What’s in a name? Everything, actually…

Imagine you’ve just signed up to Happn, Tinder, or the latest dating app to grace our screens. You have a parameter of a few inches (depending on your device), a selection of your best photos, and a few characters to showcase your entire personality. 

It can be a great way to meet new people, but it can also be extremely hard to attract the perfect match. Of course, if only people had the chance to get to know the real you, you’d be an instant success. But we all know first impressions count – especially in an era of attention deficit.

The same goes for startups making their first foray into the market. It’s widely acknowledged that brands typically have around five to seven seconds to engage consumers before they move on to something else. 

Holding a captive audience is no easy task. For young companies bursting on to the scene, choosing a name which succinctly sums up their business is one of the most exciting elements of their journey. A good brand name should be reflective of your market position, your offering and, most importantly, your business ethos.

But no matter how catchy or memorable a name is, a good brand rests on so much more; particularly among smaller businesses. 

One area which is often overlooked or ill-considered is the company’s domain name. If you’re starting out small, do you go with “.uk”, or do you instantly want to be seen as global, therefore “.com” is de facto? 

Perhaps part of your brand currently rests on the fact that you are a disruptive startup, so “.io” is the domain of your choice to be a little different. But the question is; will that carry your brand and reputation as your company expands? Will your customers really understand the quirky reference you are trying to make? What if you want to make the switch as the business grows, but someone else has snapped up the domain name of your choice?

Just like the perfect profile picture, a memorable domain name can help businesses stand out from the noise of search engines and social media. And aside from the established extensions, there are many more available to help a business tell the world what it’s really about.

Many London-based businesses are already using the .london extension to express their local connection, while members of the Irish community looking to reconnect with their heritage can easily learn Irish Gaelic at sites like www.bitesize.irish.

What is the best domain name for your business? Should you get a tailored extension – or should you opt for the global “.com”? Find out on page two. 

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