taiberium/domain-finder

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)