Yes you read correctly, if you haven't bought your name in a DOTCOM domain name yet then you are completely mad in my opinion. If you are looking to get anywhere online then I truly believe that you should own the DOTCOM for your actual name, after all domains cost a small pittance at around $8-10 for a DOTCOM. If you are ever going to brand yourself properly online then you need to buy yourself your DOTCOM name.

I know you are sitting there asking me 'Okay Ben if you think this then why don't you own BenJohnson.com?'. There is a simple answer for this and that is I missed the boat so to speak, BenJohnson.com was available at a point back in the past and I missed my chance to acquire it. I have tried to contact the individual who owns it to try and purchase it but they have ignored my emails and I have been unable to make contact with them so far.

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I know when I am building a new niche website the last thing I ever think about is the domain name for the website. Rightly or wrongly I usally go ahead and do all of my niche research first, create all my content and then find a suitable domain name for the site after that. But how do you decide on the domain name to use? How do you decide what words to include? The hardest part of domain name searching is often trying to come up with a nice memorable domain name which isn't taken and which fits in nicely with your niche.

Ryan Stout has developed a nice group of tools under the umbrella of DomainFriend.com which incorporates 2 other sites called HostSearchR.com and BustAName.com. The site is completely free to use and is great for helping you find the right domain name & hosting package for your niche site.

Choosing Your Domain: How does it work?

The tool is really simple and easy to use, just take the list of keywords that fit your niche and add them into the 'Word Combiner' box and click add. The generator then adds your list of keywords into the system and begins to generate a new list of available domain names which contain your keywords. You can refine your search by several options including:

1) Domain extensions: Search for .com, .net, .org, .info & .biz.
2) Search by 2 or 3 word combinations
3) Divide your chosen keywords into groups i.e. group 1, group 2. Words from each group are not combined therefore preventing you from getting odd combinations and irrelevant domain name results.
4) Add simple prefixes such as I, The, My and also things like hyphens

You can then add your domain names to the 'purchase' box and buy the ones you want, there are around 9 domain registrars to choose from.

Choosing Your Hosting Package: How does it work?

Bust A Name also has a sister site, as previosuly mentioned, which helps you to choose the right hosting package for your new site(s). You simply click on 'Host Search' and it will take you through to HostSearchR.com.

On the left hand side of the screen you can manage your search and refine the results returned by using the simple scroll bars underneath each option. The system will allow you to refine your search by:

1) Plan type: Dedicated, shared & VPS
2) Disk space: From 1GB to 1600GB
3) Monthly transfer: From 0GB to 4500GB
4) By price: From $3.99-$900.00 per month.
5) Features: Including database types and number & scripting language type
6) Software: Including control panel options, software options and much more.

Once you have selected your options on the left of the screen a list of results will appear on the right, these are your hosting companies. This list gives you the hosting company name, hosting package type & price, disk space, transfer, setup cost and star rating.

Overall I think Ryan Stout has created a great little group of tools which will make finding the right domain and hosting easier for webmasters. The tool is useful whether you are a newby or a pro.

To Visit BustAName.com Click Here