How to Choose a Domain Name | 6-Step Branding Process

I’ve been working on some creative projects lately. Given the massive changes and shifts across the globe, you might have a few new business-babies you’re looking to bring into the world, too.

Naming your business or product can be overwhelming – especially if you’re a perfectionist (hello, friend). Your name sets the whole tone for your brand.

Here’s my process for hunting down a domain name that is not only available but also feels good to share:

Step 1: Brainstorm
Topical Keywords
Identity Keywords
Transformation Keywords
Brand Values
Adjectives
Add-on Words
Step 2: Creating Combinations
Step 3: Variations
Step 4: Name Availability
Step 5: Research
Search Engine Research
Social Media Research
Media Channel Research
Step 6: Buy Your Domain

Ready to dig in? Let’s start with some brainstorming.

Step 1: Brainstorm

Step away from the screen.

The first part of the process involves brainstorming with a good ol’ fashioned pen and paper. I recommend that you don’t research online (even checking dictionaries or thesauruses) until this step is complete.

When you force yourself to use only your brain, you’ll be surprised by how much you already know.

Prepare for Creative Thinking

Now, you probably already know this, but the number one rule of brainstorming is that there are no bad ideas. You’re not allowed to criticize or judge anything that comes out – otherwise, your brain gets all embarrassed and shy.

For me, it’s especially important to clear my mind and prepare for creativity if I’ve been in action-mode and doing #allthethings that day. I like to focus inward and feel open to inspiration by sitting quietly for 5-10 minutes before brainstorming.

If that last sentence caused you to roll your eyes, feel free to skip it. If you’re open to giving it a try, soften your gaze or gently close your eyes, focus your attention on how your body feels, and breathe.

Topical Keywords

What will this website be about? Jot down anything that you or a client might say or search for when they are thinking about the problem or desire that your product or service solves.

Feel free to use jargon as well as more basic descriptions. Don’t filter. Try writing out what you do as if you were explaining it to a three-year-old to find simple keywords.

From some of the ideas you have, can you go broader and pick words that represent the larger topic? Can you get more specific and find words that describe a detail?

At this point, we are trying to find any words that might describe the topic of your site. Don’t spend too much time here. Just jot down what comes to mind and move on.

Examples of Topic Keywords:

• Business
• Woodworking
• Fiction
• Parenting
• Gardens
• Baking
• Remote work

Identity Keywords

Who are the ideal clients for your products or services? How would they describe themselves overall, or when they are focused on the specific problem or service you solve?

In the case of a personal brand, what are some labels or titles you wear around this topic? Again, try industry terms as well as simple descriptions. Get really broad and really specific.

Examples of Identity Keywords:

• Entrepreneur / Freelancer / Expert
• Craftsman / Builder / Creative
• Author / Writer / Reader / Booklover
• Parent / Mother / Father / Mama / Papa
• Gardener / Greenthumb / Horticulturalist
• Baker / Chef / Foodie / Sweet Tooth
• Remote Worker / Digital Nomad / Location Independant

Transformation Keywords

If you were to describe the action between where your clients are now and where they want to be, what are some of the actions they need to take? Is there a word that describes the journey?

Examples of Transformation Keywords:

• Create / Sell
• Build / Craft
• Write / Publish
• Raise / Teach
• Grow / Plant
• Eat / Taste
• Freedom Seeking / Travel

Brand Values

What do you stand for? What is important to you? What sets you apart from your competitors?

I’m pretty passionate about defining values – both for personal and business.

This isn’t a full-blown value discovery exercise, but I’ve included a list of possible values below. If anything feels right, jot it down.

Examples of Brand Values:

Adjectives

Don’t let the flashbacks to English class derail you from your purpose. Adjectives are just describing words, and describing words are a great way to add more interest to your domain name. They also help you stand out amongst competitors and are surprisingly memorable.

Examples of Adjectives:

• lazy
• lively
• old-fashioned
• ambitious
• savoury
• happy
• thankful
• tart
• petite
• quiet

Modifiers

It always comes as a surprise to first-time domain buyers just how many of the short, clever ones are already owned by someone (even if they aren’t in use). That’s why you see so many websites with extra words in the domain.

I like to come up with ideas for these words before I do the actual domain search online because it allows me to be more efficient later in the process.

Unlike keywords, add-on words have the ability to add some personality to your branding.

Common Modifiers

Not all add-ons have to be creative or reflective of your brand or mission. I’ve created a starter list of common domain add-on’s to get you started, but feel free to add to it before moving on to the next step.

• The
• My
• Your
• Get
• Love
• Pro
• Expert
• Now
• Guide
• Lab

Phew! That was a lot of brainstorming. By now you should have a pretty hefty list of possible words for your domain – and maybe a few favourites that have risen to the top of your list.

Step 2: Creating Combinations

This step is all about mixing it up. More specifically, you’re going to make a list of 25 different possible domain names. You don’t have to stick to the words from brainstorming. If inspiration strikes or something needs to change, go for it. What you shouldn’t do is fill your list with variations of the same idea or concept (that comes in the next step).

Note: you don’t need to add in the modifiers/add-on words in this step.

