Very similar domain, same title, same topic

[Mat30]

I was about to publish a new blog/magazine-type site that I've been working on for some time now, but I just found a site, with the same title, the same topic, and a very similar domain name. e.g. if the sites were about JavaScript (random example), my domain name would be javascriptmag.com and the other would be javascriptmagazine.com.

I'm sure that I checked before registering, but I guess that I missed it somehow. The other site isn't launched yet, but already has accounts in some social media on its homepage. Kickin' myself a bit.

As I've nothing to lose other than a domain fee, I think that I should rethink it and come up with a different title and domain name, but I'm not experienced with this, so I need some advice. Should I try to find a keyword-plus-someotherword combo? A made-up word? Or some unrelated but possibly vaguely memorable/interesting phrase.

In-depth answers, or at least links to good in-depth articles that I may well have missed in my efforts to resolve this via Google, would have my very grateful thanks.

[Mikl]

An interesting question. My own inclination would be to look for a different domain name, but not necessarily a different title, and definitely not a different topic (since presumably the topic is something you are interested in and would like to write a blog about).

But I'm not sure. It will be interesting to hear what others think.

Mike

[Mat30]

Yes, the topic will, of course, be unaltered. But I think that the title should match, or near enough, the domain name, though. It will have a slogan in any case, so visitors will see what it's about easily enough.

[kohoutek]

I'd opt for a different name. Those two domain names are too similar and will undoubtedly create confusion if both, your site and the other site have the same topic, and almost identical domain name.

[Mat30]

Yeah, I agree. But what type of name (including those that I mentioned) should I aim to find, kohoutek? That's what I'm finding most tricky.

Edit: Also, can anyone suggest the best way to come up with made-up names, in case that's the route that I take? So far, I've only found and used Domaintyper's random generator.

[zeeb44]

Well is your domain name something generic like javacriptmag.com or do you actually have a name for your website? Like sitepoint, just from the name you wouldn't really be able to tell what the site was about. So if you don't have a unique name. Make one up then add mag on the end of it. Or don't, or buy both so you have all the domain name combinations.

[kohoutek]

You don't have to have "javascript" in the domain name. If your site is a good resource, people will find it anyway.

As for finding a good domain name, I'd say that's up to your creativity. You could create a brand that doesn't contain the key term or you could combine the key term with something else that reflects what you initially wanted and replace the term "mag" with a synonym.
Sometimes really good synonyms pop up when you look them up in a Thesaurus.

Personally, I prefer domain names that are unique, catchy, funny, and short. They must not even be existing words, they can be made up or be a combination of word fragments joined up. If it were my project, I'd probably not include "javascript" in the domain and go for something abstract, but that's just personal preference.

[Mat30]

You make good points, there. OK, so I'm heading more towards something made-up, or at least a couple of catchy but not necessarily related words.

Can you suggest any advice for how to think of something good / find inspiration /etc. ?

[Mat30]

Another thought. What about removing vowels from a keyword, as long as it's still readily understandable?

[TechnoBear]

Another thought. What about removing vowels from a keyword, as long as it's still readily understandable?

Make sure it's also readily pronounceable. You don't want to have to spell it out every time you tell somebody your domain - doubly important if you're going to use it for e-mail, too.

[Mat30]

Yeah, that's true enough, Technobear. But the lack of name availability makes compromise a requirement I'd be more worried if it was a commercial site and/or used for e-mail addresses.

[kohoutek]

@Mat30, I usually do this when I have a spare, relaxed moment. Don't pressure yourself too much, instead find a free hour where you can concentrate and start brainstorming, writing down names, or partial names. Play with words, syllables, make up words, or leave out or add a vowel or consonant—sites like dribbble or flickr are quite powerful names to give examples of existing words spelled wrongly—and see if you can come up with a few names that are short and memorable.

[Mat30]

Thanks, kohoutek. I'll try that.

[M.Anthony]

kohoutek has a great advice there. All of us should take it into consideration.

Anyway, you really don't need to have the keyword contained in the domain name. Although this might be important for SEO, it's not THAT important. You can still get lots and even more visitors by having an easy/brandable domain name. So m2c: get another domain.