We have a few tips that can help you make it through this process, but first, there are a few basic guidelines you should follow when choosing a domain.  They are:

Get a .com – You may be tempted to go with a different extension because there better names available and there are several popular sites using non-dotcom extensions, or because it’s a f ew dollars cheaper – but don’t do it.  Regardless of how much you try to drill into the head of your visitors that the extension is .net, .org or any other extension – at the end of the day, a fair percentage of them will type in .com anyways and you’ll be giving up your hard earned visitors to the competition.

Focus on keywords – Your domain name is one of the factors that goes into search engine rankings.  Having your primary keyword(s) in your domain will be a great help down the line to getting your website in a better position in the search engines, and is something you should shoot for if at all possible.

Keep it short – People have to be able to remember the name of your website and type it, it’s important to keep the name simple and short, even if it means you can’t fit your keywords in.

Odds are you’re going to have a hard time finding an available domain that meets those criteria without help.  Here are some excellent sites that can make the process much more simple.

NameBoy – This site will let you enter a primary and secondary word and come up with several dozen variations of those terms using synonyms and similar words.  It will also check if each one is available so you don’t have to.

MakeWords – If it’s a short unique name to build a brand around that your after rather than one that communicates the purpose of your site, give MakeWords a try.  It will generate 20 random names matching your criteria and let you know which are available.

WSMDomains – Thousands of .com domain names expire every single day because the owner chose not to renew it.  WSM Domains provides a free list of which domains are dropping by day which you can search for keywords.  It may take you a while to find the right fit, but there are several to choose from for most industries every day.

Sedo and Afternic – Many people register domains with the intent of reselling them for a profit.  These two sites are the primary marketplaces for selling these domains.  You will likely pay a couple hundred to a couple thousand or more for any name you find on these sites, but when all else fails, they provide a great way to find a good quality domain name.