What If My Street Address Is Already Taken?

Unfortunately, a lot of domain names have already been reserved. If you have a fairly common address, there is a good chance that your name has already been purchased by someone else.

Below you will find some suggestions for selecting a domain name.

Remember, domain names are not case sensitive, and you cannot have spaces in a domain name. When you print a domain name on a For Sale sign, flyer, brochure or newspaper ad, it is a good idea to capitalize the first letter of every word--they'll be easier to both read and remember. Lastly, you can use numbers as well as letters in a domain name.

• Try the obvious. If your address is 3097 Main Street, try 3097MainStreet.com
• If that is taken, try 3097MainSt.com
• Still no luck? Try adding the town: 3097MainStreetChicago.com.
• Be creative, but remember the shorter the name, the easier it is to spell and remember.
• We don't recommend hyphens ("-") unless the name itself is hyphenated (e.g., www.96Parker-Bowles.com). Hyphenated names tend to get confusing and are tough to remember.

If you are running out of ideas trying to find a suitable "dot com" address, you still have other alternatives ...

• Try a "dot net" address (select the drop-down arrow on the Check Availability area above and select ".net"). While these are not as desirable as a "dot com," they are certainly a viable alternative.
• The "dot org" domain is typically used to indicate a not-for-profit organization, but there is probably a good chance that your address is available for the .org address. It's worth a try--enter your street address in the empty field then select the drop-down arrow on the Check Availability area above and select ".org"
• There are a number of other extensions available. Generally, the two character "top-level domains" are reserved for use by a country--for example, .US for the United States and .CA for Canada. The .CA names are reserved for Canadian citizens and organizations. These might be available to you, depending upon your citizenship. If you try to secure a domain that you are not qualified to purchase, the system will tell you before you enter your credit card information.
• If your street address is available, you might want to consider getting some (or all) of the top-level domain names -- .com, .net, .org, .me, .mobi, .us, .tv, etc. -- at the same time. This prevents others from purchasing variations of your domain name in the future. Keep in mind that prices vary among the these types of domains. Prices will be reflected accordingly.

If you still need help, you're always welcome to call our technical support line, available 24/7.
Click the Check Availability button and call the number at the top-left corner of the screen.