Brandable Domain Names for Your Business

When it comes to choosing a name for your business there are many schools of thought on the type of name you should choose, and subsequently the domain you will also need to acquire. And a lot of companies will decide on a brandable domain name over an ‘exact-match’ domain name.

Compared to exact-match domains e.g. PontoonBoats.com, brandable domain names can vary greatly and the purpose of this post is to outline the different types of brandable domains you should consider when looking for a new, or an upgrade, name/domain for your business.

Suggestive Brandable Domains: This type of domain is proving very popular and if you have sufficient budget for a 1-word domain you can find something that will grow with your business long-term.

A great example of this is the business Amazon.com. Of course the ‘Amazon’ is a massive river in South America but as a brand name it gives the impression, or suggests, something big and amazing. If the founder of Amazon had decided to use a domain e.g. AmazingBooks.com, based on his initial thoughts of selling books then he could have been totally restricted given how many products you can now purchase at Amazon.com.

And another great example is Symphony.com. The word Symphony is a ‘positive’ sounding name and it also gives the suggestion of ‘working together’ i.e things working in Symphony with each other. This in itself enables Symphony.com to be used by companies in a plethora of niches and when a company sets their heart on a domain like Symphony.com then they are prepared to pay a premium for this kind of domain name. The domain Symphony.com (No website or business attached.) was purchased in 2014 for $375,000.

Made-up Word Brandable Domains: Another popular type of ‘brandable’ domain name is one which is derived from made up words. Some great examples of these are Ocado.com or Zynga.com. Again, unless you see these names as part of the marketing campaigns you would have no idea what product or service either company provide.

For the record Ocado.com is an online shopping service that deliver a lot of their product from the Waitrose supermarket chain.

And Zynga.com ‘provides social game services and develops social games for smartphones, websites and social websites.’

Descriptive Brandable Domains: You can use a brandable domain that is more descriptive than those shown in options 1 & 2. These are names which include  a word, or words, relevant to the product or service provided.

A few good examples of these names are ChurchOfCupcakes.com and BerriedInChocolate.com. I don’t think there is any doubt as to what each of these services provide. And they are both memorable, if not a little on the long side.

Abstract Brandable Domains: You can choose a totally ‘obscure’ but memorable domain name. For example here in the UK there are a couple of similar services, both of which have a brandable domain name that has nothing to do with what they provide. They are FunkyPigeon.com and MoonPig.com.

If someone told you those names and asked you to tell them what the companies provided I bet you would really struggle to come up with an answer. For the record the companies provide ‘Personalised greeting cards & gifts’.

With these type of brandable domains you will have to do a LOT of marketing to get people to remember the name and what your service provides. When you compare this to a domain like PontoonBoats.com you can quickly see how big a marketing budget you’ll need to have to ensure you get your marketing message across, as the only benefit your name may provide is ‘memorability’ given the quirky nature of the name.

The bottom line is that there are pros and cons of using a brandable domain name, and they have the potential to make or break your business. So every every care should be made when choosing the right name for your business. The 4 options outlined above should give you a clearer idea as to the type of brandable domain you should consider for your business.

Domain Consulting Service
And picking the right name for your business is not easy. If you need help in purchasing the right domain for your business, whether it’s a new brandable domain or for ideas on what name to use for your business then please click here for details on my new domain consulting & domain finder service.