7 Tips for Naming Your Web 2.0 Startup
One of the first important things to consider when building a startup is the name. With Internet companies being so cheap and easy to start, it seems like a new one is born every few seconds. Here are 7 tips for choosing the right name for yours:
1. Keep Length at a Minimum
What's easier to type in multiple a times for day for a simple web search, Google.com or AskJeeves.com? It's clear why AskJeeves shortened their name to Ask. If you can't beat competition on quality and functionality, you'd better be aiming to make it as easy as possible for users to access your service. How easily a domain name is typed can make a big difference in whether or not a visitor will want to visit often. Part of the reason I read CNN.com for news is how easily the three letters can be typed into the address bar. A good length for one word names is five to six letters. Names should typically also never exceed two words.
2. Be Generic or Be Original
When Flickr exploded in popularity, quite a few entrepreneurs seemed to think that it set some sort of de facto standard for Web 2.0 naming conventions. It didn't. Naming your service Locatr, Bookmarkr, Zooomr, Preloadr, or Frappr doesn't put you next in line on the Yahoo acquisition queue. Either go for an expensive generic name that accurately describes what you're about, or be creative by choosing an effective and unique name that stands out.
3. Encourage Word of Mouth
Company names should not be difficult to pronounce or spell. If a name doesn't roll of the tongue, then choose something simpler. Can you imagine people around the world asking each other, "Have you heard of the web service PriceWaterhouseCoopers?" Well, neither can I. Once a name has gone from one person's mouth to another person's ear, there shouldn't be any confusion as to how its spelled when typed into a browser.
4. Capture the .com
When Nintendo revealed that their seventh-generation console would be named "Wii", the domain name Wii.com was already registered by someone else. Luckily for them, they had the money it took to acquire the domain from the existing owner. If your pockets aren't as deep as Nintendo's, think about working your name around to fit a .com instead of working domain extensions around to fit your name. Even if a domain is unavailable, look up the whois information on the domain and attempt to negotiate for it directly from the existing owner. Ever wonder how many extra hits Disney's dig.com gets because of the popularity of Digg? It would greatly benefit Digg if they got their hands on Dig.com, but I doubt Disney would sell now. This is also why thefacebook.com quickly purchased facebook.com from the existing owner when they had the money to do so.
5. Avoid Using Hyphens
Only in special circumstances do hyphens benefit a website (e.g. experts-exchange.com instead of expertsexchange.com), but in most cases they don't. Don't burden your startup with a hyphen in the domain name just because the hyphen-less domain was already registered. How do you tell some to go to a website if there's a hyphen in the name? If Myspace used the domain name my-space.com, how many people a day would erroneously type in myspace.com? There's a whole industry of people who specialize in profiting off typo domains. Don't feed them with your ignorance.
6. Avoid Domain Hacks
Yes, there was a time when it was creative and unique to name your service something like Del.icio.us, but now domain hacks have gone from being special to being inconvenient. That's probably why Yahoo acquired the domain name delicious.com as an alternative (and easier) way to access the service through the address bar. Words in the English language don't usually have multiple periods within them, therefore it takes more brainpower and time to type them in (both of which are a limited resource these days). If for some reason you just have to use a domain hack, register the .com version and forward it to your domain hack, like competitious.com.
7. Keep it Meaningful
We all know generic domain names are hard to come by these days. That, however, does not mean it's hard to come up with a quality name for your company. An easy trick to an effective name is to combine a descriptive word with a meaningful, generic word. Examples include Feed/Burner, You/Tube, Hot/Mail, Tech/Crunch, etc... Make sure the descriptive word gives people a clear idea of what exactly your company does. The meaningful word should make sense and suggest something positive. Naming your startup something like FeedPorcupine or PictureSloth wouldn't fit this rule. Don't do it.
Comments
Hah!
Great post and good advice.
Of course you forgot to mention the advice about trying to make sure that your domain name has 50% more O's than Google and Yahoo!
Haha. Interesting thought Thomas.
Though, I'm not sure Google and Yahoo would be better of if they had chosen Gooogle and Yahooo as their names.
Greetings from Canada!
Dicovered your blog from here in Toronto via Google Blog Search using phrase "startups, web 2.0".
I like the name of your blog and enjoyed reading your article on naming tips for startups. Will check out your web 2.0 initiative.
Best wishes for success in your studies.
Thank you for your kind words Sheamus.
I fully agree with 1 and 3 but 4 and 5 are arguable
And how this tips differ from usual web sites?
thanks .
