On Names and Naming: Domain Extensions
Should I go with a .com or an alternate extension?
It almost seems daily that we hear of a proposal for a new domain extension, the good ol' .com domain, running out of possibilities, has competition from .biz, .name, .this, .that. We remember when .tv made a splash and that was going to change everything. When we talk to naming clients we often hear of the frustration that "all of the good .coms are taken," so they are considering going with a .biz or something similar. Our position is to avoid the alternative domains if possible.
Culturally, the notion of .com has become iconic and automatic. People assume that domains are .com unless they are educational or government or non-profits, and any deviation from this scheme is too risky. Your potential customers are always going to assume your domain is a .com, and in our research, individuals even question the credibility of businesses with names that are different than the standard. Think about this from your clients standpoint, right away your business is different or somehow substandard, "oh, couldn't get a .com aye?"
When we create names for businesses and products, we strongly encourage .com domains. Sure it can be hard to find a name for your product or business with a .com, but there are some alternate ideas. Let's say your product or company name is Namexpress but the .com domain is taken, it may be better to go with MyNamexpress.com than Namexpress.biz. This position is controversial with some expert product namers out there, but we feel strongly about the idea; to us, .com is that important.
Should what is available as a .com drive what your ultimate brand or business name is? In other words, is it more important to have the perfect name, or should you sacrifice business name perfection for what is available? This is tough to say. A big brand, a big enterprise, decides what their brand is, buys the domain from whomever regardless of the price, and moves forward. This isn't realistic for the entrepreneur or the start up. For this reason we try hard when we create names to reach a balance between a name that works for your market, works for your product or business, and is available as a 'pure' .com. We always try to avoid hyphens, numerals, and unconventional spellings when we create names for our customers.
Finding a .com domain is not easy, but when you are considering how or what to name your product or business, you should try hard to find .com availability. If you get stuck, we may be able to help.
Other stuff, articles on naming and names:
Stuck. Some free advice on naming your company or business.
Do I Need a .com or an Alternate Extension for My Business Name?
Will BP change their company name?
Hey Man, Is That A Portmanteau?
Some Methodologies for Naming Your Company or Product
Just for Ideas:
- Click here for the Wall Street Journal's innovation award winners from last year, this may give you some name ideas...
Some of our recent names:
- Paintastics (Elmers)
- Verado (Mercury Marine)
- Green Earth Cleaners
- Ignitra (Ignitra.com)
- LevelLife (Supplements)
- ComplyRight
- SilverStar (Osrum)
- Triton
- Trancore Inc.