One Way I Come Up With Domain Name Ideas

I took my first long 2017 Pan-Mass Challenge training ride yesterday. It was a beautiful day, and I rode for about 3 hours.  These long rides give me time to think about business without having a computer or iPhone in front of me, and it is a time that I brainstorm about domain name acquisitions.

During the ride, I thought  about a couple of ways that I come up with domain names to inquire about. I presume many people do this already, but for those who don’t, it might offer a nugget of insight that could be useful. I want to share some thoughts about that with you.

Most of my rides are through the back roads of the MetroWest region of Boston (I own MetroWest.com). I pass the beautiful Charles River (I recently sold CharlesRiver.com) at several points throughout my ride. One domain name I own and am surprised hasn’t sold is NeedhamRealEstate.com. There have been a ton of teardowns and redevelopment in Needham during the past couple of years, and I am surprised a real estate agent from Needham hasn’t made an enticing enough offer yet.

Maybe you see where I am going with this?

I am always looking at the places around me for ideas. I see a ton of businesses using MetroWest and Charles River in their branding, and both are also geographic areas, so I decided to buy the domain names. I am always looking at  business names to see what types of descriptive keywords they use. I would never intentionally buy or register a brand name with the idea of selling the domain name to a specific company. That is legally and possibly ethically wrong, and it is also financially risky. Descriptive domain names are legit from my vantagepoint.

I am always looking at street names on my rides. Most street names are short, easy to remember, and are meaningful. I would bet the majority of my town’s street names in .com have been registered for many years. There are probably a whole lot of streets in the country called Lilac Lane, Lilac Drive, Lilac Road…etc. I don’t think anyone would buy Lilac.com because it is a street name, but I do think street names are indicative of the wide use of a specific keyword.

The most important takeaway from this (in my opinion) is that I am always observing the places, streets, forests, parks, beaches…etc. to think of descriptive domain names I could buy. I wouldn’t spend money on something specific like [Keyword]Lane.com, but I wouldn’t hesitate to buy the descriptive keyword .com if it were available at a good price. I spend quite a bit of time reaching out to domain name owners to try and reach a deal.

I am raising funds for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute via my 2017 Pan-Mass Challenge ride.

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

16 COMMENTS

  1. It’s amazing how many great things come to mind when its just you and the outdoors. Getting the blood pumping to the muscles including the biggest muscle, the brain. No phone, or computer to distract you. It’s why my morning runs are so much more than building endurance. I truly think it makes me smarter and keeps my mind sharper. The key is to not concentrate on the negatives of the upcoming day. It’s also why I like running with partners. Some amazing discussions come on a 3 hour run or bike ride

  2. Awesome! I’ve found it very helpful to text myself or use my smartphone’s notepad to take notes while I’m out and about. Otherwise, I would just forget some of the finer details later. You just never know when something “Real” will inspire a domain investment, development opportunity, partnership idea, or even an article idea. 🙂

  3. Delivering for UPS, street names is basically how drivers communicate. Places like Morningwood Drive or Firebush Court never got old. Drivers often modify names like Hanover Street to Hangover Street.

    The developer picks these names and the county approves them, probably causing a buyer or two to pick a different lot in the subdivision.

  4. Just like they don’t make land anymore, GEO domains are low risk bets for domainers. I’ve picked up quite a few geo domains through the years.

    Other categories I focus on are transportation and pets and travel. All big multi billion dollar industries.

  5. As Elliot writes: “There have been a ton of teardowns and redevelopment in Needham during the past couple of years, and I am surprised a real estate agent from Needham hasn’t made an enticing enough offer yet”, it’s very common situation unfortunately. From perspective of a business person or investor, the issue of low liquidity is quite frustrating… even understanding that premium domains business isn’t short term business model. Any investor in any sector hardly accepts unknown or unpredictable revenue projections… I am more than 12Y in domain industry and this issue is on my mind all the time.

  6. Can’t believe these guys, Silver and Cultra. Aren’t they embarrassed to admit they would run or bike for only three hours? Who does that? Now six maybe…

    • LOL

      Next weekend, I will have a 5 hour ride on Saturday and a 3 hour ride on Sunday. This will gradually increase throughout the Summer until late July. It’s probably tougher on my wife though!

  7. LOL, “awaiting moderation” now? That’s never happened here unless I added three links. Hmm… Okay, three hours may be cool after all…

  8. You’re right, Elliot. Very good article you wrote.
    I was thinking I was the only one doing it.
    I do that almost constantly. I’m a firm believer that domains are available everywhere.
    The only requirement is thinking a bit out of the sand box.

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