If you've done any sort of domain name search you've probably realized that all of the good (i.e. short and meaningful) names are taken. Chances are also good that you're not interested in paying the sky-high prices that most domain squatters are asking for. The trick for getting a decent domain in the face of such obstacles is to explore a list of names and combine them with prefixes and suffixes.

For example, let's say you're interested in plants.com as a domain, but you find out it's taken. You could also try the same domain with "about" or "allthings" as prefixes giving you the alternative domain choices of aboutplants.com and allthingsplants.com. Or you could try out a few suffixes and get domains like plantexpert.com, plantguide.com, and plantnews (notice I dropped the s from plants to make the name grammatically correct). A little creativity can go a long way and save you thousands of dollars from not having to pay the current owner of the domain name you want.

All things being equal, I'd go with the shortest variation you can come up with. However, keep in mind that you want to portray the correct impression of your site. For example, tips implies relatively short articles and news suggests frequent updates. If neither are true, you should pick something else.

I like to come up with combinations in Excel where can I easily duplicate entries and attach different prefixes and suffixes. Once you have list of options, head over to Bust a Name which is, by far, the best domain search tool I have ever tried. Good luck!