The domain you want is taken. Now what?
Finding your first-choice name taken is normal. What you do next depends on how the name is being used, and that is usually easy to find out.
First, see what kind of taken it is
- In active use. A real website, business email, an established company. This name is not coming to you at any sensible price. Move on.
- Listed for sale. The name shows a "for sale" page or sits on a marketplace such as Sedo or Afternic. You can buy it, usually for much more than a new registration.
- Parked. A page of adverts and nothing else. The owner is holding it and may sell.
- Idle. No website and no email. It may be forgotten, and it may not be renewed.
YourDomainSpy marks names that are for sale or parked, and its record view shows whether a taken name looks in use and when its registration expires.
Option 1: Find a variation
This is the right answer most of the time. Add a helper word before or after your core word, or try a different order. brightledger taken? ledgerbright, brightledgerhq and getbrightledger may all be free. Check a few hundred combinations at once and something good usually appears.
Be careful if the taken name belongs to an active business in your field. A near-copy invites confusion and legal trouble. In that case change the core word, not just the wrapping.
Option 2: Use a different ending
The same name on another ending can work when the ending suits your business and the .com is not a competitor. Look at who holds the .com first.
Option 3: Buy it
If the name is listed for sale, the listing shows a price or an offer form. A few points before you pay:
- Set a ceiling before you start, and treat the asking price as an opening position where offers are invited.
- Use the marketplace's own checkout or an escrow service. Never pay a seller directly.
- Check the name's history. A domain that was previously used for spam can carry that reputation with it.
Option 4: Wait for it to expire
If a name looks idle and its expiry date is close, the owner may let it go. Expired names pass through a grace period before they are released, so this takes weeks or months and is never certain. It is a reasonable bet for a second-choice name, not something to plan a launch around.
What not to do
Do not register a misspelling or lookalike of someone else's active brand to catch their traffic. It is the fastest route to losing the domain and paying for the dispute.
The quickest way through
Treat a taken name as information. Note it, widen your word list, and check again. People who find good names are rarely the ones who got their first choice. They are the ones who checked enough alternatives to find a second choice they like more.
Find available names with YourDomainSpy