A lot of startups, new companies don’t think too much about their domain name, they don’t realize that it’s important. Choosing the right domain name for your new company is just as important as naming your baby. Just as an awkward name can make life awkward for your child, a bad domain name can kill a company.
If you don’t believe me, take a look at these famous company name changes: BackRub Web crawler Google Cadabra Amazon Amazon AuctionWeb Auction Site eBay eBay Sky peer-to-peer Skype Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Sony Sony
So how do you choose the right name for your startup? Here are some tips to keep your ideas flowing.
Make sure it’s universal
In 1945, an entrepreneur named Sam Walton started a business called Walton’s Five and Dime. By 1969, the company had changed its name to wal-mart. Sam Walton had to change the name of his company because he realized that a more generic name would more easily expand his business model, and because of its simplicity, it would better appeal to his target audience.
While it’s not impossible to change your name later, it’s much more difficult than starting from scratch. Once your company is established and widely known, rebranding it can take a lot of time and money, resources that could be better used elsewhere to grow your business. So how do you choose the right name for your startup? Here are some tips to keep your ideas flowing
It has to be simple
Look at the domain name upgrade of these companies, JD bought JD.com for 30 million yuan, 360 spent 106 million yuan to buy 360.com, Xiaomi 22.43 million yuan to buy Mi.com, vipshop 12 million yuan vip.com, these companies have given up the original domain name, spend a lot of money to strengthen the brand, make it easier and easier for users to remember them.
Once your company is big, it’s important to have easy-to-remember and quickly spelled domain names like htFiver.com and Flicker.com, because users can easily misspell them in a browser. Flickr ended up paying more than $600,000 for the domain name Flicker.com.
Make sure it’s easy to remember
If the customer can’t remember your domain name all the time, or needs to explain it to them, that’s bad. You need a catchy, memorable name so it sticks in people’s minds.
Make a list of your ideas and choose the names you like. Then rank them according to their length and ease of remembering. Shorter ones are usually easier to remember.
The world is changing and the importance of a company’s brand name and domain name is growing. Having a unique and memorable name is a great way for a new company to stand out.
When there are millions of other businesses offering similar products and services competing for customers’ attention, one great product alone won’t do the job.
Evoke a feeling
Humans are emotional animals and rely mainly on their feelings to make decisions. This means that your future customers care about how your brand name makes them feel when they compare you to your competitors. You want a business name that evokes deep feelings in them that are consistent with your brand image.
Listen to someone else
Don’t be afraid to say the name you like. It may change at any time before you are sure. Find someone to discuss it with and mention friends, family, colleagues, or neighbors to get valuable feedback. Ask about their first impressions, as this is probably what your potential customers think when they first hear your company name.
Amazon was originally named “Cadabra,” like the magician’s phrase “abracadabra.” But Jeff Bezos decided to change it after noticing that his lawyer had confused it with the word “cadaver,” which is used to refer to a corpse.
Avoid the nuptial
Before deciding on a name, check to see if there are any other businesses using the same name, especially in the same industry.
Check with Baidu first to see what the result is and then check if there is a registered trademark to make sure there are no potential problems to avoid major legal issues in the future.
If you find that there are too many names you like, choose another right away, or consult a trademark agent to see if your name infringes on other trademarks. Sometimes the name can still be used if the business occupying the name belongs to another industry.
Select the domain name
Now that all industries need to be connected to the Internet, having a domain name that matches your company’s name is crucial. It is recommended not to choose other extensions such as.net,.org or.co, but to choose.com and at the very least.cn, which is the most trusted domain name in everyone’s mind. If you don’t own.com, then just give away free traffic to someone who does, because your potential customers will probably think you’re.com and go to his site.
The problem is that finding a good domain name is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Most of them have already been taken up, and these domain speculators are hoping to sell one meter and get a good price. If it is difficult to choose, it is recommended to choose the building block library of one-to-one customization services, from brand design to website, to marketing and continuous service, is good.
Final thoughts
At first, choosing a company name for a new company can seem like a daunting task, like naming a new baby. But once you get it right and the business starts to reap the benefits, you’ll thank yourself. Whatever name you choose, remember to enjoy the process and good luck.
I am a building block library, life is like building blocks, if you are not careful, you will start again.