Quote:
Originally Posted by Hermes
I was wondering what do people think is the best way to go when trying to register a new domain for your new site. As most of us have seen, trying to find a meaningful domain name which is not already reserved can be a pain, and often they're parked domains with no real use, but they still may ask 4 figures for them and transfer itself is already an extra hassle.
What are the best options when www.sitename.com is already reserved?
a) Try to buy the .com domain from current owner even if it's overpriced
b) Take .net if available? .org? .biz .info or something else?
c) Add something like "the" in the beginning of domain or hyphen, like "thesitename.com" or "site-name.com"
d) Try to think of some other domain name, even if it doesn't sound as good as your original idea
e) something else = ?
Obviously it depends on many factors, like what kind of site you're making and how much revenue you expect to get from it. But I would like to hear some justified insights about all the options above, what is the best option? How much does your domain name really matter? And WHY? |
It depends. If the name is some nice 1-2 word generic, the .com will be taken, will cost a lot, and you're not going to find something available that will even remotely compare. IF it's a generic, you could go for the .net and .org if your primary goal is to get SE traffic, since Google is looking more at the exact match than the ext. Other exts besides com/net/org - not so much...the name would have to be REALLY good to bother. Even if the .net and .org are not available, if the cost is low enough for a quality term, buying one is still better than taking some shitty long .com with the term instead.
If it's some brandable name you came up with and only the .com is taken, and they're asking 4 figures, chances are you can find another available .com that can compare if not be better. If it's a name you really like and they're asking say mid-$xxx or lower, if you're serious about the site and particularly like the name, I see no reason why you shouldn't get it. I see far too many people waste a serious web effort by rushing the domain choice and going with something really shitty (Cuil anyone?).
Short answer: You should never overpay for a domain, but there are times when you should opt to buy a name vs. find something to register, and .net or .org might make sense vs. .com for a generic domain if the .com is cost-prohibitive.