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10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

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A domain name is the starting point for our online brands and identities, be it for a company, online application or a personal website. Some of us may own only one domain for a portfolio site or blog, whilst others have to manage domain names for clients or all kinds of projects. But even if you do not yet have a personal domain, as the Web becomes more pervasive in our lives, finding yourself a real home on the web becomes more of a neccessity.

Of course, social web services like Facebook, Twitter, etc. do indeed offer usernames, but only domains give us full ownership and control over branding and ultimately how we express ourselves online.

Many of the traditional sites that offer domain names are poorly organised, hard to navigate and covered in spammy ads. In this article we will have a look at a number of smart and user-centric domain tools which help you to find, register and manage domain names, other than the usual domain registrars or webhosting companies.

You may also be interested in the following articles:

[Offtopic: By the way, did you know that Smashing Magazine has a mobile version? Try it out if you have an iPhone, Blackberry or another capable device.]

1. Domainr – domain search engine

The popular Domainr service comes as easy and clean as it gets. They call themselves a “domain name search engine” and solely focus on the domain search experience. Searching for a domain name is very intuitive and fast indeed. If you found a name you can choose from a list of registrars where you can register the respective domain.

Apart from the standard .COM, .NET & .ORG domains, Domainr’s strength is surely the ability to find domain hacks with exotic country code top-level domain extensions e.g. burri.to (.TO – Tonga), lifestrea.ms (.MS – Montserrat) or cli.gs (South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands).

Domainr makes the domain search process fun and is probably the easiest tool to find creative domain names in 2009.

Screenshot-domainr in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

2. Domaintyper – search & generate names

Domaintyper is another simple search tool for checking domain name availability and generating domain hacks but offers some nifty extras on top. One of them is a Web 2.0 Domain Name Generator that generates available names such as sixtor.com, snapsink.com, skafire.com, 6graph.com, threeserv.com or atomslot.com. These names can be registered through links to various registrars. The second highlight is the DomainTyper iPhone application which brings the search and recommendation feature to your iPhone so you can check domain names on the go.

Domaintyper is a well executed little project. Especially the domain name generator can be addictive.

Screenshot-domaintyper in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

3. Domain Pigeon – find available names

Domain Pigeon’s approach is different to the search tools mentioned before. It automatically generates lists of available domains as well as Twitter names. The names are displayed in different colors, depending on how many people have showed interest in a certain term. The darker the color the more popular the name. You can also order the lists by length, popularity and show only domains or Twitter usernames. Examples of generated domain names are ablebo.com, meliori.com, minecafe.com or shopshost.com.

Domain Pigeon is an ideal source of inspiration for domains and short available Twitter names.

Screenshot-domain-pigeon in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

4. Namethis – collaborative naming tool

Namethis cannot only be used for domains but also for names in general. Instead of spending hours and hours in brainstorming sessions you just have to describe a project or product and receive name suggestions by the Namethis community. The service costs a fee of $99 which is distributed to the members that suggested the top three naming ideas.

The Namethis community is a good resource to get ideas for your product or website.

Screenshot-namethis in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

5. Rage Domainer – Mac software

RAGE Software’s Domainer is a well designed Mac application for managing and tracking domain names. You can enter domains that you own along with some additional information or any other site you would like to monitor. It also shows domain-related data such as Page Rank, the amount of incoming Links, bookmarks on Delicious and Digg stories to a particular domain. Other useful features are syncing renewal dates with iCal, Smart Groups for organising and import / export of lists.

Domainer costs $39.95 USD and is the most advanced domain management solution for your Mac.

Screenshot-rage-domainer in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

6. iWantMyName DomainApp – iPhone app

DomainApp is a free application from domain management service iWantMyName that lets you search and register domains directly from your iPhone. Like their website, the application is very clean, user-friendly and intuitive. The domain search covers many international domain extensions and results can be saved as bookmarks for future reference. To register domain names you need an account with iWantMyName and connect the application via a remote key.

The application is a valuable companion for brainstorming sessions, client meetings or the occasional fun domain registration.

Screenshot-iwantmyname-domainapp-appstore in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

7. Tweetname – register domains via Twitter

As the name Tweetname suggests, it is a service that offers domain name registration via Twitter. All you need is an account on their site and send a direct message with the name you want to the @tweetname Twitter account. You will get an instant reply whether the domain registration was successful or the name is already taken.

With Tweetname domain registration has never been more ubiquitous having hundreds of Twitter clients around. Whether you want to rely on Twitter for a domain registration is another question though.

Screenshot-tweetie-tweetname in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

8. Domain Punch – Windows software

Windows users find a domain portfolio software with Domain Punch Professional. Besides the portfolio management options, it also includes website monitoring options such as ping or an HTTP home page check and sends an email when the status of a domain changes. You can also save the login details to different domain registrars and login with a single click. Extensive filtering options, a domain name generator and availability checker are useful functions as well.

Domain Punch Professional is the most feature rich software for domain portfolio management.

