Two weeks ago a client hired me to find a brandable .com for a new SaaS. They wanted something short, memorable, and preferably 4-6 letters. I started with a list of 200 candidates. When I ran them all through a bulk domain check, 187 were already registered.

13 left. Of those, only 4 were actually good. That's a 2% hit rate.

If you've ever spent hours brainstorming domain names only to discover every single one is taken, this workflow is for you. It took me about 45 minutes total — not the 3 days I used to spend on this.

The Problem With Checking Domains One by One

Before I learned to bulk-check, my process was:

  1. Think of a name
  2. Open Namecheap
  3. Search it
  4. See it's taken
  5. Repeat

At 30 seconds per check, checking 100 domains takes 50 minutes. And it's mind-numbing work.

Now I do it in one batch. Here's the workflow.

Step 1: Generate Candidates

I use a mix of methods:

  • Brand name generators (Namify, Namelix) — for brainstorming prompts
  • Combination lists — I open a spreadsheet and combine prefixes with suffixes (e.g., "nu" + "vio" = nuvio, "ze" + "lith" = zelith)
  • Misspelled English words — like "kwik" instead of "quick"
  • Domain marketplaces — look at recently sold names for style inspiration (not to buy them)

For this client I ended up with 200 names across 4 different naming styles.

Step 2: Bulk Check Them All

I paste the list into our domain availability checker — one domain per line, up to 1,000 per run.

The tool queries each domain in parallel and returns:

  • Registered (red) — someone owns it
  • Available (green) — you can buy it
  • Unknown (orange) — some TLDs don't have public data

It also assigns a value score to available domains, based on:

  • Extension (.com > .io > .xyz)
  • Length (shorter is better)
  • Pronounceability (CVCV patterns score highest)
  • Common word matches

Score ≥ 88 = "Premium", ≥ 72 = "High Value". Those are the ones worth pursuing.

Step 3: Score the Available Ones

Of my 13 available domains:

  • 4 scored "High Value" or better
  • 6 scored "Catchy"
  • 3 scored "Normal" or below

I showed the client only the top 4. They picked one. Done.

The scoring isn't perfect — it can't tell you if a name "feels right" for a specific industry. But it filters out the obvious weak ones so you don't waste the client's time.

What Actually Kills a Brand Name

From doing this a lot, here's what I've learned about what makes a domain fail:

Problem Example Why It Fails
Hard to pronouncexkqz.comPeople can't say it, so they don't remember it
Hard to spellphrendly.comUsers type it wrong and land on competitor sites
Three consonants in a rowtrisk.com (OK) vs trsk.com (bad)No vowel = mental stumbling block
Sounds like a bad wordpenisland.net (real)Reputation risk before you even launch
Trademark conflictgmailr.comLegal letter within 6 months

The pronounceability score in the tool catches the first three. The trademark issue you have to check manually (search USPTO or your country's trademark database).

Checking Trademarks — Do This Before You Buy

Not checking trademarks is the #1 mistake I see people make. A domain being available doesn't mean the name is safe to use.

Where to check:

  • US: tmsearch.uspto.gov
  • EU: euipo.europa.eu
  • China: sbj.cnipa.gov.cn
  • Global: wipo.int

Search the name without the extension. If you find an active trademark in a related industry, walk away.

A client once ignored this step. Six months after launch, they got a cease-and-desist. Rebranding cost them $8,000 in marketing redesign and lost SEO authority.

What About Aged Domains?

Sometimes instead of buying a new domain, it's better to buy an aged one with existing authority. But you need to be careful.

Before buying any aged domain, I run:

  1. Whois lookup — check the history, registrar changes, expiry date
  2. Domain availability check — confirm it's actually for sale
  3. Backlink check via Ahrefs or Semrush — see if the history is clean
  4. Web Archive — see what content was on it

I skip this only when buying a domain for a personal side project. For business, never skip.

The Full Workflow

  1. Brainstorm 100-200 candidates (30 minutes)
  2. Bulk check with domain checker (2 minutes)
  3. Filter by score — keep only "High Value" or better
  4. Check trademarks on the final 5-10
  5. Ask client to pick from 3-4 options
  6. Buy the domain

Total: about 45 minutes for a clean brand name.

Compare that to my old method: 3 days of back-and-forth, browser tabs everywhere, and a stressed client.

Start with the bulk check. It's the biggest time-saver in the whole workflow.