Very good post.
oh.. and Cool screenshot BTW..
;-)
Thanks Orli.
For anyone who doesn't know, the logo arrangement was from a screenshot of
http://go2web20.net/
Nice post.
Now I think it's time to change the name of folksonomy.org
which seems to break every rule.
Hah. Folksonomy isn't a Web 2.0 startup.
What do you guy's think of this website name: www.MrCheapStuff.com? Too long?
Well Dean,
I'm not sure that qualifies as a Web 2.0 startup, but as long as you have good content its a decent name for a weblog.
great post. i was just sitting hear trying to think of a name for a new start up. this helps to assure my name choice. i am kinda new at this does anyone know were to find a web designer that could build a interface similar to the one that digg uses along with technorati. dont worry im not going to copy digg, i believe that i have an idea that is totally different, but similar. if anything i believe it would compliment digg.
Jon,
Take a look at oDesk. We interviewed them a while back and their service is solid.
http://www.folksonomy.org/2006/10/interview_with_odesk.html
Nice article, bad grammer. (=
sounds good, i hate to keep getting off track but is it possible to get funding for those types of services with just a great idea. hope im not getting to far off topic.
sounds good, i hope im not getting off topic, but is it possible to get funding for those types of services with just a great idea.
Nice tips ;)
does anyone in the blogging world have proper grammer
No.
No one who blogs knows how to talk good.
Jon, you should read http://blog.guykawasaki.com
good idea, coghead was dubbed one of the next "disruptors" by business 2.0.
Another thing to consider is how popular the name is in Google, since so many clueless users will type your domain name into the search box instead of the address bar.
Getting the top slot is imperative in my books. It is amusing how many sites pop up instead when you click "I'm Feeling Lucky". SEO people are crazy.
now that i have secured my domain name i feel comfortable telling you all.
www.blogbandy.com
bandy
–verb (used with object) 1. to pass from one to another or back and forth; give and take; trade; exchange: to bandy blows; to bandy words.
2. to throw or strike to and fro or from side to side, as a ball in tennis.
3. to circulate freely: to bandy gossip.
you think its a good name, it fits your criteria
if you google "I'm Feeling Lucky". most stuff comes up google related
Very good information.
So between .com, .net, and .org, which one will make a better choice?
If a friend tells you of a web service, which extension would you try first in your browser?
Always go with .com.
If you're still not convinced, read this article by Alexa.
http://awis.blogspot.com/2006/07/distribution-of-domain-types.html
Nice article, a very good starting point.
There's one little problem with choosing a good name: it's very hard to find a short simple .com domain. Virtually all single word .coms are gone. Most combinations of 2 short or relevant words are taken. Even most catchy, short and easy-to-say made up words I tried were taken. Here's one I just made up: http://tyrop.com/ oh look it's in use.
After a long search I found http://bla.st/ - It's nice and short but suffers from the "unusual factor". Some people try and type .com onto the end of it. It's also hard to say, as you have to explain the domain to people.
What to do about it? There must be a good solution out there. Perhaps more global, non-specific top level domains?
Nowadays, short TLD names are extremely hard to get. Buying them is way far more expensive. Not to good, unless if you have known, could have invested on it 10 years ago.
nice tips .thanks for the advice.
Nice guidelines, but i wouldn't stick to them religiously. Google, Yahoo, delicious, eBay nor Amazon have names that relate even remotely to the market they're in.
Nice read. I especially like section 2 and 7.
How about hum.com? Short, sweet, meaningful, easy to remember.
And it's available.
Useful post! Thanks for the info!
Intellegent, well put, and helpful. Well done on this--I'm sure it is a very helpful resource for those in this position.
-Corey (aka Bonekhan)
I ran across showing.com the other day, and I'm surprised that it's even available.
Jimblake,
From what I can see, showing.com has been registered since March of 1996...
By available, maybe you mean it's for sale. Yes, it's being sold via Sedo right now, but the price will be much, much more than registration fee.
Guys, what do you think about the name Jobcloud?
It is a web2.0 job portal where anyone can post Gigs for free.
It can be found at www.jobcloud.com
Check it out and let me know what you think
It's a solid name john. Definitely fits these guidelines.
Good luck.
I agree with this but the problem is some one needs to deviate from the norm of creating unusually different 2 syllable company names. Otherwise we will just become clones of each other.
I personally like http://whatsonmybookshelf.com
It has a longer name but they incorporate it as part of their logo.
To help find that domain try http://www.pcnames.com
The main tool checks domain availability as you type. Very fast!