So, you're ready to start a blogging business. You know what you want to write about, and you even came up with a creative and catchy name to match. But when you go to buy your domain name you find out it's already been taken. What are you supposed to do now?

I know that it can be frustrating when isn't available. Your domain is a big deal. It's where you're going to send your audience and it's your own little piece of real estate online. And, coming up with a domain name can be challenging so finding out the name is taken can be disheartening. I've been there!

But, don't let it get you down. In this blog post, I'm going to give you 120 domain name modifiers. These are keywords that you can add to your domain name to find an available name that's easy to remember.

Here's how you can use domain modifiers:

Write a list of keywords or short phrases that describe your niche.
Choose a domain name modifier from my list.
Marry #1 and #2 together.
Check and register the new domain name.

If you're interested in learning how to start your own blog/website, click here!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend things I love. You can read my Disclaimer here.

What do I do if my domain name is taken?

Don't panic and throw in the towel! That might sound dramatic to some of you and completely legit to others.

When you've spent a lot of time trying to pinpoint which domain name you want to use and then it's taken, you might start to feel like it just wasn't "meant to be".

Well, I'm here to tell you that isn't true! Don't get discouraged and quit because you can't find the domain name you wanted. And, don't think you have to rename your entire blog.

Take a deep breath. Then, start looking through the list of 120 domain name modifiers to see if you can find one that you like.

Here are 120 Domain Name Modifiers:

Academy
Advisor
All About
Association
Authority
Base
Beat
Boss
Brain
Brainery
Builder
Buzz
Camp
Center
Central
Chic
Chief
City
Clinic
Club
Coach
Community
Company
Connection
Consultant
Corner
Crazy
Depot
Digs
DIY
Dock
Edge
Elegant
Essentials
Establishment
Ever
Expert
Extreme
Fans
Field
Finishing School
For You
Freak
Freedom
Frenzy
Fun
Genie
Genius
Get
Guide
Guru
Harbor
Haven
Helper
Hero
Home
Homestead
House
Hub
Ideas
Improve
Insider
Institute
Instructor
Journal
Kingdom
Love
Machine
Mansion
Mark
Master
Matrix
Matters
Media
Mentor
Mind
Modern
My
Nation
Newbie
Ninja
Pioneer
Planet
Popular
Port
Post
Prep School
Press
Pro
Pulse
Pursuits
Quarterback
Report
Retreat
Rocket
Room
Roost
Round Table
Sanctuary
Savvy
School
Setup
Smart
Society
Source
Spot
Station
Study
System
Teacher
Things
Think Tank
This
Turbo
Tutor
Ultimate Guide to
Up
Vogue
Wild
Win
Wonderland

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What to Do if the Domain Name You Want is Taken

STEP 1.

Let's say that you want to start a blogging business that is based around saving money and being frugal. Your first step of listing out keywords for your niche might look something like this:

Bargain
Budgets
Budgeting
Cheap
Debt free
Saving money
Thrifty

Here’s an example of what it would look like if I wrote things out.

STEP 2.

Now let's say that you really want to use the words "saving money" from the list above. But, savingmoney.com isn't available. So, you move on to step #2 where you choose a modifier from the list above. For this example, we are going to choose the word "report".

When you marry the two ideas together you come up with "Saving Money Report". When you run "savingmoneyreport.com" through the domain name search you find that it's available. So, you simply purchase the name and move on to building your blogging business.

Here’s another example of what it would look like if I wrote things out.

More Tips for Choosing a Domain Name

When you are getting started with your blogging business there are a lot of different questions you might have about choosing a name for your business and domain. Below I answered some of the most frequently asked questions on the topic.

How do I choose a domain for my personal website or blog?

Many new bloggers get stuck on trying to choose the perfect domain name for their blog. I get it! If you really plan on running a blogging business, then your domain is going to be around for a while. You want it to be something that attracts your target audience while also being something that you love.

But remember, you don't have to overthink your domain name. You want it to be descriptive and tell people what you're about while being short and easy to remember. By coming up with keywords that are easy to remember and then adding a short keyword to the beginning or end is really all you need.

Where should I buy my domain name?

There are LOTS of places where you can go for registering a domain. Since starting blogging back in 2015, I've used both Bluehost (affiliate link) and GoDaddy. I've had good experiences with both and recommend them.

I'd actually encourage you when you're getting ready to purchase your domain to do a quick price comparison between the two. It's never going to hurt to see if you can save a couple of dollars. And, since both companies are reliable you can rest easy either way you go.

How do I see if a domain name is available?

There are many domain name finder websites that you can use to see if the domain you want is still available. The easiest way is to go directly to the site that you plan on purchasing your domain from. They will have a search box where you can enter the domain you want. You simply enter the name and hit search. Then, it will let you know if it's available or taken.

If it's available, then it's up for grabs and you should hurry and snatch it up if you want it. Or, if it's not available you have to start looking for ways to modify the name until you find a domain that's available.

How do I get a domain name that is taken but not used?

What if you find that the domain you want is already taken but no website comes up when you try to find it? Well, there's a good chance that someone has purchased that name and is just sitting on it. Maybe they have an idea they may want to do in the future, or they just wanted to make money on selling the domain (it happens).

If you don't want to give up and try a different domain, you can attempt to locate the owner to buy it from them. You can check the domain on WHOIS to find out who registered the name. However, if the person that bought it also purchased privacy protection then you won't be able to see their information.

If you have their information you can contact them to find out if they are interested in selling. Or, there are brokers that you can hire to handle these types of transactions. However, I recommend that you think very carefully before taking these steps. They can get costly and time-consuming. If you want to keep it simple and the cost down, take a look at the domain modifiers and choose one that works for your business name instead.

Should I use .org for my business or blog?

Overall, if you are looking at growing a profitable blogging business you are most likely going to want to stay away from .org. This extension is typically tied with non-profit organizations. Many times, when people are visiting a .org website they are expecting to find resources and information and are not usually looking to make a purchase.

So, if you don't care to sell products or services and really just want to form a community, provide resources, or start a non-profit, this is a great extension to use. Otherwise, when picking a domain name for your blog, I suggest you try to stick with securing a .com.

Just starting out?

Are you struggling to reach the point of even choosing a domain name? Are you still trying to figure out what to blog about? If so, there are a few other tips that you might be looking for before getting to the ones above.

For tips on how to actually start a blogging business, check out the following:

For information on how much it costs to start a blog:

For information on how to make money blogging:

If you want more tips on successfully building a blogging business then I urge you to check out my Allison Lindstrom YouTube Channel where I share tips and tricks on blogging from my own personal experience.

You can also sign up for my free blogging course to learn more about what it takes to run a blogging business.

Don't get stuck coming up with a name for your website

When establishing your blog every step feels like a huge deal. That makes it easy to get stuck in the planning phase. Finding business name ideas and finding domain names that match can be tricky.

If you find that a name you like isn't available instead of starting completely from scratch don't be afraid to try domain name variations. This can save you time and allow you to stick with the main keywords that you wanted to use in the first place. I promise all the good names are not taken.

How to Choose a Domain Name When the One You Love is Taken - 120 Domain Name Modifiers