New Domain Purchase Checklist

What should I check before deciding of a domain name?

[moopy]

Hello all,

I'm going to purchase a new domain for a new business.

It seems like many options I have involve domains which were used before.

I'm wondering if there's any way I could check to see if the domain may be blacklisted by search engines.

Are there any other things I should check before deciding?

Thanks,

Moopy

[webdoctor]

1. Do a trademark search

2. Look up old content on the domain at e.g. www.archive.org

[edited by: Webwork at 4:22 pm (utc) on May 24, 2007]
[edit reason] Charter [WebmasterWorld.com] [/edit]

[carguy84]

use the name in a conversation and see if people have to repeated say "what is it?"

[woop01]

Go to Yahoo Site Explorer...

[siteexplorer.search.yahoo.com ]

...to see if only the index page shows up. If the domain is banned in Yahoo, just assume it will never be reinstated regardless of what you do with it.

[moopy]

Hey people,

Thanks for your tips. However, I'm a novice in this field and still need some clarifications:

1. Do a trademark search

Googled for trademark search and found many sites, each checking for trademarks in a specific country.

How do I cover everything that I need to check?

2. Look up old content on the domain at e.g. www.archive.org

And... What do I conclude from that?

<snip>

woop01: Yahoo Site Explorer, what exactly should I be doing there...

Are there any other considerations when checking for domain history?

Thanks.

[edited by: Webwork at 11:10 am (utc) on May 23, 2007]
[edit reason] Charter [webmasterworld.com] [/edit]

[scraptoft]

I always type in very similar variations of the domain to see what comes up. e.g webmastersworld.com.

If it is an established site I would find a new domain name. If it's parked I wouldn't worry about it too much and if it hasn't been registerd I would register it.

[Webwork]

1. Do a trademark search

How do I cover everything that I need to check?

2. Look up old content on the domain at e.g. www.archive.org

And... What do I conclude from that?

The resolution of trademark issues is something that will require competent legal assistance. We don't allow members to play lawyer (even when they are lawyers). There's simply too much to consider factwise and knowing what facts are important requires one to study and know the law.

So far as the role of Archive.org the information you gain from looking at the archive will inform you about how the domain was deployed in the past: Was it a porn site? Was it some form of hate site? If the domain has an unflattering past it might be wise to consider an alternative. Again, we can't tell you when. That you will have to decide on a case by case basis.