Enhance your Startup's Brand Value with your Domain Name
What has your startup’s web address got to do with your startup’s branding, marketing, and customer acquisition? A lot, actually.It has happened with you, as it has happened with most of us, that there is that perfect brand name in your mind for your startup but the web address is already taken by someone else. What do you do in that scenario? You compromise. You let go of that name and settle for something less marketable, less brandable; the only consolation being that it’s on ‘.COM’.
On the other end is owning a domain name that not only is an extension of your startup’s brand identity but also a name you are convinced will give you an edge over your peers. Thanks to the 1200 new domain extensions available today, startups can pick and choose the one that suits them best. From .solutions, .online to .business, .space to even .cool or .tech! The freedom to pick from so many new extensions has empowered the new-age startups to obtain the name they want instead of settling for something that is not their first choice. Realizing this, startups are increasingly going for new domain extensions that are more descriptive and innovative to enhance their brand identity and to get gain a marketing edge over their peers.
Take, for instance, the domain extension .tech. For startups in the tech space, this is extremely relevant. Instead of naming the website www.brandnametech.com, it can be www.brand name.tech – shorter, more specific, brandable and far more memorable.
There are industry specific domain names too like .fashion, .shoes, .host, .dental, and .press. So, startups in news aggregation or publishing can now get a .press domain – a logical choice, when it comes to conveying more with less.
The trend is already being leveraged greatly by bigger brands too. Recently an American media conglomerate, Meredith Corporation, made news when it announced that it has moved its online magazine store to www.magazine.store. Meredith acquired this premium domain name because it understood the value of owning a web address that is memorable, brand able and, what the insiders call, a category killer. The popular website, Urban Dictionary, launched the Urban Dictionary store on www.urbandictionary.store, a name that clearly conveys what the website is all about. Freedom of the Press Foundation, which has Edward Snowden on its Board of Directors, has www.freedom.press as its official web address - a classic extension to their cause of protecting adversarial journalism. Other examples of brands using new domain extensions are www.cta.tech, world’s largest tech conference, www.asgardia.space, the prototype of a free and unrestricted society in outer space and www.emirates.store, the Dubai-based airline’s official store. Coming home, many Indian businesses are adopting new domain extensions to leverage on various benefits that they offer. For instance, www.noticeboard.tech is a Bangalore based tech startup and www.newshour.press is a news collaboration website. Hyderabad-based www.freshup.space is a platform to book unique, budget-friendly stay experiences.
The key benefits of choosing a new domain extension for your startup:
1. Makes web address memorable
Have you ever been in an embarrassing situation because you forgot someone’s name? The reason it happens so often with all of us is that it’s difficult to remember ‘just names’ because they do not communicate anything apart from the name itself. On the other hand, if someone told you he/she is a chef or he/she is from New York, you are most likely to remember that information because you immediately make a mental image of the same.
The same applies to domain names. If you choose to make your domain more than just a name and convey what you do or where you belong, you will cut through the clutter and become ‘hard-to-forget’.
2. Works well for Google search
Yes, that’s true! In fact, Google itself has gone on record clarifying why shorter URLs are better.
Google's John Mueller, a Webmaster trends analyst, said, "When we have two URLs that have the same content, and we are trying to pick one to show in the search results, we will pick the shorter one ... it doesn’t mean it’s a ranking factor, but it means that if we have two URLs, and one is really short and sweet, and the other one has this long parameter attached to it, and we know they show exactly the same content, we’ll try to pick the shorter one.”
Choosing a shorter, more unique name is thus a smart move from a business point of view too.
3. Boosts SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
With a new domain extension, you have the option of choosing the most relevant keyword for your web address. This means you do not need to choose a long name with multiple words or worse, a name with wrongly spelled word(s) for the sake of acquiring a.COM. Basically, more relevant and focused the name, better the SEO. This is further supported by a recent contest by WIX, a leading global website builder. The contest invited users to make websites that are optimized for the term ‘SEO Hero’. The top 2 contestants were hosted on a new domain extension, the top contender being www.seo-hero.tech. This goes on to validate that new domain extensions are now being preferred for SEO by techies.
