Member Avatar for Hellfire1190

Wll everyone I finaly found a forum host. Its called siteground and it uses phpbb. What I need help with is deciding what the url is going to be. I would prefer .com but .net if fine too. Its going to be a videogame forum so the url must reflect on that.

  • 9 Contributors
  • 8 Replies
  • 411 Views
  • 3 Months Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Splink

Dani AI

Generated

Good start, . Several useful quick points are already in the thread from , , and others. Below is a compact, practical process that fills the gaps those posts left — a checklist you can run through before you register anything.

  1. Brainstorm 8–12 names that reflect the forum’s focus and tone (brandable words, short combos, or a clever modifier).
  2. For each name check: domain availability, exact-match trademark conflicts (USPTO for US), and social-handle availability on major platforms.
  3. Check history: run a WHOIS lookup and a quick archive/Wayback check so you do not inherit a spammy reputation.
  4. Usability test: say the name aloud, type it on mobile, and ask two non-gamers if they can remember it after 30 seconds. If it fails those tests, drop it.
  5. Pick a winner, register it (and the common variants you can afford), enable WHOIS privacy, and add HTTPS right away.

On scope: if you want a long-lived, general gaming community, pick a memorable, slightly abstract brand rather than a single-game or year-specific name (this addresses ’s point). If the forum will start as a tight community around one title, a more literal name can help early discoverability — but be careful with trademarked game titles.

Operational tips for SiteGround/phpBB: once registered, configure your board URL, cookie domain, and canonical redirects so search engines only index the chosen domain. Protect the brand by reserving obvious misspellings and social names. That keeps you flexible and avoids a lot of rebuild work later.

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for ResaleBroker

You might consider a name like

Member Avatar for talkfreelance

Personally, if the .com isn't available I don't register it.

Avoid domains with hyphens as well. Try and be original where possible.

Member Avatar for Gargen

you should try something that will catch peoples eye when they see it like as programming/graphic design sites go stands out which is nice because i get alot of traffic cause everywhere my name is gargen

Member Avatar for Member #36984

You should have something obvious and easy to type. i agree with the no-hyphens... :lol:

A hyphen was the biggest web design mistake i ever made!

Cheers

Member Avatar for AuctionMan

Is it going to be a generic game forum or specific to a prticulr game/format?

Try some of the keyword search tools available on the net and see what people are searching for in your area and then see if those combos are being used (they usually are) but you can then adapt a varient on the theme...

Member Avatar for michaelbenson

Personally try and avoid domains such as www.$$FORUMTOPIC$$forums.com these are too generic and dont really create a site identity for yourself making alot harder for people to actually relate and find your forums unique and original.

Member Avatar for iwonder

hmmm choose for a .com domain if your visitors are not that much into web. as most of people would go typing a .com .

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.