete web services
- 24/7 live chat and phone support
BlueHost
Like DreamHost, BlueHost is mainly a web hosting provider that also offers domain registration services. It was founded in 2003 and hosts millions of domains.
The pricing starts at $12.99 for a .com extension which is average compared with other registrars, but renewals are relatively expensive.
BlueHost also offers everything you need to start a website, but everything comes with a price tag, including domain privacy.
BlueHost offers a bundle that feels appropriate if you don’t know what your plans are after the first year. With this bundle, you also get a free domain name. However, after a year, you should renew it.
Features:
- Hosting bundle with a free domain
- 24/7 live chat and phone support
- Email services available
Bottom Line
Finding a proper name for your website might be a lot of work, but it’s worth it. This name represents your digital presence and tells your brand story. So, with some creativity and the many tools available, you can find the perfect name for your website.
Always run thorough research, look for ideas from your competition, and apply them to your business to avoid starting from scratch. Also, don’t limit yourself to specific domain extensions. Instead, find the best ones in your line of work and use them to attain a modern look.
Finally, don’t forget to use the recommendations in the guideline to make the most out of the process, and don’t forget to take advantage of the top website name generators we listed above.
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Keep reading the article at Colorlib. The article was originally written by Farhad Pashaei on 2022-10-28 05:26:56.
The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.