Poor Domain Name Selection

A good domain name is important to any websites success; a little nugget of truth that some webmasters fail to understand. The following are (or were at one time were) actual domains with actual websites.

Today many of these domains have been allowed to lapse and are in the hands of spam advertisers (hence no links), and although these names are not new to many avid internet users, they are funny enough to merit mentioning here.

Domain Name: ExpertsExchange .com

Probably concieved as a web portal where experts from various technical fields could exchange their services and share their experience (similar to, if not related directly to www.experts-exchange.com). It and dozens of other XYZ Exchange related domains quickly became the objects of amusement for forum & blog readers across the internet by their now more popular alternat legibility:

ExpertSexChange .com (Expert Sex Change .com)

There were dozens of similar ‘Exchange’ related sites including:
DollarsExchange (DollarSexChange), PartsExchange (PartSexChange), ArtsExchange (ArtSexChange) etc.

Domain Name: FindTherapists .com

At one time this was a fledgling directory where visitors could find different kinds of local therapists. Today it’s a “made-for-AdSense” spam site, optimized to show ‘therapist. related ads. This domain name has been a point of jokes and discussion for years due to it’s unfortunate alternate legibility:

FindTheRapists .com (Find The Rapists .com)

Domain Name: PenIsland .com

The Pen Island site was once a ‘pen lovers paradise’ where visitors could purchase pens of all shapes and sizes. Today it’s “made-for-AdSense” content favors it’s often lampooned alternate ledgibility:

PenisLand .com (Penis Land .com)

Domain Name: ViaGrafix .com

Small time ISP (internet service provider) company Via Grafix were lucky to grab up a domain that included their brand name in this domain-scarce day & age. Especially considering the fact that it contains one of the most spammed terms in internet history:

ViagraFix .com (Viagra Fix .com)

Domain Name: MoleStationNursery .com

I hesitate to mention this one due to it’s distasteful nature, but it’s a great example of a poorly thought out domain name. Once the online home of Mole Station Native Nursery located in Mole Station, Tenterfield, Australia, the domain was dropped in favor of www.MoleRiverNursery.com a less confusing domain name than the ill fated original:

MolestationNursery .com (Molestation Nursery .com)

Domain Name: IHAVegas .com

This I. H. A. Vegas site is apparently some sort of holiday vacation rentals website, but has been in the middle of a really important update for months/years now. Either way it’s now known by it’s much more popular name:

IHaveGas .com (I Have Gas .com)

Domain Name: TeachersTalk .co.uk

Still an active, thriving community site for teachers and educators, this site has gotten some mention from time to time since it’s name can be misread as something a bit more sinister than what I imagine the owner had intended:

TeacherStalk .co.uk (Teacher Stalk .co.uk)

Domain Name: ChildrensWear .co.uk

Another active website where visitors can browse and purchase children’s clothing and other odds & ends (includng apparently women’s lingerie – slightly creepy). Although a decent domain name in itself, it’s humorous alternate legibility apparently tattles on some unknown youths on account of their use of innappropriate vergiage:

ChildrenSwear .co.uk (Children Swear .co .uk)

Domain Name: BigAlsOnline .com

Big Al’s online shop is a thriving online aquarium accessories store, where visitors can buy all sorts of chemicals, accessories, fish, plants and books related to aquariums and aquarium care. Not at all the type of content some visitors might expect if they are visiting the site based on it’s alternate legibility:

BiGalsOnline .com ( Bi Gals Online .com)