Screenshot-domainpunch in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

9. DNZoom – online portfolio manager

A hosted domain management solution offers the all-in-one tool DNZoom. You can sign up for a free account and manage domains in a secure and automated way through an online interface even if they are registered with multiple domain registrars. Should you not use a domain, you have also the possibility to connect it to a parking company and earn some money. Domains can be organised in folders, categories and the domain detail view gives you additional data such as Alexa Stats, or whois information. An included domain suggestion tool where you can enter keywords and register domains complete the offering of DNZoom.

DNZoom seems to be more targeted at Domainers but its domain management functions are also suited for the general domain administrator.

Screenshot-dnzoom in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

10. Domain Portfolio Manager – PHP script

The Domain Portfolio Manager is a classic PHP / MySQL application for your own web space or server. It offers basic domain portfolio management functionality which should be enough for most users. Domains can be imported from CSV or text files, put in different categories defined by the user and lists are completely searchable. A showcase feature also allows you to sell domain names.

This web application has all features to keep track of your domains and is very practical for company intranets.

Screenshot-domain-portfolio-manager in 10 Tools For Finding, Registering And Managing Domain Names

Tool Overview

Find domain names with:

Register domains via:

Manage your portfolio using:

Timo Reitnauer is a domain industry expert and has been working for domain registrars in Germany, Australia and New Zealand since 2002. You should follow Timo on Twitter here. http://twitter.com/treitnauer

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    1. 1
      Blaž
      August 29th, 2009 1:50 am

      domaintyper is a really nice one, never heard of it before.

    2. 2
      jericho
      August 29th, 2009 2:38 am

      okay

    3. 3
      Sapphiro
      August 29th, 2009 4:19 am

      Hey there, nice list of useful tools, but maybe you should consider including domainbots.com and whois.sc as well. =]

      Regards,
      Felix

    4. 4
      CodeWhisperer
      August 29th, 2009 4:34 am

      I like (and recommend) http://www.bustaname.com. It lets me type in keywords, and then tries all combinations of those words. Also includes thesaurus functionality, last-vowel dropping (e.g. ‘flickr.com’), ‘e’ and ‘i’ prepending (e.g. iStockPhoto), etc.

    5. 5
      ardomanish
      August 29th, 2009 5:04 am

      http://www.ajaxdomainsearch.com/
      Download this script for free (Open Source).
      http://www.ajaxdomainsearch.com/blog/?download=AjaxDomainSearch

    6. 6
      ByColor
      August 29th, 2009 5:05 am

      Domaintyper is a nice “string” generator only. It gives you a lot of useless (as in “impossible to register”) variants, eg.: desi.gn. Guinea only alows .***.gn domains, such as .com.gn

    7. 7
      Aayush
      August 29th, 2009 5:47 am

      I’ve always loved domai.nr …it’s fast and to the point….

      gotta try other tools in here….great list….

    8. 8
      Bobbie
      August 29th, 2009 5:52 am

      Extremely impressed with Domain Punch – AWESOME. Thanks for this article, I have been looking for something like this for a long time.

    9. 9
      Brian Armstrong
      August 29th, 2009 6:07 am

      Great list, some I hadn’t seen.

      One other that I’ve had success with: http://www.BustAName.com

    10. 10
      Mohan Arun L
      August 29th, 2009 8:08 am

      You could also try dotomator and wordoid for domain name ideas.

    11. 11
      Christopher Rees
      August 29th, 2009 8:16 am

      I also like http://www.instantdomainsearch.com which returns results as you type.

    12. 12
      George McKnight
      August 29th, 2009 9:27 am

      I like some of the suggestions, but I’ve found that once you start using some of these services looking for a particular domain name, some of the ‘big boys’ can detect this and go grab it before you’ve made up your mind and you end up having to buy it from them for a bigger amount……or am I just paranoid!

    13. 13
      pracas upreti
      August 29th, 2009 10:23 am

      impressive, i was never beyond godaddy, the links r good but just thinking that who is the mastermind behind the idea of del.icio.us

    14. 14
      Michael
      August 29th, 2009 10:25 am

      Great post, great read.

      Unfortunately, DNZoom got through your “fact-checking” screen. According to their site on 08.24.09, they’re down for what could be understood as an indefinite time period.

    15. 15
      Omer Perchik
      August 29th, 2009 10:31 am

      Domize is the best one out there imho.

    16. 16
      Mattthew F
      August 29th, 2009 10:34 am

      One of my faves is http://www.ajaxwhois.com — it does the domainr stuff, but all interactively with instant feedback as you play with possibilities.

    17. 17
      Tom Karels
      August 29th, 2009 11:18 am

      I use http://www.bustaname.com/ all the time. It gives you the ability to add multiple words together.

    18. 18
      DOMAINTASTING
      August 29th, 2009 12:50 pm

      Watch out from these sites, they can steal your ideas. Search web for:domain tasting , domain knitting…

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_tasting

    19. 19
      Eric
      August 29th, 2009 7:53 pm

      Thanks for the kind words!

