Domain Finder

Find available domain names that contain popular search keywords for your niche.

Overview

Core principle: A good domain contains a word people already search for. Start from search demand, not from brainstorming random names.

Pipeline: Keyword Research -> Competition Analysis -> Niche Narrowing -> Domain Generation -> Availability Check -> Shortlist

When to Use

• Launching a new web app, SaaS, or side project
• Rebranding and need a new domain
• Want a domain that ranks naturally for the topic
• Need a name that's memorable AND searchable

Process

digraph domain_flow {
  rankdir=TB;
  "1. Get niche/topic" [shape=box];
  "2. Keyword Research" [shape=box];
  "3. Competition Analysis" [shape=box];
  "4. Find Low-Competition Sub-Niche" [shape=diamond];
  "5. Generate Candidates" [shape=box];
  "6. Check Availability" [shape=box];
  "7. Score & Rank" [shape=box];
  "8. Present Shortlist" [shape=doublecircle];

  "1. Get niche/topic" -> "2. Keyword Research";
  "2. Keyword Research" -> "3. Competition Analysis";
  "3. Competition Analysis" -> "4. Find Low-Competition Sub-Niche";
  "4. Find Low-Competition Sub-Niche" -> "5. Generate Candidates" [label="found"];
  "4. Find Low-Competition Sub-Niche" -> "2. Keyword Research" [label="too crowded\nnarrow topic"];
  "5. Generate Candidates" -> "6. Check Availability";
  "6. Check Availability" -> "7. Score & Rank";
  "7. Score & Rank" -> "8. Present Shortlist";
}

Step 1: Clarify the Niche

Ask the user:

• What does the app/site do? (1 sentence)
• Target audience? (developers, marketers, parents, etc.)
• Preferred TLDs? (.com priority by default, also .io, .app, .dev, .co)
• Any words they love or hate?
• Budget for domain? (affects premium domain suggestions)

Step 2: Keyword Research

Goal: Find the 10-20 most searched words/phrases people use when looking for this type of product.

Use WebSearch to research keyword popularity:

Search queries to run (adapt to niche):
1. "most popular search terms for [niche] 2026"
2. "[niche] top keywords google trends"
3. "best keywords for [niche] website SEO"
4. "[niche] related searches google"
5. "people also ask [niche]"
6. "[competitor1] vs [competitor2]" (to find category terms)

Extract from results:

• High-volume single words (e.g., "fasting", "timer", "track", "habit")
• 2-word combos that people search (e.g., "meal prep", "code review")
• Action verbs associated with the niche (e.g., "ship", "launch", "build", "grow")
• Emotional/aspirational words (e.g., "zen", "calm", "boost", "swift")

Organize keywords into tiers:

Tier	Type	Example (fasting niche)
A	Core niche word	fast, fasting, timer
B	Action verb	track, start, plan
C	Benefit/emotion	lean, clean, free, zen
D	Modifier	my, go, get, hey, try

Step 3: Competition Analysis

Goal: Understand how crowded the niche is and find underserved angles where you can rank.

3a. Map the competitive landscape:

Use WebSearch to run:

1. "[niche] app" OR "[niche] tool" — count how many established players exist
2. "[niche keyword]" — check Google SERP: who ranks on page 1?
3. "best [niche] apps 2026" — see listicles, count competitors
4. "[niche] alternatives" OR "[niche] reddit" — what do users complain about?
5. site:producthunt.com "[niche]" — how many PH launches in this space?

