Coming up with a catchy and memorable domain name for your product can be tricky. With so many websites out there, finding a unique domain name that resonates with your audience and helps build your brand can seem like a very tough task.
But take heart, intrepid product namers! With some creative techniques and a little elbow grease, you can come up with the perfect name to represent your product. Let’s walk through some of my favorite methods for brainstorming domain names that will stick in customers’ minds and look great on a business card.
Start by understanding your product’s purpose and brand
Before jumping into inventing clever word combinations, first, take some time to reflect on what makes your product unique and what branding would best fit its purpose.
Ask yourself questions like:
What goal does my product help users accomplish?
What need does it fill?
What makes it different from competitors?
What personality and identity do I want my brand to project?
Really dig deep into understanding your product’s reason for being. The better grasp you have on its place in the world, the easier it’ll be to come up with a fitting domain name.
For example, if you’re launching a new app that makes scheduling meetings easy and efficient, some brand qualities that might come to mind are friendly, helpful, simple, and hassle-free. You’ll want to keep words like these in mind as you ideate potential domain names.
Use keyword research to home in on good options
Another way to get the creative juices flowing is to first identify keywords and phrases related to your product by doing some keyword research.
You can use Google’s keyword planner or free tools like UberSuggest to find high-traffic search terms potential customers would use to find your product. Using these popular and relevant keywords as jumping off points can help generate domain name ideas that will organically drive traffic to your site.
For our hypothetical meeting scheduling app, some keyword ideas might include “online meeting scheduler,” “meeting maker,” “book meetings,” or “schedule meetings.” You may not use the exact phrase as your domain, but blending keywords into creative combinations can produce winning results.
Which brings me to my next technique...
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Employ wordplay and clever domain name combinations
This is where things get fun! Once you have an initial keyword list, play around combining words in unexpected ways to create short, unique, and memorable names.
You can blend words together like Schedulr for the scheduling app example. Or make use of suffixes like -ly or -ify to twist common words into something more surprising, like Schedjuu.ly.
Some other wordplay techniques include:
Alliterations: Combine words that start with the same sound, like Calendr.ly
Rhymes: End domain words with rhyming sounds, such as Meetza
Prefixes/Suffixes: Add on a prefix (pre-, re-) or suffix (-tion, -ometer)
Portmanteaus: Blend words together into a new creation (Bizness + podcast = bizpodcast)
Puns: Substitute a homonym or homophone to make a silly pun (HostingParTEA or MeetIngGreeting)
Don’t be afraid to experiment! Write down every idea, even if they sound odd at first. Allow your imagination to run wild here. You can always trim down and refine domain name options later.
And if after this brainstorming exercise, you’re still not satisfied, don’t worry! There are more creative techniques for working up new ideas.
Use adjectives and powerful descriptive words
In addition to mashing keywords together, you can also incorporate attention-grabbing adjectives and descriptors into a domain name to make it more enticing and unique.
Some adjective examples to get you thinking:
SimpleMeetings / SmarterMeetings
FunScheduler / HappyPlanner
FastBookings / QuickMeetups
And for our meeting scheduler app, we could also incorporate descriptive words like:
EffortlessMeetings
SmoothBooker
SeamlessGatherings
Play around adding terms that emphasize the convenience, speed, ease of use, or flexibility that makes your product special. Impactful adjectives and descriptors can make your domain name stand out.
Let a domain name generator lend a hand
Even with keyword research and clever linguistic tricks, you may still find yourself staring at a blank page. Domain name creation can quickly go from fun brain teasers to frustrating hair pullers.
In times like these, domain name generators can provide a burst of fresh inspiration.
These handy (free!) online tools pull from extensive databases of available words and phrases to instantly suggest unique domain name combinations on demand. They take a lot of the manually combined words out of the equation.
Some good generators to try are:
To use them, simply plug in keywords related to your product and let the tools work their magic! You can keep pressing refresh until you find some promising domain candidates that catch your eye.
Enlist friends, family, and mentors for ideas
Sometimes endless solo brainstorming hits a creative bottleneck. All those pencils scratched down to nubs and crumpled pieces of paper overflowing the wastebasket with nothing great to show for it.
In times like this, it can really help to rope others into a good old-fashioned brainstorming session.
Ask friends, colleagues, advisors, literally anyone you think might have good name ideas for feedback and suggestions. Getting input from others who likely approach things from a different perspective than you can help jar loose new possibilities.
Create a shared document and have everyone add name ideas for a set 5-minute burst. No bad ideas in the initial dump! Then review, flag any jumps out, and see if combining multiple suggestions leads anywhere new.
It also helps identify early on which names elicit the best reactions from your target demographic. Listen for those “oohs” and “ahhs” signaling you’ve struck paydirt!
Test out top domain candidates
Through all these naming techniques, you’ll hopefully end up with a solid list of potential domain names. Before officially registering “The One,” I recommend taking your top candidates out for a test drive.
Check domain availability - Run your shortlist through a domain search tool like Instant Domain Search to confirm availability as a .com. The .com extension remains the most trusted domain type. Also consider alternate extensions like .co, .net if your preferred .com pick is taken.
Search social media handles - Verify if you can utilize the domain name when creating matching social profiles across platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Securing consistent branding across channels helps amplify and reinforce your domain authority.
Conduct informal trademark searches - Do quick searches on Google and the USPTO database to spot potential trademark conflicts. While comprehensive vetting comes after officially choosing a name, it’s still worth doing a quick pass beforehand to avoid any obvious legal hurdles down the road.
Ask for gut reactions - Try out referring to the product verbally by the top domain options with folks unfamiliar with your efforts. Which rolls off their tongue and gets remembered most easily hours later? Those instant intuitive reactions can indicate a natural winner.
Following this testing process helps narrow down to 1-2 truly viable standout domain candidates for your product’s forthcoming home on the web.
Pull the trigger, and get that domain registered!
Finally, once you’ve completed due diligence on availability, legal hurdles, and first impressions, it’s time to confidently pull the trigger on registering your winning domain candidate.
Secure that perfect name today so no one else can swipe it! A short, catchy, and memorable domain acts like a cornerstone in cementing your product’s brand in the market.
Registering for 1-2 years is probably fine initially. But if feasible, I recommend buying for 5-10 years, especially once your product hits its stride. This protects your domain ownership longer term and prevents forgetting to renew a year later from derailing your entire online presence!
Most registrars these days like GoDaddy, Google Domains, or Namecheap make registering and managing domains easy. Typically $15ish per year. A tiny price to pay to secure the perfect identity for your product!
Follow these tips on blending research, wordplay, and creative collaboration to concoct the perfect domain potion for your product. Stay loose, have fun with it, and that memorable brand-boosting name shall reveal itself!
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