      -Eric (from Domainr)

    20. 20
      blackabee
      August 29th, 2009 9:28 pm

      whatever you do, never use network solutions to search for domain names. They will buy your domain as soon as you search for it. I experienced this more then once. bad, bad, bad company!

    21. 21
      kusu
      August 30th, 2009 3:03 am

      great!

    22. 22
      Jacopo
      August 30th, 2009 5:07 am

      Good List, thanks for the article. Cheers

    23. 23
      Scott
      August 30th, 2009 7:20 am

      Bustaname.com

    24. 24
      Martin Sanders
      August 30th, 2009 3:36 pm

      Thanks for the links, I found Domaintyper to be the best. http://www.namebio.com is useful if your like to know the how much a domain has sold for. http://www.bustaname.com is also a handy service,

    25. 25
      cellphonelookup
      August 30th, 2009 5:37 pm

      thank youuuuuuuu

    26. 26
      mike
      August 30th, 2009 6:53 pm

      Domain kiting. Domain tasting. Many of these domain tools sell your search results to third party registrars that steal the domain. Don’t use them. Icann is introducing new fees to stop this practice of domain tasting, but that is not resolved completely. Basically a registrar can register a domain for free for a 5 day grace period. The steal the domain (millions of them daily) and attempt to resell them to the interested party at a markup. For now, the only place to do clean research is internic whois.

    27. 27
      sidd
      August 30th, 2009 6:57 pm

      nice list

    28. 28
      espreson
      August 30th, 2009 6:58 pm

      Domaintyper and Domainr is well enough to work with. I want to add BustAName (http://www.bustaname.com/ ) and Domize(https://domize.com/) in this list.

    29. 29
      Cre8ive Commando
      August 30th, 2009 7:31 pm

      I like to use Domains Bot to find my domains. I tried Name This too and it wasn’t bad :-)

    30. 30
      Rob
      August 30th, 2009 9:20 pm

      For .au domain names, try domain storm. It’s similar to bustaname.

    31. 31
      ajay
      August 31st, 2009 6:21 am

      There is another software freely available by the name of “DOMAIN DOG” . It is also for managing domain names. login on the below mentioned page for more info:

      http://domain-dog.aceinfowayindia.com/

      ajay

    32. 32
      Dave
      August 31st, 2009 6:33 am

      A simple tool is available on most *NIX platforms:
      1) Open a terminal
      2) Type “whois domainname.com”

    33. 33
      Jeremy
      August 31st, 2009 6:45 am

      DomainTyper is really great, I think will use it instead of GoDaddy as before. Thank you for the list!

    34. 34
      Carlitto
      August 31st, 2009 1:01 pm

      What are good sites to SELL domains? I want to avoid dodgey companies.
      Thanks

    35. 35
      Jojo Toth
      September 1st, 2009 12:39 am

      see my article on 33 Most Useful Domain Tools, also listing many useful stuff
      http://mogdesign.eu/blog/33-most-useful-domain-tools/

    36. 36
      haijeles
      September 2nd, 2009 8:47 am

      Good article, however your tool selection is rather scanty.
      I would suggest also these ones:
      makewords.com
      domize.com
      wordoid.com
      dotomator.com

    37. 37
      Johnny
      September 4th, 2009 8:37 pm

      Namethis closed up shop about a week ago. Most of the participants in the namethis “community” are still waiting to be paid by Ben Kaufman, the founder of namethis, Quirky, and Kluster. Participants in this “crowdsourcing” project are supposed to share in the fees paid by companies that wanted their product or service named.

    38. 38
      Tony
      September 26th, 2009 5:04 am

      @Carlitto Sedo is your best bet for selling domain names, it’s the ebay of domains and used by just about every serious domainer.

      As many people have noted, Bustaname.com should definitely make the list. But the one domain tool I use most every day is Domain Lookup, a Firefox Extension for searching for domain names.

    39. 39
      Greg
      September 26th, 2009 8:30 pm

      I use instantdomainsearch.com on the laptop and ajaxwhoix mobile on the bberry…mobile app is pretty cool. My ,02

    40. 40
      antonides
      November 25th, 2009 8:27 pm

      11. http://www.bruteforcenaming.com – not flashy but really useful!

    41. 41
      Robert
      November 26th, 2009 9:35 pm

      Your readers might be interested in http://www.SeeTop10.com . It is a domain search tool that shows the top 10 Google suggested searches and cross references the domain name availability database. One of the best domain search tools on the web.

    42. 42
      Rachel Shaw
      January 18th, 2010 10:31 am

      Great list of resources! I also recommend http://www.squadhelp.com for finding great domain names. This site uses the “wisdom of crowds” allowing users across the world to submit domain name suggestions. The best suggestion wins a prize that is setup in advance by the contest holder, creating a win win situation for every one.

    43. 43
      Pete
      February 5th, 2010 7:53 am

      We’ve got an ecommerce site and want to build another niche online store. Is it best to use different registrant information when registering the new domain?

    1. 00

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