Your domain name must match your company or product name, and you must have a dot-com extension. For years that was the conventional wisdom. Customers have to be able to find you, the reasoning went, by entering 'yourbrandname'.com into their browser window.
This belief was so pervasive that when the pool of dictionary word dot-com domain names dried up, companies began branding themselves with nonsense words—witness the likes of Meemo, Qoosa, Xobni, Thoof, Lala, Wufoo and Kijiji—just to acquire the prima facie dot-com address. It was that, or pay inflated prices for highly sought-after domain names.
Those days are over. Three factors have changed the landscape:
Sure, we all use search engines for their express purpose: searching. But we’re also using them as a quick way of getting around on the Web. Instead of typing a URL into a browser address window, people are now entering a brand name into a search engine—essentially using it as a navigational waypoint. They know exactly where they want to go. They're simply using search engines as a means of getting there.
How pervasive is this behavior? According to a November 2008 online report from Hitwise, brand and name searches account for 86% of all Internet searches. People just aren't typing in URLs much anymore.
There are several explanations for this growing trend. One is that people have been burned too many times by incorrectly guessing at a Web site address.
Another is that search engines are much more forgiving of spelling mistakes. Unlike direct URL input, in which a misspelled address will most likely result in a visit to a domain squatter’s site or 404 page, a good search engine will suggest related spellings.
Then there’s pure habit. People are accustomed to using a search engine to find things, so that’s where they turn first. And because more people are installing search toolbars into their browser, it’s quick and easy to do.
In June 2008 Internet regulators agreed to open up top-level domains to companies, organizations and governments who can afford to buy them. For a price tag ranging from about $40,000 to $400,000, companies can buy their own customized dot-extension.
New York City, for example, could purchase .nyc. Product categories could have their own extension, such as .car, .sports, and .bank. There is already talk of an .ebay extension. Investors could purchase dot-names, then sell the rights to a registrar such as GoDaddy, effectively adding other options of top-level domains to .com, .biz., .net, .info and the rest.
With explosive growth in the number of possible domain name extensions, it will be increasingly rare to guess at a domain name for direct URL input.
Chrome, Google’s sophisticated, minimalist new browser, combines both address and search into one input window, eliminating the need for a separate search toolbar. Type anything into the box—a Web address or search term—and you’ll either be taken directly to the site or you'll get search results. Watch for Internet Explorer and Firefox to follow suit in later versions in an effort to streamline both the browser interface and user experience. Soon users won’t need to install anything to have a search box always at their fingertips, and the address box as we know it will be gone forever.
What does all this mean for startups and companies launching new brands? Don't worry about getting the perfect dot-com address. Before your Web site is even a gleam in your eye, focus on creating a powerful brand name, which will propel your business both on the Web and through your offline marketing.
To make it easy for customers to find you online by your brand name, it must be memorable. Customers don't search for brands they can't remember. So don't choose a meaningless jumble of letters or a name patched together with syllables from various words.
Instead, craft a brand name from familiar whole words. Your name should lock onto ideas that already exist in your customer's mind. This instant connection is one of the secrets to having a memorable name.
Other factors to consider: How provocative is it? Does it stop people and make them want to know more? Does it have layers of different meanings? Is there something about the name that people can relate to on a human level?
Aside from memorability, a brand name needs to be unconventional in its industry. You don't want customers confusing your brand with a similarly named competitor. Customers should be able to enter your brand name and industry into a search engine and find you at the top of the results. And the best way to ensure this is to have a name radically different from any other in your field.
Once you've settled on a powerful brand name, then look for an available domain name using a slight variation that relates to your industry or geography. For example, if the brand name of your consulting business is "Cranium," buy www.craniumconsulting.com. Anyone searching for "cranium" and "consulting" will have no trouble finding your site. Other small variants include "inc", "llc", your two-letter state initials, and so on.
You can also try to nab one of the new suffixes (see #2 above) that match your industry or city.
So, when does it make business sense to invest in a prima facie dot-com name? There’s still a cachet around a dot-com address. It’s the Internet version of Park Avenue or Rodeo Drive.
If prestige is important to your company—especially if you have an established, well-known brand—then you might need to fork out what it costs to buy the prima facie dot-com name. But do so because it’s right for your brand, not because you think it will help customers find your Web site.
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