Advice on getting a domain name
I'm still pretty new to web development, but I'm looking to start a basic forum. I'm about 60% through the development process and am looking to go live within the next couple months. I'm wondering if anyone can offer any tips on picking a domain name. About a month ago I typed in the name I want into GoDaddy and it was available at that time. I just checked again yesterday, and it looks like now the name is taken - however they are offering a $60 brokering fee to negotiate a price with the "owner" of the name. Would GoDaddy squat on a domain name after someone searches it to strong-arm a better price on it?
This is the first time I've ever attempted to acquire a domain name so I'm totally clueless when it comes to this process. Does anyone have any advice on how to pick a domain name? Good services to use? Things to watch out for?
Thanks!!
There's no need to use the GoDaddy broker service. If you type the domain directly into the browser is there a landing page with a contact form? If not, try looking up the whois with domainiq.com and emailing the owner directly. With that said, chances are you will be able to get a better domain for less at Dropcatch.com, auctions.godaddy.com or Namejet.com. Get a .com, if you don't you will likely leak emails and traffic to the person that owns the .com.. For people that don't think domains are important go watch early Jeff Bezos interviews 😉
I'm starting to think that the domain name really doesn't matter that much, especially when you are starting out (that's where I am with Scribe). Most of your inbound traffic will be from content you put out there, so people aren't exactly searching for it. And if they are taking the time to search for it at this point it probably means they will do a little digging through results.
My hunch is marketing and getting product market fit are way more important, you can always rename later (that's what Stripe and PayPal did). Personally I took Scribe because it's short and memorable enough, but I couldn't get .com or .app so I settled on scribe.wiki (nice and cheap too which is nice).
Comments in here is a good advice. Getting preferred domain names can be challenging. It comes down to marketing and branding. Eg. Google, Apple, Amazon, etc. are names that are not relevant to what they are doing.
That being said, another option is to buy expired domain (https://www.expireddomains.net/backorder-expired-domains/). I've never done this before but something for you to consider. Some of these expired domains has good backlinks from relevant industry. It can help with SEO.
I like to use www.domainr.com to search for names
Wouldn't spend any money buying a domain for your first project (aside from the standard rates) or when you're just starting out. If you project starts gaining momentum, you can think some more about it and look into purchasing a domain if necessary.
Makes sense - right now I have a sample on heroku and I plan to use heroku to host the site - not sure if I can get any traffic with a domain ending in .herokuapp.com. Maybe I'll shoot for one of the cheaper domains.
Thanks
Rule#1 never wait to buy the domain if it's available. I learnt that the hard way years ago when I waited one week and the domain I wanted was gone.
If you're lucky and the person who bought it has no attachment to the name then you might be able to use the godaddy brokerage to negotiate the price. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny or find another domain
Good luck!
At this point I'll probably end up looking for another domain name. Had no idea how difficult it would be to secure a name. Guess I'm learning the hard way too.
Thanks