3b. Assess competition level per keyword:

Signal	Low Competition	High Competition
Google page 1	Small blogs, forums, indie sites	Big brands (Apple, Google, Forbes)
Domain age of top results	<3 years	10+ years, high DA
Listicle count	0-2 "best X" articles	10+ SEO-optimized listicles
ProductHunt launches	<5 in niche	20+ with traction
App Store/Play Store	<10 direct competitors	50+ with reviews
Reddit/forum mentions	Few threads, unresolved complaints	Saturated, well-served

3c. Identify competition gaps:

Look for patterns in user complaints and underserved angles:

Search queries:
1. "[niche] sucks" OR "[niche] alternative" reddit
2. "[competitor] complaints" OR "[competitor] missing features"
3. "[niche] for [specific audience]" — e.g., "fasting for women", "budgeting for freelancers"
4. "[niche] [geography]" — e.g., "meal planning UK", "tax calculator Germany"
5. "[niche] [use case]" — e.g., "habit tracker for ADHD", "project management for solopreneurs"

Record findings in this format:

Keyword	Search Volume	Competition	Gap/Angle
fasting app	HIGH	HIGH	Saturated — Zero, Fastic, Simple dominate
fasting timer	MEDIUM	MEDIUM	Less saturated than "app"
intermittent fasting tracker	MEDIUM	HIGH	Lots of content, hard to rank
fasting for women	MEDIUM	LOW	Underserved, specific audience
fasting zone tracker	LOW	VERY LOW	Novel concept, no direct competitors

Step 4: Find Low-Competition Sub-Niche

Goal: Narrow down to a sub-niche where your domain can realistically rank on page 1.

The Sweet Spot Formula:

IDEAL KEYWORD = decent search volume + low competition + clear intent + available domains

Narrowing strategies (from broad to specific):

Strategy	Example	Why it works
Audience niche	"fasting" -> "fasting for women"	Smaller but loyal audience, less competition
Method niche	"budgeting" -> "envelope budgeting"	Specific methodology = specific searchers
Problem niche	"productivity" -> "ADHD productivity"	Pain-point driven, high intent
Format niche	"recipes" -> "5-ingredient recipes"	Constraint = differentiation
Geography niche	"tax calculator" -> "tax calculator UK"	Local = less global competition
Combo niche	"habit tracker" -> "habit tracker for couples"	Intersect two niches = blue ocean

Decision gate:

IF all keywords show HIGH competition:
  -> Narrow the niche (add audience/method/problem modifier)
  -> Go back to Step 2 with the narrower topic
  -> Repeat until you find a keyword cluster with LOW-MEDIUM competition

IF you find 3+ keywords with LOW-MEDIUM competition:
  -> Proceed to domain generation using THESE keywords (not the broad ones)

Red flags — niche is too narrow:

• <100 monthly searches for ALL related keywords
• No one is searching for this problem at all
• You can't find 5+ related long-tail keywords
• No Reddit/forum threads discussing the topic

Green flags — good sub-niche:

• 500-5000 monthly searches for primary keyword
• Page 1 has indie sites/blogs (not all big brands)
• Clear user pain point with emotional language in forums
• 2-3 competitors max, not 20+
• Related long-tail keywords exist for content strategy

Step 5: Generate Domain Candidates

Use keywords from your low-competition sub-niche (Step 4), NOT the broad niche keywords.

Combine keywords using these patterns:

Pattern	Formula	Example
Verb + Noun	action + niche	shipcode.dev
Modifier + Noun	prefix + niche	gofasting.com
Noun + Verb	niche + action	fasttrack.io
Noun + Benefit	niche + emotion	fastzen.com
Compound	word1 + word2	mealtimer.app
Play on words	pun/rhyme	fasthero.com
Prefix + Root	try/get/my + word	tryfasting.com

Rules for good domain names:

• Max 12 characters (excluding TLD) - shorter is better
• No hyphens
• No double letters at junction (e.g., "press-start" -> "pressstart" has "ss")
• Easy to spell when heard aloud (the "radio test")
• No trademark conflicts with major brands
• Contains at least 1 Tier A or Tier B keyword

Generate 30-50 candidates across patterns.

