OVERWHELMED: need to chose a domain name for my next big project

castoro

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I want to start a new site for a long term project.
I have a lot of ideas on how to develop it but I'm not sure which domain name to choose. I have several factors that I am trying to give importance to:
  1. new or expired domain (I mean deleted domain, I do not have experience with buying expensive ones)
  2. keyword in the domain (medium / long length) or very short brand domain (no kw)
  3. trademark ????
I found a domain that looks interesting but I have some doubts about it, I try to describe the situation with an example and inventing a similar domain:
  1. Let's imagine Iwant to create an international health site (not my niche).
  2. The interesting expiered domain I found is this: www.3doc.org
  3. expired domain (DA 5) with only one forum backlink.

If I look for trademark for "3doc" I find this trademark:
"FIRM3DOC MEDICAL INSTITUTE"
but if I search online I find absolutely nothing about this institute, like it never existed. The term 3doc appears only in a FB page with 2 reviews for a Sri lankan building service and is the name of a rapper with 2 monthly listeners ton Spotify.

Given these information it is safe for me to register the 3doc.org domain?

also, is it worth it? do I get some benefit from the fact that the domain is expired or since it has only a weak backlink, should I make a new one without trademark problems and maybe a KW in the domain?
 
If you can find an unknown, or lessor known niche- even it it has aged and expired and has no backlinks and describes what your business does, it's fine you might be able to get indexed but not immediately. But if you can find an aged domain with good backlinks that you can hand register, or buy at lost cost auction even better. There is lot's of competition and I see it increasing, with some nutty speculational buying.

Just be aware that anyone can file a UDRP without any rights to the name, then a panel of (3) judges/arbiters decide. Use TESS for trademarks in US and see if they are LIVE or Dead. There are jurisdictional situations that arise too- the nightmare that the guy at France dot com has been through. Or Nissan, his years of fighting to keep his last name.

You should avoid names that can be confusing to any brand names, as brand names are protected and watched by CSC. Hundreds of UDRP's are filed monthly against dummies who register clear trademark violations, it's entertaining to look at the list once and awhile at UDRPsearch. Some cases are ambiguous.
 
@castoro keyword in the domain has no added benefit. bestpinkdildos.com days are long gone, don't worry about this.

If you are going with a fresh domain then just find anything that makes sense and roll with it, don't overthink this.

If you have the budget, then a non-dropped domain with a good link profile will really do you good and save you tons of money that you would have to spend otherwise on links in the future. However, what you just said 1 forum link, that's a waste. Even 40 - 50 links is really nothing. You want something with a strong backlink profile and a minimum of 100 RD, Honestly I don't go after anything less than 400 RD, most are 800 RD or more.

You will have to vet the domain, and if you don't know how to do this then it will be a serious uphill battle. You will first have to learn how to evaluate domains (wayback + hosting history, actual link profile, link distribution, anchors). you're looking for signs of spam and at the same time evaluating the strength of the domain and making sure it hasn't been repurposed before. It's a skill you develop over time.

Finally, with good domains you don't choose the niche, you find the domain first and then see how you can turn it into a profitable site. If you decide on the niche first then it'll be really hard to find a good domain and you'll have to wait months or even years unless you have serious money to spend.

Good luck!
 
Thank you both for the long and accurate answers @Enserio and @DeadJoe
If you can find an unknown, or lessor known niche- even it it has aged and expired and has no backlinks and describes what your business does, it's fine you might be able to get indexed but not immediately. But if you can find an aged domain with good backlinks that you can hand register, or buy at lost cost auction even better. There is lot's of competition and I see it increasing, with some nutty speculational buying.
So if I understand correctly:
  1. if i can find a powerful expired domain (related to my niche?), that's the best option. (as for now, I've had a hard time finding anything even close to this)
  2. An expired domain related to my niche but without backlinks is the second best option - this could be the www.3doc.org case, somewhat pertinent name and no (almost) backlinks
  3. A new domain is the worst option

Just be aware that anyone can file a UDRP without any rights to the name, then a panel of (3) judges/arbiters decide. Use TESS for trademarks in US and see if they are LIVE or Dead. There are jurisdictional situations that arise too- the nightmare that the guy at France dot com has been through. Or Nissan, his years of fighting to keep his last name.

