How to use YourDomainSpy

The tool works left to right in three steps: choose your words, review the names it finds, and collect the ones you want.

Open the domain finder

Step 1: Words to investigate

Primary keywords

These are the words every name must contain. One or two is usually right. Pick the word that says what the thing is, such as harbor or probate. Avoid generic words like app or pro here, because any name containing one of them would count.

Secondary words

These are helper words. Each one is tried both before and after a primary keyword, so scout with harbor gives scoutharbor and harborscout. Two secondary words are never joined to each other. Eight to fourteen is a good number.

Similar words

Each word you type appears as a small button under its box. Press one to see similar words, then press any suggestion to add it to that box.

Patterns and extras

• Primary alone checks each primary keyword by itself. These are nearly always taken.
• 2 words and 3 words control how many words are joined.
• Invented endings adds made-up forms such as harborly and harborio.
• Plurals, drop last vowel and hyphens add variations of your primary keywords. They are off by default.

Endings

Tick the endings to check, such as .com or .io. A search can use up to five at once, because every ending multiplies the number of names. Press + More endings for a longer list grouped by type, or to add one of your own.

Longest name and exact names

Longest name drops any combination over that many characters. Also check these exact names is for ideas you already have: type one per line, with or without an ending.

The count beside the Check names button shows how many names will be checked. Press it to start.

Step 2: Prospects

Names appear as they pass the check, best score first. Names that are plainly taken are not shown.

The counters

• Checked is progress through the list.
• Taken is how many were already registered.
• No answer is how many could not be confirmed either way. They are left out, and you can retry them from the list under the results.
• Likely available is how many passed.

Score

Every name gets a score from 0 to 100. Higher is better. Short names, fewer words and easy pronunciation score well. A name that starts with a primary keyword gets a small bonus. Hover over a score to see exactly what cost it points.

Status

Press Check registry records to upgrade the names shown from the first status to the second. It works through the list and can be stopped at any time.

Filtering and sorting

The row above the list filters by text, ending, status, score range, source and length, and sorts by score, length, alphabet or ending. Every action button works on what the filters currently show.

Keeping and discarding

• Press the star beside a name to keep it, or Star all shown to star everything visible.
• Press Add starred to list to move starred names to the shopping list.
• Press the × beside a name to exclude it, or Exclude all shown. Excluded names are hidden and skipped in later searches until you start a new session.

A quick routine: filter to scores below 60, exclude all shown, clear the filter, then star what you like.

Taken names

Under the results, the Taken list shows every registered name. Press one to open its record: registrar, registration and expiry dates, where it is hosted, and whether it looks in use. A name that looks idle, or is close to expiring, may be worth watching.

Step 3: Shopping list

The shopping list keeps the names you chose. It has two parts: names you can register, and names that are for sale by their owner. It stays in your browser between searches, so you can run several word sets and build one list.

• Copy list copies the names to paste into a registrar's bulk search.
• Export to Excel saves a workbook with the shopping lists, the prospects shown, taken names and excluded names.
• Clear empties both lists. It asks for a second press first.

Sessions

Your words, settings, shopping list and exclusions are saved in your browser automatically. The bar under the page title adds three controls:

• Save session stores a named copy you can return to.
• Open a saved session loads one. Press Check names to get fresh results.
• New session clears everything and starts again.

Before you buy