Step 6: Check Availability

For each candidate, verify availability using these methods (in order of reliability):

Method 1: WHOIS via Bash (most reliable)

# Check single domain
whois example.com | grep -i "no match\|not found\|available\|no entries"

# If whois is not installed, use:
nslookup example.com | grep -i "NXDOMAIN"
# NXDOMAIN = likely available (no DNS record), but not 100% proof

Method 2: WebSearch for registrar check

Search: "example.com" site:who.is
Search: "example.com domain availability"

Method 3: DNS probe via Bash

# Quick batch check - no DNS = likely available
for domain in fastzen.com gofasting.io tryfasting.app; do
  echo -n "$domain: "
  dig +short "$domain" A | head -1 || echo "NO RECORD"
done

Important caveats:

• No DNS record does NOT guarantee availability (domain can be registered but not pointed)
• WHOIS is authoritative but rate-limited
• Always recommend user verify on registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, Porkbun) before purchasing
• Premium/aftermarket domains may show as "taken" but be for sale

Step 7: Score & Rank

Rate each available domain on these criteria:

Criteria	Weight	Score 1-5
Low competition for keyword	25%	VERY LOW = 5, LOW = 4, MEDIUM = 3, HIGH = 2, VERY HIGH = 1
Contains searchable keyword	20%	How popular is the keyword?
Length (shorter = better)	15%	<8 chars = 5, 8-10 = 4, 10-12 = 3, 12+ = 2
Memorability	15%	Radio test: easy to spell when heard?
Brandability	10%	Can you build a brand around it?
TLD quality	10%	.com = 5, .io/.app/.dev = 4, .co = 3, others = 2
Niche specificity	5%	Generic = 1, sub-niche specific = 5

Weighted score = sum(weight * score)

Step 8: Present Shortlist

Present top 5-10 domains as a ranked table:

| # | Domain | Score | Sub-Niche | Competition | Why |
|---|--------|-------|-----------|-------------|-----|
| 1 | fastzone.app | 4.5 | fasting zones | LOW | Novel concept, no direct competitors, .app fits |
| 2 | herfasting.com | 4.3 | fasting for women | LOW | Underserved audience, .com, clear positioning |
| 3 | fastzen.com | 4.0 | mindful fasting | MEDIUM | Short, memorable, .com available |

Include:

• Estimated registration cost (standard ~$10-15/yr, premium varies)
• Note any trademark risks
• Which sub-niche keyword each domain targets
• Competition level for that sub-niche
• A "dark horse" pick (unconventional but memorable)

Always end with: "Verify availability on a registrar (Namecheap/Cloudflare/Porkbun) before purchasing - results may have changed since this check."

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Targeting high-competition keywords	A domain with "fasting" competes with Zero/Fastic. "fastzone" competes with nobody
Starting with brainstorming names	Start with keyword research - data before creativity
Ignoring the "radio test"	Say it aloud. If you need to spell it, it's bad
Chasing .com only	.io, .app, .dev are legitimate for tech products
Too clever/abstract	"zyxira.com" means nothing and ranks for nothing
Skipping trademark check	Search USPTO/EUIPO before committing
Domain too long	If you can't fit it in a tweet handle, it's too long

Quick Reference

Best free keyword tools to search for:

• Google Trends (trends.google.com) - relative search volume
• Google autocomplete - type "[niche]" and see suggestions
• "People also ask" in Google results
• AnswerThePublic - question-based keywords
• Ubersuggest free tier - keyword volume estimates
• AlsoAsked.com - related questions tree

Best registrars (by price):

• Cloudflare Registrar - at-cost pricing, no markup
• Porkbun - cheapest for most TLDs
• Namecheap - good UI, frequent sales
• Google Domains (now Squarespace) - simple but pricier

TLD cheat sheet:

• .com - default, highest trust, hardest to find available
• .io - tech/startups, well-recognized
• .app - mobile apps, requires HTTPS
• .dev - developers, requires HTTPS
• .co - short alternative to .com, some confusion risk
• .ai - AI products, trendy but expensive (~$80+/yr)