Here are a few ideas to mix and match the words you’ve identified in the brainstorming session – but feel free to create your own:

• Adjective + Identity Keyword
  (e.g. Lazy Chef / Ambitious Entrepreneur)
  
• Brand Value + Topic Keyword
  (e.g. Empathy Parenting / Elegant Garden)
  
• Transformation Keyword + Brand Value
  (e.g. Raising Balance / Published Focus )
  
• Identity Keyword + Transformation Keyword
  (e.g. Greenthumb Growth / Builder Craft)
  
• Topic Keyword + Brand Value
  (e.g. Fictional Wisdom / Baking Happiness)
  
• Adjective + Transformation Keyword
  (e.g. Quiet Crafting / Lively Travel)
  
• Brand Value + Identity Keyword
  (e.g. Frugal Foodie / Playful Mama)
  
• Transformation Keyword + Identity Keyword
  (e.g. Freedom Seeking Nomad / Growing Gardener)
  
• Identity Keyword + Brand Value
  (e.g. Entrepreneur Adventure / Builder Balance)

Step 3: Variations

During the last step I hope you were able to get excited about a couple of the ideas that came out of the mix-and-match process! Next, we are going to explore those ideas further.

For each of your top 5 combinations, you need to brainstorm about 10 variations on that name. Feel free to use a thesaurus in this step if it helps (I sure do).

Example Variations

• Quiet Crafting
• Quietly Crafted
• Tranquil Crafting
• Calm Crafting
• Quiet Woodwork
• Peaceful Woodworking
• Zen Woodworking
• Zen Building
• Zen Woodworker
• Peaceful Craftsperson
• Zen Artisan

Step 4: Name Availability

Once you’ve explored the different options for your top 5 ideas, you should have about 50 possibilities. Go ahead and highlight your favourite options for your shortlist.

Visit your favourite domain name registrar – I use Domain.com (affiliate link), but feel free to use your preferred site. Start searching for the ideas on your shortlist to see what is available and what is already taken.

You’ll probably find a lot of your ideas are either taken or pretty expensive in the .com format. Most domain registrar websites will provide a list of alternatives, including different extensions (e.g. .org instead of .com).

As an example, quietlycrafted.com is unavailable but quietlycrafted.net is available.

This is where we have to get crafty. You can use one of the available extensions listed, or you can add a modifier or hyphen.

For example, quietlycraftedpro.com is available as is quietly-crafted.com.

One word of caution with hyphens is that it can be a pain to tell someone your web address verbally and hope they remember the hyphen. For this reason, they’ve pretty much become outdated (but are still an option!).

Step 5: Research

Before you buy that shiny new domain name, it’s important to do a little online research about existing content associated with it. What else will people see when trying to find your website?

Search Engine Research

While some people actually type a web address into their search bar, many type it into a search engine instead. The last thing you want is to associate yourself with an unexpectedly negative or overly competitive search term.

Go Incognito
First things first. I recommend you open a private browser window or go into incognito mode. This will help you get a more realistic idea of what someone without your browser history will see when searching for these terms.

Search Terms
Some combinations you want to look for are the words from your domain separated by a space, as well as without the space.
Example: quietly crafted and quietlycrafted.

Original Extension
Even if you are using a different extension, modifier, or using a hyphen, I recommend searching for the original (.com) version of your domain name.
Example: quietlycrafted.com.

Negative Search Results

One of the obvious red flags to look for is if there are some really negative results in the first page of Google for your search term. If you wouldn’t want someone accidentally mistaking the results as your content, you might want to steer clear of that name.

Sometimes a phrase has an unexpected meaning. Be sure to read the definition if it comes up on sites like urban dictionary.

Negative search results can also be overcome. If you focus on on-page and off-page SEO, you could very well knock those other search listings to the second page of the search results. If it’s a name you love, it might be worth the effort.

Highly Competitive Results

If you see another brand in your search with a lot of top results from high authority websites, you might want to go with another option. It’s possible to outrank them, but you might find yourself in an SEO battle for the top spots.

Social Media Research

It’s also a good idea to check your domain name on social media. A couple things to keep in mind is registering the name on the different platforms that you plan to be active on. If the handle or name isn’t available, what other options might you use?

Also, don’t forget to search for hashtags to see if anyone is already using your name. It’s not necessarily bad if they are, just take a peek at their content in case it is associated with something you want to steer clear of.

Media Channel Research

Don’t forget to check media platforms like YouTube or Apple Podcasts. Most of the time, these results would have shown up in the search results, but it is always a good idea to double check if there is an existing channel or show with your new name (especially if you want to create a show or channel one day).

Step 6: Buy Your Domain

There’s a reason I had you brainstorm so many options through this process. Coming up with a great idea is tough enough, but factoring in availability and related search results adds a whole other layer of complexity.

Hopefully, you’ve come out of this with a name that has you geared up to work on your new project! If that’s the case, buy the name before it’s taken by someone else. Trust me, it happens and it’s awful.

If you’re not excited by the options you have left on your list, it’s time to jump back into one of the other steps. Try adding more options at each phase. If you’re struggling, try enlisting a friend to help you out.

Branding, in general, takes as long as you let it. Finding an available domain name is no different.

While I love taking time to percolate on a concept, you’ll never make a decision if you give yourself an unlimited timeframe and aim for perfection. So give yourself a deadline and get to work!