In a perfect world, you would be able to go to a domain registrar, type in the best domain that fits your site, pay your $8, and begin building your dream. Well, this isn’t a perfect world. Hasn’t really been since the late 90s (or in some cases alot earlier). So, here’s what you can do to secure a domain that you are going to be happy building a new site with.
Pick another Domain Name
You can give up on having a really good domain, and just pick things until you find something that is available. Do a Domain Search at DomainTools.com. You can also check your desired domains, and see if they are for sale. DT will list the price above it, or say if they are taking offers. You may also want to go to the domain to see if they have any information there.
Previously Registered
Another way to find a good one that is available, is to do a suggestion search. If someone registered it before, that means someone liked it enough to spend some time and money to register it. There are alot of crap domains registered, but there are some good ones too.
Auction and For Sale
There are a number of websites that auction domains off, or display for sale prices. You can search those on DomainTools also.
Domain Search Tools
There are some new sites out there that help you try to find names you hadn’t thought of. DT can help with that, but there are a handful of others also. Try a site called Bust a Name. You can enter a few keywords in, and they will try them in different order, different combinations, and offer suggestions for other words. Very cool site.