How to Choose a Domain Name That Isn't Scary (A Halloween Guide)

Yes, we know. Publishing a Halloween post on Halloween is like arriving at the party just as everyone is putting the candy bowl away. But the ghosts of bad domain names are around all year, so consider this a very fashionably late costume.

Here are seven things that make a domain name frightening, and how to avoid each one before you hit "buy".

1. The Cursed Hyphen

best-pizza-in-town-near-me.com is not a domain name. It is a spell. Every hyphen is one more thing you have to say out loud ("dash", "dash", "dash") and one more thing a customer will forget to type. Keep it to one word or two, and skip the hyphens unless you have a very good reason.

2. The Number That Isn't a Number

Is it 4you or foryou? 2cool or tocool? If you have to explain the spelling, you are paying for it in lost visitors. Say your name to a friend over the phone. If they ask "how do you spell that?", the name is haunted. Our guide on spelling ambiguity in brand names has the full checklist.

3. The Haunted Expired Domain

That bargain domain that just expired looks like a great deal. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it comes with a past life: old spam, odd links pointing at it, or a reputation you would rather not inherit. Look at what the name was used for before you adopt it. A free lookup is cheaper than an exorcism.

4. The Name Everyone Else Already Owns

You found the perfect name, and it is "available" on one obscure extension while the real .com belongs to someone else. That is how you end up sending your customers to your competitor. A silent DNS answer does not even prove a name is free, so read why a silent domain can still be registered before you celebrate.

5. The Trademark Ghost

Names that look a lot like a famous brand tend to come back and haunt you, usually as a letter from a lawyer. If your name is one letter away from a household name, that is not clever, it is a risk. Pick something that is clearly yours.

6. The Unintended Word

Spell your name with the spaces removed and read it back slowly. Some combinations of words accidentally spell something else entirely, and the internet has kept a long and embarrassing list of them. Say it, read it, and show it to someone who does not know what you meant.

7. The Name That Is Impossible to Remember

The scariest domain of all is the forgettable one. If nobody can recall it a day later, it cannot send you anyone. Short, easy to say, easy to spell, and different from the rest of your market: that is the whole recipe.

How to Dodge All Seven

You do not have to do this by hand:

1. Write your constraints first. Length, tone, extension. See writing naming constraints before you generate.
2. Start small. Try a small pilot search before you generate thousands of names.
3. Check your finalists once more before you buy. Things change between research and checkout, as we explain in the last verification pass.

Ready to find a name that is a treat and not a trick? Try the Quick Lookup or build a search with DNS Lister, and happy (belated) Halloween.