Choosing a domain name

When you choose a domain name for a new venture or forum, what's your strategy? Do you like to choose a domain name that is:

• unique and consists of outside-of-the-box thinking, (e.g. "SweetTalk.com" for a candy forum)
• tailored to SEO goals, or
• to-the-point and direct ("CandyForum.com" for a candy forum)

... or do you not really have a preference and just go with whatever sounds 'right'?

 

I choose the short, direct, and most importantly, easy to remember names.

 

Basically I choose direct and easy to remember.

My forum describes what it is about: http://Thebestforumever.com I don't lie.

 

Creative. I mean. Setsou.

 

Create a big page of random nouns & verbs. Cut them up and put them in a bowl. The get some kids to use pull the pieces of paper out and try to come up with a name.

They are not usually successful, but it gets the creative ideas started. : )

 

I generally go the direct route, but there are times that I get a bit abstract.

My latest projects are definitely direct and to-the-point.

 

Care to share some of those kids results? I'd really like to see them. I'm imagining an almost AFV type thing...or Bill Cosby's "Kids say the darndest thing".

To the OP question....I look at the niche, and see where my uniqueness might standout. Nuts and all.

 

An unique name which clearly says what it's about

 

I tend to think a lot over night and search on namecheap any ideas I have and gather around 10 of the best ones and ask trusted friends which they think is best and see which is the most popular and make a decision on which one from there.

 

Actually I don't recall the particulars but we had a few laughs. : )


Another thing to do is to open a Word document and type in some ideas such as "Admin" then "Addict" then right clicking and using the thesaurus Word has built in. That is what worked best for me.

 

NameCheap and Thesaurus.com go hand-in-hand for me.

 

Once I have come up with the subject of my forum I open notepad. For a good hour or so I come up a list of domains I would want. After that I go to my domain provider and enter them into in their search. Whatever one came back not taken I pick my favorite one from the list. I try to keep domains short and easy to remember.

 

A unique, ( meaningless perhaps!) short easy to remember and of course funky phrase. :p

 

I generally like to get right to the point. Advertisementforum.net I've had texasdiscussion.com (not developed anymore) and I recently aquired torrentboard.com (although that's not going to be developed more than likely, too many legal issues with that for my taste. Although, I've been sitting on an LLLL.net for a few months trying to figure out what to do with it. It wasn't selling so me and someone I talk to regularly on MSN came up with Moving Up in Life. It really depends. If I actually know what I want I will find synonyms that are short and what I'm looking for for domains that are already taken. I think a little creativity with domains goes a long way. I hate seeing sites with a hyphen, like say...general-forum.com and I usually refuse to join those sites as to me it says a lack of creativity. Then I will remove the hyphen and see what's up. If it' sjust parked it really makes me wonder if the Admin even attempted to contact that owner to buy it. I got AF for $10 from someone simply because they couldn't develop it.