Domain Hacking: Get Really Creative

There’s a whole world of domain extensions you probably didn’t know about. Now, how do you use these extensions to your advantage?
Go domain hacking. No it’s not actually hacking someone’s domain name and stealing it. It’s the process of using real words but part of the word sits in the domain extension. One famous example is DesignM.ag. See the .ag? Their website is registered in Antigua and Barbuda.
Domain hacks find their extensions from the rainbow variety of ccTLDs. Again, you will need to check on the country registrar for information on how to register the domain and where it can be hosted.
Steps to take:
1. Create a name
This is your chance to shine with a client if they are insistent on something extremely unique and interesting. Most ccTLDs allow for two letter domains (.com, .net, .org do not). The best example is ma.tt, the man behind Automattic/WordPress. You can try Xona, a popular domain hacking tool. I tried it out with WebHostingSearch and got some fun results; the best being the .ch extension.
2. Register with approved DNS providers
3. Brand like hell
Because people most commonly understand .com and .net, getting people to remember a new domain extension and your domain name will be tricky. Part of using a domain hack is for branding, make sure that is stressed in all aspects of the new site.
Common list of domain extensions:
.ag – Antigua and Barbuda. Good for words ending in ‘ag.’
Examples: Designm.ag, Namet.ag
.me – Montenegro. Used for vanity sites or great with ‘me’ phrases.
Examples: Move.me, Search.me, Fa.me, David.me
.us – United States. Great ending for ‘ous’ ending words or using the word ‘us’ itself
Examples: Del.icio.us, Call.us, Email.us
.fm – Federated States of Micronesia. Used for FM radio stations. No words end in ‘fm’ so it’s domain extension really strong for online radios than anything else.
Examples: Last.fm
.gs – South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands. Works with words ending in ‘gs.’
Examples: blo.gs, rankin.gs
.at – Austria. Popular as a ccTLD; used in phrases ending in ‘at’ or words with ‘at’ in it.
Examples: Losef.at, Bureaucr.at, IM.at
.it – Italy. Heavily used for Italian sites; used in phrases ending in ‘it’ or words with ‘it.’ Not very popular as an extension representing ‘information technology.’
Examples: Beat.it, Forget.it
.be – Belgium. Another popular country extension for local sites; works with phrases with ‘be’ ending; words that end with ‘be’
Examples: Tu.be, Ado.be, Bee.be
.to – Tonga. For phrases ending in ‘to’ or using the two letter word.
Examples: Go.to., Pin.to
Pros of Domain Hacks:
• Fun, creative way to express a domain name
• Opens up for a plethora of options compared to .com or .net names
• Becoming more popular; acceptance within the community is growing
Cons of Domain Hacks:
• Must be well branded.
• Needs to be promoted for people to understand a new name.
• International, English based sites may have harder time ranking in search results.
• Has SEO disadvantages. Search engines do not care about domain extensions. With Ma.tt, the SEO value is in “Ma” not “Matt.” You may lose traction when it comes to extremely competitive keywords if the phrase is domain hacked. For example if we turned WebHostingSearch.com into WebHostingSear.ch, we lose the value of “search.” Our domain will also be registered in Switzerland and can pose issues as mentioned above.