What does your startup’s name have to do with your branding, marketing, and customer acquisition endeavors? A lot! Your startup’s domain name is an extension of your online brand and makes for a valuable brand asset. Which is why choosing the right domain name for your startup is a crucial investment.

With hundreds of new domain extensions now available, you no longer have to compromise on your name choices and settle for something clunky or awkward. And you shouldn’t. As a cutting-edge new startup on the brink of breaking stereotypes, your business deserves a slick and intuitive domain name.

Finding the perfect domain name for your startup entails searching for something that describes the essence of your business and one that stands out from the competition. Your domain name is the first touchpoint for anyone who comes across it and therefore, you need a name that is capable of creating a striking first impression.   

What are the most common startup domain extensions?

Domain extensions such as .tech, .io, .ai, .online, .store, etc make for some favorite domain extensions among startups. The choice of a startup’s domain name should be based on industry relevance and startup’s brand name.  

Traditional domains such as .com and .net have been around for decades and millions of websites are already using these extensions. However, new domain extensions make for a favorable choice for startups, especially if they are looking to find a qualitative, short, memorable domain names which are not weird.

Startups could choose new domain extensions such as .tech, .store, and .press since they are scalable and definitive and clearly explain the nature of the business. These extensions are globally understood which means they are easier to build a brand with. Generic new domain extensions such as .online, .website, and .space make for some other tasteful and intuitive options.  

What makes for a great startup domain name?

Here are the parameters that make for a great startup domain name:

• A domain name that is short, easy to type, and easy to remember
• A domain name that is definitive, relevant, and meaningful
• A domain name that is unique, innovative, and memorable
• A domain name that is clean, crisp, and uncluttered (free of any lingual or grammatical errors)
• A domain name that is descriptive of what you sell and the industry you belong to

Before you begin your domain search on a domain registrars such as GoDaddy or Namecheap, it’s important to understand the aforementioned parameters to acquire a great domain name for your startup. You can also search for names on this domain name generator.

How to choose a great domain name for your startup?

The best way to choose a great domain name for your startup is to search for simple and short names that have a nice ring to it. Look for options outside of .com and brainstorm for names using online tools to ensure that you’re not infringing any trademarks.  

A few years ago, hunting for and registering a meaningful and relevant domain name was an arduous task since most evocative choices were taken and there was a lack of available domain extensions. With new domain extensions, that is not the case.

Here’s how you can choose a great domain name for your startup:

1)   Keep it simple and memorable 

Since the internet is the primary channel for your customers to find you, think of a name that is easy to spell, easy to remember and easy to recall. Many businesses twist their spellings to avoid trademark conflicts or to find a domain name that sounds right but is spelled wrong. Instead, pick a name that’s more in-line with your business and strikes a chord immediately.

For example, the American media conglomerate, Meredith Corporation, has its online magazine store on magazine.store, a name that clearly defines the business, as well as is easy to brand and recall.  At the same time, it’s great for SEO too since a name like this is keyword-rich in the context of the relevant industry.

2)   Opt for a name that has a ‘nice ring to it’

If your business is not as simple as ‘magazine store’ and you need a pathbreaking name still, take inspiration from the likes of Google, Yahoo! and Shazam. Think of a name that sounds nice, even though the word itself may not make much sense or maybe a new word may be a combination of two existing words. For example, kleos.space or xyber.tech.

3)   Brainstorm with online tools 

While selecting a name, feel free to make use of online word tools that will help you narrow down on a few top choices by giving suggestions:

Visual Thesaurus, a tool that gives you a visual web of words around your keyword.

Tech Startup Name Name Generator, a cool way to generate business name ideas as well as check their domains availability simultaneously.

Name Mesh, a tool to generate a name based on a keyword.

Naminum, a tool to generate a name based on a theme.

With the help of these tools, you can easily brainstorm and generate a shortlist to pick from. This will also give a structure to your naming process.

4)   Verify trademarks 

Make sure the name you decide on is not already trademarked. This will protect you from legal hassles later. Here’s an interesting example in this context involving the tech giant Microsoft. A 12th-grade Canadian student, Mike Rowe, decided to launch his part-time web design business on domain name MikeRoweSoft.com.

Microsoft claimed that this was trademark infringement and demanded the domain name be forfeited. Eventually, they reached a settlement where Mike Rowe gave up the domain name in exchange for cool Microsoft perks and products. While this ended amicably for both parties, others may not be so lucky.

Thus, it is advisable to check, and then double check that your brand name choice is not conflicting with another brand’s trademarked name.

