What To Do If The Domain You Want Is Not Available?

So today I decided to register a new domain. I like the nickname I'm using on this forum (and some others) and decided to register it so I could set up a blog so I went to Godaddy and there I found that the domain is already taken. I went to see it live and saw that jblogger.com is a site about Java programming, so my dream of setting up a blog at jblogger.com is gone.

My perfect domain is already taken so what should I do now? Go and settle with jblogger.net?

What do you do when this happens to you?

 

Either come up with a new name or simply share the market with jblogger.com . .com and .net can easily be mixed up by normal users.

 

@tournique maybe you are right but I'm affraid that if I go for the .net people will mistatekly enter jblogger.com at the browser's address bar and learn some good programming instead of some internet marketing witchcraft that I would share on my blog.

Maybe comming up with another name would be the best way to go but I haven't decided it yet.

Thanks for your answer.

 

I've never been one to understand why people get so tied up with domains, I guess it's just me. I'd personally either use a different extension, add a hyphen, or even add a number, like healthylifestyle101.com

 

@Benson I think getting the right domain name is a big deal. Just to follow your example, for me healthylifestyle101.com is more appealing than healthy-life-style-101.com. Also it's easier to remember and write into a browser's address bar. Maybe that last part is less important since most people go to a site from either a search engine or a bookmark rather than typing down the domain name, but of course getting the right domain is important.

 

Domain names ate vitally important. It is essentially your business name so it needs to be memorable and unique. To be honest, the name jblogger would make me think that the site was about blogging, not necessarily internet marketing tips.

 

I don't know, I can think of a lot of sites that I regularly visit that don't have a domain name that is fitting for the type of site that it is, a lot of them don't sound related at all, so I guess I've never felt the need to do it, unless you want to use it for SEO purposes.

 

I think the only options you would have here is to change the name slightly or use a different extension. You could get your name as a .org or .biz or something similar and it might even give your name a bit more identity. If you want to keep things simple and memorable however, by sticking with a .com name, then you're probably going to have to change it or buy the already existing one for a higher price.

 

Well, jblogger.com is on sale on an auction at Godaddy but the current price is more than 8K dollars so I think I'll just look for another domain

 

I set up a local service business. The domain that I wanted was in use. I just added "the" in front of the name that I wanted. I reached out the owner of the domain that I wanted. She set up a local service in a state that across the country. The business has been defunct for some time, but she didn't want to sell the domain to me. She even renewed it for an additional year.

 

Maybe you can go with something slightly different like "thejblogger" or "mrjblogger". A hyphen would also work but I personally try to avoid hyphens because they look ugly and also people might forget your URL has a hyphen in it and type in the wrong address.

 

Well, the best thing to do is to come about a new and unique domain name, jblogger.net does not sound so bad, but since there is already a jblogger, it's much better to look for a new one, as to not be confused with the two.

 

It doesn't matter. Go with the .net or another TLD, whatever you like. The number of people who actually type a domain name into their browser is decreasing every day - most folks go through a search engine to find what they want, or surf from link to link between sites (or from social media). You will not be reducing your ability to be found, confusing anyone or doing anything negative.

That said, I'd stick with jblogger.??? if you want to run with "jblogger" as the title - a mismatch between domain name and site name IS noticeable and can confuse people.

 

Good tips here like adding "the" in front of the name you want also adding numbers is a good idea. A different extension is good also. I have used the .info extension for a domain that I could not get.

 

I personally refuse to use anything besides a .com for my domains. I would look for a different name if I were in your shoes. However, if you're really attached to that name and don't have a problem is .net domains then go for it.

These days it's extremely hard to find a good domain name if you aren't naming it after yourself or a business (those are easy to find usually).

 

Personally, I would look for a new domain name. You need something short and snappy which is easily remembered. Hyphens and suchlike just add confusion and can easily stop traffic from reaching you.

 

This when long-tail keywords enter the picture. Add additional words but retain the name you want for your domain. Say for example you like to have SEO in your domain but someone already had it. Don't give up the word altogether. Just sport "SEOmasterplan.com" or "theSEOplanner.com." Doing so will give you a unique domain and retains your keyword at the same time.

 

Domain name is a vital part of online business. So choose your domain name wisely and carefully that is catchy, business related. If you can't get your desired domain at that point of time either came up with new name or re-arrange alphabets.

 

Avoid hyphens if possible. If your domain name is two words (like www.examplesite.com), you may want to separate the words with a hyphen for readability: www.example-site.com. But, keep in mind that use of hyphens also strongly correlates with spammy behavior and decreases domain name readability and memorability.