Daily Domain Name Registration Blog

There is a domain name dichotomy: a split between those companies with Web 2.0 in mind, and those who are still focused on search-engine-friendly domains. The bad news is that on either side of the wall, there have been serious casualties. On the old-school side of the Web 2.0 divide are the keyword-based, often hyphenated domain names that failed abysmally after the bursting of the Dot-Com Bubble. The reason for that is simple: it’s impossible to build a brand around a name like cheap-car-insurance.com. It’s forgettable and certainly doesn’t lend itself to integration into a stylish logo. Personally, I think it’s a good thing that a lot of people are moving away from domains like this; in a lot of cases, they’re not worth the pixels they’re written in.

On the brand spanking new side, meanwhile, made-up words abound. The Web 2.0 Company Name Generator may seem like an amusing diversion, but it has a serious side: tired marketing departments really do think that names like Meebo, Bebo and Eskobo (do you see a pattern emerging?) are a good idea.

Are they a good idea? Essentially, they’re all Googalikes: Web 2.0-savvy marketers figure that if a made-up domain name can work for one of the most successful companies on the planet, it can work for them, too. Unfortunately, the names all sound so similar and meaningless that they start to run together. What’s more, they’ve come to be associated with the slew of social networking, bookmarking, tagging and sharing sites that have started appearing over the last few years. What does Eskobo do? Search me. Much like mystery meat navigation on websites, there are a lot of mystery domain names. Even once I’ve been to Eskobo.com (or Trunti.com, or Leezu.com, or Aimba.com, or whatever), how can I be expected to remember what that website is for when I’ve visited half a dozen other made-up domain names?

Of course, this happens because domain names are in short supply, and businesses are getting desperate. As far as I can tell, there are two ways to get around the shortage of domain names, without coming up against the problem of the Web 2.0 business name dichotomy.

1. Choose a made-up word that has some relation to your product. Made-up domains I think are actually quite good include Gliffy.com, which is a diagram-sharing site, and GooToDo.com, which is a to-do list site. Yes, they’re silly and made-up, but at least they relate to vocabulary which is associated with their product or service. Lots of words can be misspelled or manipulated to create reasonable domain names that make sense. Admittedly, no one knows to what your domain name refers until they visit your website, but at least once they’ve been there, there’s a chance they’ll make an association and remember what it is that you do.
2. Combine a keyword with a brand-friendly idea. I know I’ve said it before, but I think it’s brilliant; Domainmonster.com and Studentbeans.com are good examples. There are two good reasons for doing this. Firstly, you’ve got a keyword right there in your domain name, which means a small search engine advantage. Secondly, you can build a strong brand without resorting to a made-up word that no one will remember.

I’d quite like to see a hilarious parody of a made-up domain name Web 2.0-style website. Compulsory requirements: a logo which features a speech bubble, a tagging system, something to do with social bookmarking/chat/sharing/organising things.

Resources:

Web Pages That Suck.

E-Commerce News on Web 2.0 company names.