5)   Think outside the box .com

Would you rather be www.brandname-services-cityname.com or www.brandname.tech or www.brandname.online? The first one is not only long but also prone to spelling mistakes while typing the web address. Make a statement with your domain name by choosing something that is innovative and futuristic.

Do not compromise on your choice of name, in fact with new domain extensions, you have a choice to make your name more innovative and memorable.

Take, for instance, leaf.space – the domain name is short and easy to remember. Or, consider louder.online wherein the startup’s domain name communicates a message about what it does, which helps in brand positioning and marketing. 

Where to buy a domain name for your startup?

Here are some of the best domain name registrars:

•         Domain.com
•         GoDaddy
•         Namecheap
•         Bluehost
•         HostGator
•         Hover
•         1&1
•         Register.com
•         Gandi
•         Dreamhost

Once you’ve zeroed in on your name options, you must register your domain name. You can visit the registrars mentioned above to register your startup domain name.

What are some of the new domain extensions?

New domain extensions such as .tech, .store, .online, .space, .press, .website, .site, .fun, and .host make for promising new domain extensions. These domain extensions offer a favorable brand building potential to startups which is why your startup should consider getting one.

What is a .tech domain?

.tech domain extension or TLD is a new domain extension for tech startups, tech enthusiasts, tech programmers, and coding students. The .tech domain extension is ideal for startups looking to build a global brand that’s expansive in its scope, unlike .io and .ai, which refer to specific elements in the vast “tech” space. 

So, .tech serves as an umbrella term for tech startups looking to acquire an online identity on the internet. While .ai and .io are too specific and ambiguous to the common folk, .tech comes across as crisp and meaningful.

With a name on .tech, you can expand your business into other realms of technology without having to invest in a new website or a new domain name.

What is a .store domain?

.store is the most befitting domain extension for a startup looking to sell online. Since the word ‘store’ has always been associated with a business that sells something, using a .store domain name for your startup will clearly communicate what you do.

This means you can choose a short and snappy name for your eCommerce business. For example, the domain twirl.store, is a perfect example of a small business using .store to denote their space on the internet.  

What is a .space domain?

.space is an intuitive domain extension that is crafted specifically for individuals and businesses indulging in music, painting, web design, handicrafts, personal blogging, film-making, teaching or any other such creative fields. .space piques the interest of people when you share it with them and make for an interesting alternative to a .work domain.

What is a .online domain?

.online makes for one of the most logical ways of announcing to the world that you are online. As a word, ‘online’ is understood in over 24 languages globally. Which is why this is a brilliant domain name for your startup. Not only can you develop a strong global brand, but you can also confidently establish an online presence for your local brick and mortar business.

US-based geeks.online is a fitting example of a small business taking to the web and making the Canadian market a part of its business map.

What is a .press domain?

.press is a domain dedicated solely to the journalism and news fraternity. Journalists, new media houses and agencies, publications, and citizen journalists can use a .press domain name to publish news and report the truth freely on the web.

Edward Snowden’s Freedom of The Press Foundation (Freedom.press) is a fitting example of an organization that protects, defends, and empowers public-interest journalism in the 21st century.

What is a .site domain?

.site is a short and easy to remember domain name especially relevant for startups and businesses in the likes of architecture, hospitality, real estate, research and more. Individual professionals like doctors, web developers, architects, freelancers, etc. can also opt for a .site domain.

Not-for-profit firms or special interest communities or projects like the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists (ifna.site) can also use .SITE.

 What is a .website domain?

.website is the humblest domain extension but it stands out like no other. It’s simple, logical, and unassuming. Anyone who has a website can use a .website domain. This makes it one of the most versatile domain extensions since .com! Typically though, .website will work well if you are taking your new business wants a unique online identity.

Even Radix, the registry that owns the .website, couldn’t resist but opt for Radix.website to mark their place on the web.

What is a .fun domain?

.fun is the perfect domain extensions for individuals or startups or businesses who are in the business of entertaining people and who want to engage them in a fun way. .fun is also perfect for those looking to create a goofy website or a humorous blog channel. Consider banter.fun, an aggregator blogging website.

What is a .host domain?

.host is a new domain extension targeted towards all the members of the global hosting community, including web hosts, datacenters, cloud providers and XaaS providers. In addition to industry-serving applications such as community forums, news and research websites, and more.

The .host extension aims to offers a brandable and high recall value alternative that improves search rankings. Just like it did for Imprezza.host.

Final Thoughts

Finding the perfect domain name for your startup is actually a simple and hassle-free task. And with all the information you have now, there’s no reason not to choose a short and brandable domain name on one of the striking new domain extensions mentioned above.