You should avoid names that can be confusing to any brand names, as brand names are protected and watched by CSC. Hundreds of UDRP's are filed monthly against dummies who register clear trademark violations, it's entertaining to look at the list once and awhile at UDRPsearch. Some cases are ambiguous.
This is all relatively clear but, maybe I'm overthinking it, I dont know where to draw the line when I search for existing trademark. I find similar or partial matches with my intended domain and I cant understand if it's safe or not. Could I send you the 2 domains I've found (and the research I've done about them)and get your opinion? Since they have little to no backlinks I have no problem sharing them privately.

@castoro keyword in the domain has no added benefit. bestpinkdildos.com days are long gone, don't worry about this.
good to know!
If you are going with a fresh domain then just find anything that makes sense and roll with it, don't overthink this.
ok
Finally, with good domains you don't choose the niche, you find the domain first and then see how you can turn it into a profitable site. If you decide on the niche first then it'll be really hard to find a good domain and you'll have to wait months or even years unless you have serious money to spend.
This is what I have recently done but always with very weak domains (3 or 4 weak backlinks). For example I found a domain, registered it and create a site out of it. In a relatively low amount of time I've seen ranking go up and now I'm at about 60 clicks/day. But maybe is mostly because i target very easy KW. The expired domain maybe only helped to avoid the sandbox (although I'm not sure at all about any of this).
BUT for this next project of mine I already have the niche clear in mind, it's relatively broad and competitive, but I know a lot about it (it relates to my job) and I will put my name and Degree in it (read somewhere that EAT is important?)
If you have the budget, then a non-dropped domain with a good link profile will really do you good and save you tons of money that you would have to spend otherwise on links in the future. However, what you just said 1 forum link, that's a waste. Even 40 - 50 links is really nothing. You want something with a strong backlink profile and a minimum of 100 RD, Honestly I don't go after anything less than 400 RD, most are 800 RD or more.

You will have to vet the domain, and if you don't know how to do this then it will be a serious uphill battle. You will first have to learn how to evaluate domains (wayback + hosting history, actual link profile, link distribution, anchors). you're looking for signs of spam and at the same time evaluating the strength of the domain and making sure it hasn't been repurposed before. It's a skill you develop over time.
As for now I'm searching for deleted domains (free) on expireddomains.net.
I look for broad terms and filter a little the result, then I check domain rating with AHREF. the ones with DR higher than let's say 5, I check on WAYBACK, and most of them are filled with chinese spam.
I do not for now check for every single link (also because I've not found anything good according to my other criteria) and I'm not that good at it. I somewhat have to trust AHREF DR rating.

Honestly the only deleted free domains I've found on expireddomains.net that have more than 100 RD are spam. I guess I should start looking to buy not yet deleted domains that have a price, but as I'm not that experienced I fear i could waste the money or walk into other problems. Can you suggest me a place to start looking into buying domains? meaning a guide for beginner to avoid wasting money and time?

Anyway, thank you both for the feedback
 
Could I send you the 2 domains I've found
I can't PM, new account as I couldn't restore my old one. If the name makes sense (FastCars versus CarsFast), easy to spell, regular words not too esoteric unless that is the niche, they pass the radio test, easy to remember, shorter the better, etc. basic domain investing info. Com, Net or Org only, it's crazy but xyz's were used for lot's of spam and in the past sold for $1 ea and this year one person sold many of them for 5 figures.

Don't buy deleted ones with spam, or from any other language other than the language you are planning on populating the site with.

A Href DA, etc I personally don't solely focus on only- I have found backlinks of more importance and of course previous and future articles you provide and if they are of value, shares on facebook, etc.

I somewhat disagree with the keyword comment above in respect that I don't solely look at ranking but a catchy name so I look at them as an investor and future resale value- 3 word domains are difficult to resell. 2 word domains you can buy that are believable to those visiting the site is a plus but not for SEO, but for business perception. On the other hand, some niches names don't even matter if it had a history of a lot of traffic and name recognition.

The deleted names, you are correct usually picked over. They are not what you should look for backlinks, you need to be prepared to spend hours and hours researching and then bidding after you follow the names to where they wind up at auction. This isn't a simple afternoon job either.

odys dot global I believe advertises here, they are in business of selling niche specific names.

Expired domains site you need to know everybody uses it, and the stats are a cursory search, more work is needed using other tools paid and free. It's not the be all and end all- you need to dig into past history, number of drops or no drops (preferably) on archive. Everybody uses it too, so if it likely goes to auction so be prepared to spend money if it has good bl profile. I have paid at auction $500-600 + for 1000's of backlinks- but that was a few years ago. Prices lately are really nuts. There are several key players with deep pockets who buy many and have more money to spend too.
 
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