5. Choose Your Domain Name Strategy
Creating a domain name is a crucial component of improving your company’s SEO. Essentially, there are two approaches to creating a domain name. The first approach is to use descriptive domain, where your service or product is captured in a short set of words. A few popular examples would be freecreditreport.com, cellphones.com or greatdeals.com.
The second approach is to make your company name your domain name. Sometimes, since this is more difficult to do, either because the domain you want is already owned or it is way too expensive to purchase on a startup company’s budget, many people look to see what domains are available before choosing their official company name.
Many domain sites have a plethora of names available for great deals, and you can usually pick up a site with a creative, brandable domain name that you would have never picked without it being suggested to you. Don’t forget to try this avenue.
6. Keep Potential Associations in Mind
To create a great brand name, take a moment to think about the qualities that you want to convey and how you can connect them to your name. For example, consider Greyhound bus lines.
Greyhounds are animals that are built for speed, and the association with the color gray calls to mind the steel and aluminum of the buses. The browser brand Firefox has connotations of being bright like fire, and clever like a fox. This can be a great tip to keep in mind when you are brainstorming names.
7. Keep Things Simple
If you have to explain your brand name, you are in trouble.
You should always keep in mind the KISS method (i.e. Keep It Simple, Stupid!). Great brands can use puns, references or a play on words, but if they have to be explained, the name is not ideal for branding. The more complicated your name is, the smaller your audience is going to be.
Former attorney, David Sandy is the Founder of Name Perfection, a site that sells a curated collection of brandable domain names for startups and entrepreneurs.
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