Domain Name Tips For Startups

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What domain name extension should we use for our startup?

This is one of the questions that get asked frequently.

There are over 1,000 new domain name extension.

This means that as a startup you have way to many options.

Here is a quick breakdown of the top new domain name extensions.

These include:

  • .com
  • .io
  • .ai
  • .net
  • .co
  • .org
  • .top
  • .loan
  • .xyz
  • .club
  • .online
  • .vip
  • .shop
  • .site
  • .win
  • .ltd
  • .site
  • .solutions
  • .space
  • .store
  • .tech
  • .today
  • .website

You get the picture.

There is way too may for me to mention in this short article.

So what domain name should you use to launch your new startup?

First, I always recommend launching your business on the (.com) domain name.

The (.com) is what I consider the power position, the position that owns the premium position for your brand. It controls and owns the ability to really own the messaging in the marketplace.

I frequently talk about the seven dimensions of how a domain name impacts a brand.

  1. Global positioning
  2. Industry positioning
  3. Branding
  4. Marketing
  5. SEO
  6. Email Security
  7. Ability to Scale

 

But if you can’t have that, what do you use?

It really depends on your industry, competition and desires for growth.

Often, I recommend adding your industry to your brand.

An example of this would be www.canopytax.com

What extensions do I like?

Well I like most of them for specific use cases.  Depending upon your business they can do just fine.

For example, I like the domain name Supplier.community

Use this domain name extension at your own risk…

I’m not crazy about the (.co) and that’s primarily because of email security.

So what happens … If you know the seven dimensions to a domain name that I talk about frequently, one of them is email security.

And it’s this thought that emails will bleed out, all the time, to other domains.  Now, if this happens you’re actually spamming this other domain, okay?  If you want to look at it in technical terms and jargon.

You’re spamming them because you’re sending your emails to this other company that, hey, hasn’t asked for them, right?

And it happens when you create confusion with your domain.  Confusion between your domain name and your brand, that can be one of them.

Maybe it’s how your brand is spelled, if it’s too long and they can’t spell it.

And the (.co) it’s very easy to mix up with the (.com).  It is only one letter after all.

Because we’re so used to typing in (.com) in any email like, [email protected].

So, I recommend really moving away from that unless the market is completely saturated with your brand, in which case I would probably recommend a rebrand, but if you don’t want to rebrand then the (.co) could be good there.

So what domain name should a startup use?

First off always try and get the (.com) for your brand.  I call this the raw unfiltered version of what you call yourself.

If this is not available I would recommend adding your industry to the back of your brand for your domain name.

I do like several of the new domain name extensions for the right industry and competitive environment.

If you are looking for a domain name broker reach out to me and we can discuss your domain strategies.