How to choose and buy a domain name?
The choice of a domain name is very important. It would be a mistake to overlook the process of searching for a domain name and to go straight to the purchase.
If you take your project seriously, you must start
Many guides on buying a domain name or creating a website overlook this process (unfortunately). It is often assumed that the best approach is to register any available domain name and stop there. However, this is a serious mistake!
In this guide, I want to guide you through my process of buying a domain name, starting with how I go about finding a name.
My quick take? I prefer
Simple and easy to use
Idéal pour les domaines multiples
Transferts de domaines faciles
Understanding the cost of a domain name
There are two options to get your domain name:
Registering a name that doesn't have an owner yet.
Acquérir un nom déjà enregistré auprès de la personne ou de la société qui le possède.
Whichever option you choose, you will pay for it
The cost
By the way, did you know that recently, someone bought CoolQuotesCollection.com for 2,500 dollars and Boot.com for 70,000 dollars?
There is nothing wrong with registering a domain name that is available, as long as you have thought it through before taking the plunge. I even encourage you to buy those domain names
Furthermore, I suggest you budget for your domain name - especially if it's for your business. The tighter your budget, the more limited you will be in your options.
Like most things that are cheap, a domain that you get for free is not very well regarded by customers. I agree with Anthony Shore from the naming agency Operative Words in saying that
Brainstorming about concepts and ideas
The preparation for choosing a domain name requires thorough work.
The required quality here is: creativity.
Your domain name will probably be for your business, campaign, or blog. I bet you already have a few name ideas in mind.
Create a list
Think about your project and write down all the words, descriptions, phrases, ideas, mantras, etc. that come to mind. Find as many words as possible. These don't necessarily have to be names, but for now, just concepts.
Some high-level rules:
Do not worry about SEO or keywords - it doesn't matter at this stage.
Évitez les traits d’union.
Utilisez uniquement un .com. Si vous êtes en Suisse, en France, au Royaume-Uni, en Australie, etc., un .ch, un .fr, un .co.uk, .au, etc.
D’une manière générale, plus c’est court, mieux c’est.
Personally, I find that a mind map is useful for this process.
Create a list of potential domain names
Once you have a complete list of concepts, you can develop a more specific list of names. Start by listing all the names you like. Avoid being too picky, as this will end up limiting your options (especially if you don't have an unlimited budget).
I recommend browsing the following websites to find more ideas. You might get lucky and find something that interests you. If that's the case, add them to your list as well.
BrandBucket
BuyDomains.com – Ils ont un grand choix de noms de domaine à vendre. Leurs prix sont transparents et ils offrent une expérience sans faille. C’est toujours mon point de départ et mon approche préférée pour l’acquisition d’un nom de domaine.
Sedo.com – Probablement le plus grand choix de noms de domaine et l’endroit le plus connu pour acquérir un nom.
BuyDomains.com et Uniregistry sont les principaux acteurs dans la vente de domaines. La plupart du temps, si un nom de domaine est à vendre, c’est souvent l’une de ces deux entreprises qui en est l’origine. Je trouve qu’elles sont les plus raisonnables.
HugeDomains.com n’est pas en reste.
Other naming tools to develop concepts
Anthony Shore from Operative Word (a company specialized in naming) recommends other very interesting tools to us:
OneLook.com. If you want a name that starts with Bl and ends with rd, and is seven letters long, you can literally search for it using onelook.
RhymeZone - Rather explicit but you can also find synonyms and adjectives.
Sketch Engine - This is a very intense linguistic database; it uses a large number of real-world languages. You can search for words that are used nearby or in relation to other words. Essentially, you find words that are already naturally together. This makes your brand name easier to associate, more credible, and easier to adopt. Anthony Shore discusses this further on the podcast "How Brands Are Built".
MRC Psycholinguistic Database - this is a fairly advanced way to search for words with specific criteria. You can use it to find words that start or end with any syllable, for example.
Now that you have a giant list of options, it's time to narrow down the list of names and concepts you have found. But how?
Reduce the list based on viability
You can quickly narrow down your list by simply typing in the .com for each name you like. Type the name into your browser and see what it contains.
If there is an established website built on the domain name, scratch it off your list. It is not a viable option.
Si rien ne se présente, gardez le nom sur votre liste. Cela pourrait signifier que le nom de domaine n’est pas encore enregistré (formidable !).
Si une page d’accueil avec des annonces apparaît, le nom de domaine est réservé. Il est déjà détenu par quelqu’un, mais il peut être acheté. Gardez ce nom sur votre liste.
Si le nom de domaine est à vendre, c’est le meilleur scénario. C’est exactement ce que nous recherchons. Gardez cette option sur votre liste, et prenez note du prix indiqué s’il y en a un qui est indiqué.
Once the list has been narrowed down, the next step is to dig even deeper to determine what your final options will be.
Choose your name
You are ready to go through the process of choosing your domain name.
Remember these starting rules:
Don't worry about SEO or keywords (SEO is a whole other story; I actually wrote another
Évitez les traits d’union.
