Domain name research tools
It's been a while since I dipped a toe into the domain name market. Naturally, it hasn’t got any easier. I spent a few days researching potential names for a new venture recently, and found a few domain name research tools worth noting.
For made-up web 2.0 domains
For dictionary keyword combinations
Good luck with your domain name research!
A word of warning
Before doing any domain research, it’s worth taking note of the advice in this article at domaintools.com. Any site you use to research domain names could be passing the information on to datamining firms who will then register the domains before you. And typing the potential domain into your browser address bar is a very bad idea. As Jay Westerdal of Domain Tools says,
“It is such a strong urge to type the domain name into the address bar and see what website comes up. Most users think perhaps there is already a company using the name and this will be a quick end to the question. Wrong! This is the most dangerous thing to do. Internet Service Providers (ISP) sell NXD data. You may be asking yourself ‘What is NXD data and how does that effect my domain research?’ Non-eXistent Domain (NXD) Data is a response the DNS system tells the asking computer if resolution on an IP address fails because the domain doesn’t exist. Yes, ISPs sell this data.”