4. Builds a better brand recall
Would you rather be www.brandname-services-india.com or www.brandname.tech or www.brandname.website? The first one is not only long but is also prone to spelling mistakes while typing the web address. That kind of long-ish web address also makes the company seem inexperienced and less-innovative since it settled for something so complicated. A shorter web address on a new domain extension conveys that the company is innovative and futuristic.
5. Brands the startup
Startups can make their web address an extension of their brand identity. Naming the domain www.freshcupcakes.online exactly conveys what the brand is all about, what it does and how it does it.
All of these new domains are available on leading domain providers like BigRock.in and GoDaddy.com. So, while selecting a domain name, startups must invest the time and creativity that the process deserves. In a world where any business’ primary identity is its website, it is crucial that the web address is chosen carefully, keeping up with the latest in technology.
About Sandeep Ramchandani
Sandeep Ramchandani is the Vice President and Business Head of Radix (www.radix.website), one of the most successful new domain operators globally and Asia's largest new gTLD applicant to ICANN. Having invested over $30 Million in securing licenses to operate various new extensions, Radix plays a large role in the global diversification of the internet namespace.
1. Makes web address memorable
Have you ever been in an embarrassing situation because you forgot someone’s name? The reason it happens so often with all of us is that it’s difficult to remember ‘just names’ because they do not communicate anything apart from the name itself. On the other hand, if someone told you he/she is a chef or he/she is from New York, you are most likely to remember that information because you immediately make a mental image of the same.
Startups can make their web address an extension of their brand identity. Naming the domain exactly conveys what the brand is all about, what it does and how it does it.
The same applies to domain names. If you choose to make your domain more than just a name and convey what you do or where you belong, you will cut through the clutter and become ‘hard-to-forget’.
2. Works well for Google search
Yes, that’s true! In fact, Google itself has gone on record clarifying why shorter URLs are better.
Google's John Mueller, a Webmaster trends analyst, said, "When we have two URLs that have the same content, and we are trying to pick one to show in the search results, we will pick the shorter one ... it doesn’t mean it’s a ranking factor, but it means that if we have two URLs, and one is really short and sweet, and the other one has this long parameter attached to it, and we know they show exactly the same content, we’ll try to pick the shorter one.”
Choosing a shorter, more unique name is thus a smart move from a business point of view too.
3. Boosts SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
With a new domain extension, you have the option of choosing the most relevant keyword for your web address. This means you do not need to choose a long name with multiple words or worse, a name with wrongly spelled word(s) for the sake of acquiring a.COM. Basically, more relevant and focused the name, better the SEO. This is further supported by a recent contest by WIX, a leading global website builder. The contest invited users to make websites that are optimized for the term ‘SEO Hero’. The top 2 contestants were hosted on a new domain extension, the top contender being www.seo-hero.tech. This goes on to validate that new domain extensions are now being preferred for SEO by techies.
4. Builds a better brand recall
Would you rather be www.brandname-services-india.com or www.brandname.tech or www.brandname.website? The first one is not only long but is also prone to spelling mistakes while typing the web address. That kind of long-ish web address also makes the company seem inexperienced and less-innovative since it settled for something so complicated. A shorter web address on a new domain extension conveys that the company is innovative and futuristic.
5. Brands the startup
Startups can make their web address an extension of their brand identity. Naming the domain www.freshcupcakes.online exactly conveys what the brand is all about, what it does and how it does it.
All of these new domains are available on leading domain providers like BigRock.in and GoDaddy.com. So, while selecting a domain name, startups must invest the time and creativity that the process deserves. In a world where any business’ primary identity is its website, it is crucial that the web address is chosen carefully, keeping up with the latest in technology.
About Sandeep Ramchandani
Sandeep Ramchandani is the Vice President and Business Head of Radix (www.radix.website), one of the most successful new domain operators globally and Asia's largest new gTLD applicant to ICANN. Having invested over $30 Million in securing licenses to operate various new extensions, Radix plays a large role in the global diversification of the internet namespace.