Utilisez uniquement un .com. Si vous êtes au Royaume-Uni, en Australie, etc., un .co.uk, .au, etc.
D’une manière générale, plus c’est court, mieux c’est.
Next, ask yourself these 10 questions about each of your domain name options:
Do you feel good with this name?
Vous aimez ?
Êtes-vous sûr de vous quand vous le dites ?
Vous vous sentez bien quand vous l’écrivez ?
Quand vous le lisez ?
Peut-on le marquer ?
Est-il unique, facile à retenir et significatif ?
Est-il facile à lire et à épeler ?
Est-ce qu’il passe le test de Google ? Recherchez le nom sur Google. Idéalement, il ne doit pas y avoir d’autres organisations qui apparaissent. S’il y en a, vous devez au moins vous assurer qu’elles ne sont pas dans le même secteur d’activité, ni même dans un secteur étroitement lié.
S’il passe le test Google, vous êtes probablement prêt à y aller.
The approach of the starting field
An approach that I am a fan of is to use the approach of
Let's say you come across a domain name that you really like, but it is out of your budget. For example, when I found a name for my last business, I really liked a name that was already owned by someone (who may not necessarily be looking to sell it). If I wanted to buy it, I would have to offer a lot of money - much more than I am willing to pay to convince its owner. If I wanted to take the startup domain approach, I could have chosen a name very similar to the one I desired (for example, by adding "media" at the end of the name).
In a short time, it would therefore be easier to switch from the first name to the one you really want (just remove the media). Internally, we would only use the desired real name (the one without media).
If you want a concrete example, The Wirecutter recently changed its name to become Wirecutter.
Considerations for approaching the startup domain
Make sure that the names will be translated correctly. Both names should be very close. Ideally, they are so close that you could use the desired name everywhere outside of the actual domain name, including in your logo.
C’est un risque – il n’y a aucune garantie que le nom de domaine cible sera là quand vous serez prêt.
Je vous recommande d’entamer dès que possible des discussions avec le propriétaire du nom de domaine souhaité, même si vous savez qu’il n’y a aucune chance que vous puissiez vous le permettre aujourd’hui. Il est fréquent qu’avec le temps, le propriétaire baisse le prix.
A note on social media usernames
The ideal situation would be to have a domain name that is still available on social networks. But don't make things too complicated for yourself. It is already difficult enough to obtain a good domain name, even without any criteria
How will you choose your social media usernames? You will have a choice. You can be creative, or even potentially acquire the handles from the current owners.
It's a good idea to consider social media handles when making your final decision, but this should not prevent you from choosing the right name.
Buy your domain name
At this stage, you should have a shortlist of viable options for your domain name.
Each of your options must correspond to one of these three categories:
The domain name is available and not registered.
Le nom de domaine semble acquis, mais ce n’est pas certain.
Le nom de domaine est clairement à vendre.
What to do if the domain name is not registered
In this case, all you need to do is go to
You will know with certainty whether it is possible to acquire this domain name or not.
You will go through a simple process here. Do not purchase any add-on modules and do not worry about web hosting or any other element yet, except for the "
By the way, I have dedicated another
In my opinion, GoDaddy is one of the best domain registrars. I use it exclusively! For everything else (besides domain purchase), I do use other providers; each business has its expertise.
Once the domain name registration is completed, it's done! You are officially the proud owner of your new domain name. All you have to do to move forward is to renew the domain name each year. If you don't renew it, someone else can replace you as the owner. I recommend setting up your domain on
What to do if the domain name seems available
If the domain name appears to be acquired, but it is not certain - you have two options. Either you try to determine yourself who owns the domain name and contact them. Or you hire someone to do it for you.
If you hire a domain broker, there is not much risk. Sedo is a good starting point. I have already had the opportunity to use their service. Moreover, I have read very good reviews about them.
If you are doing it yourself, you can start by doing a WHOIS search; this step will help you find the owner of the domain. Another good approach is to search Google for the domain name and see if it is linked to social media profiles or other websites.
It is possible that, like me, you may not be able to find the owner. Perhaps they are using privacy protection devices that hide their contact information. Most domain registrars offer these functions for free, so people tend to use them by default. (As I mentioned earlier, you must absolutely choose this function).
This is why it is necessary to hire a domain broker; they have a huge network. They always know who owns what, and if they don't, they have the means to find out.
Another advantage of the broker is that you do not have to deal with the embarrassment of negotiating prices. You have an intermediary who can play the bad guy for you.
What to do if the domain name is clearly for sale
The domain names that could be acquired, as mentioned above, can be difficult to obtain. I much prefer to focus on names that are
If the domain name is already for sale, the process is simple. The only thing you really need to think about is negotiating the price.
Negotiate the price
It is often possible to negotiate the price. Depending on your interlocutor, there may be some flexibility to lower the price... That being said, I do not recommend insisting too much or overthinking this matter. It would only waste your time and most importantly, the domain name in question.
After the acquisition
Once you have acquired the domain name, the next step is to transfer it to your domain registrar. Do you know what are the
No matter how you obtain your domain name, the final step is to have it appear in your account. That's when it becomes official!