What Should You Do if Your Favorite Domain is Taken?
Have you run into a situation where you are trying to set up your domain and the name you wanted was already taken? You probably spent a great deal of time trying to come up with the perfect domain name for your company, just to come to find out that it was already taken by someone else. When someone owns the domain name that would be perfect for your business’s web presence, it’s time to start thinking outside of the box.
Don’t lose hope if you find that your favorite domain name was already snatched up by someone else. Instead, consider tricks like choosing a similar name but adding a different extension or trying to purchase the domain from the current owner. Take a look at some others ways to deal with finding out your favorite domain was already taken.
Try a different extension
While you may have had your heart set on this specific domain, it doesn’t mean you can’t still use it, just paired next to a different extension than you were picturing. Stop being so focused on having that “.com” ending and start thinking about how a different extension may be the perfect solution to get you the domain you’ve been hoping for months now.
Obviously you wouldn’t choose an extension that doesn’t correlate to your business and its intention, but there are all kinds of possibilities that may work just as well as .com. Consider extensions such as “.me” or “.net” that are commonly used in place of .com. Try .co if you want to emphasize that this website is a company website. You can even buy your favorite domain extension at a later time if it becomes available.
Just pick something else
For those that are committed to a certain extension and are feeling more flexible, it may be best to just come up with a different domain. Even if you’ve been thinking about this for a long time, it’s still acceptable to consider another possibility for your company’s domain.
Even a slight modification may be all you need, such as adding a word before or after the current wording. Just be sure not to make it too complicated with hyphens are words that are hard to spell.
Keep an eye on your desired domain
In some cases, the domain may become available if you keep an eye on it. Domains are bound to expire eventually and if you can swoop in and get it before the owner has the chance to renew, then you may be able to get that dream domain after all.
The renewal process varies depending on the registrar it was purchased through. Check the Whois Lookup to get the owner’s information and check to see where the domain name was purchased. You’ll be able to use different services that tell you when domains become unregistered.
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Talk to the owner
Since you already have the owner’s information pulled up from the Whois Lookup, you might as well contact him or her to see if they’d be willing to let you have it. For those that are set on this domain name without any changes to it, this is the only way to have a real shot at getting the name. The contact information will be made public on the Lookup after you’ve searched the domain name. You’ll likely have access to an email address where you could reach out to try to ask for the name.
Most likely, a domain name owner isn’t going to just give up the name without some sort of offer from you. Ask about making an offer on the domain while keeping in mind that they may try to ask you for more than you were expecting it to cost.
You can always negotiate and try to counter their offer, but a domain name owner that knows you want their name may try to overvalue the domain. Avoid making an offer in the first email until you’ve found out if they’d be willing to part with it for no charge first. If needed, you can hire a domain name broker to do the negotiating for you.
When you’ve chosen the perfect domain name and find it’s taken when you go to buy it, there are still options at your disposal. Don’t give up hope yet; consider these options when you find that your favorite domain is taken.