Starting a website requires you to buy or rent a domain first. If you’ve already searched, you may know that it's hard to find a domain name that hasn’t already been claimed. But, here are five tools to make registering a domain much easier.
WHOIS Search
If you want a domain, but it’s already taken, you have the option of purchasing it directly from the owner or using a company to work out a deal between you and the domain owner. The big issue is that you may not know who the owner is. WHOIS allows you to discover who owns the domain. Not only will WHOIS give you the registrant’s organization or name, but it may also list the phone number and postal zip code so you can get in contact with the owner easily. ICANN’s WHOIS is easy to use; just type in the domain and press “Lookup.”
Domize
Domize helps you find a domain that’s unique, which can contribute to an increase in the number of users that visit your website. If a domain has already been purchased by someone else, the name appears in red and you can click on the domain to visit the site Some domains are green, and these are ones that are up for sale. Each domain runs for a different price — and you can hover over the extension to see the price.
The other color that domains may appear in is blue. These domains are available through other various sites such as GoDaddy, 1 & 1, Dotster, and other locations for different amounts. The biggest downfall of Domize is that it only searches “.org”, “.com”, “.net”, and “.co” domains.
Domainr
The best way to get a cheap domain is finding something beyond “.com”, “.net”, and “.org”. Because these are the most popular domain names, you need a name search that looks beyond these top-level domains. Domainr logs thousands of domains all over the web, so you simply have to search for the name you want. Additionally, it shows domains that are up for sale so you can swoop up one for a low price using keywords that may not have popped in your head.
Lean Domain Search
The best way to get excellent foot-traffic for your site is to create a unique name. If you’re having trouble coming up with a name, Lean Domain Search assists you by using prefixes and suffixes that are easy for any user to find. Of course, it searches the domain you want, but it also suggests other alternative names that you may find interesting. For example, if you want to start a coffee website, search the keyword coffee. From there, Lean Domain Search displays any coffee domain that’s open and available for purchase.
Panabee
Few other domain search tools are as helpful as Panabee. While others use different prefixes and suffixes to find unique names, Panabee pulls current trends, phonemes, syllables, and abbreviations into their search. Additionally, this tool tells you what domains are open and the price if you want to rent them. While Panabee mainly focuses on “.com” top-level domains, there’s a list of other extensions on the right of the page.
