Domain Names and Branding:
A person can compile a long list of successful Internet companies that built their empires on a domain name that doesn’t immediately communicate what their business is:
- Amazon.com
- Google.com
- eBay.com
- Twitter.com
- YouTube.com
- Yahoo.com
These web brands are all household names, but they certainly didn’t start that way… they had to pour considerable funds into marketing and branding these domain names in a way that communicated what to expect at a website called “Amazon”
Other well-known brands started with investing their funds into the domains that immediately told their story. Their domain names are often referred to as “category killer” domains:
- Hotels.com
- Golf.com
- Trails.com
- Classmates.com
- Ancestory.com
- Dictionary.com
And then there are the tweeners, where once you hear what the website is about, the domain name instantly makes sense:
- Facebook.com
- Match.com
- Business.com
- Ask.com
Naming strategies for startup companies will often just come down to the the founders going with their strengths, and aligned with their wallets.
When I acquired control of the domain name MO.com, it was with the intent to build an online resource about my home state of Missouri (MO). As things progressed it became clear the domain name was highly versatile and very brandable. I think domain owners may have invented the word “brandable” because Bill Gates keeps telling me it isn’t a word by underlining it in red when I use it to describe domain names. But for domain owners and investors, how brandable a domain is will often factor into the value and price of a domain name.
To date, I have leaned heavily in favor of the middle group; generic domains that clearly communicate what the website will be about, and define a niche, such as OfficeSupply.com and GolfCourses.com.
By switching MO.com from being a website about Missouri and instead focusing on entrepreneurs, I have started down the “brandable” domain name path. I have to say, it excites me… but I guess “the new path” usually does excite entrepreneurs, eh?
I think you made the right decision by not making MO.com a website about Missouri. MO.com gives you wide flexibility not to mention expanding the customer base and interest to 49 other states. MO or “method of operation” works well as a business related brand. Great investment.
@ Ozie Jackson
Thank you for your comments. With each day I have become more convinced and excited about the decision to switch directions with MO.com.
What is interesting to me is the possibilities the middle group holds for building a brand without paying the early stage marketing costs. If you hold a small (6/10) portfolio of TLD’s / keywords – top level, syndicated to a small group with the same goal ex… to develop a price comparison new brand name, lets say insurance, car insurance, house insurance, life insurance, car sales, sports cars, motorcycle insurance each site is built as an authoritative stand alone under the keyword domain but the price comparison platform used on each site is the same new brand name. The benefit to the syndicate in marketing costs would be large whilst gaining long term natural search engine traffic ? SEO from the foundations, marketing an affordable addition later ?
Comments Brian appreciated.
I have the portfolio for an industrialised European nation, population 60.000000 ready to go.
thanks for the comment Jonathan
i’d be happy to give my thoughts on it, but could use a little more clarity on what you’re asking… i’d also need to know some actual examples of the domains, as they really are unique animals
I am asking if you agree with the rationale behind the registration of a group of keywords specific to one area of commerce. The keywords registrations offer commercial support to the creation of a new brand name in products related to the keywords whilst being individual authoritative sites.
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The registration were made a while back & my associates / family did understand what I was saying then and in 2010 they still do not understand that the value is in the group. People only seem to see the value in parked revenue or single domain name value. I am using the example a price comparison aggregation platform to show the real value of a group of commercially related registrations in single company ownership or as a syndicated group can create a very low cost powerful new brand name.
The value of the TLD is not effected, the value of the new brand could be exponential.
As a group they are unique animals in the insurance world of a European country and I will list the group privately with your permission on another mail format, I am not willing to publish group on a forum,
That is an interesting concept, Thanks.
Something in return you might not have seen http://www.newfoundnames.com/domain-sales/bigger-than-sex-com-auto-insurance/#comments
Brian do you have a view / comment /
Hi Jonathan… sorry, we had our first taste of summer here in Middle Missouri and I’ve been ‘offline’ for the most part…
without knowing the specific names, industry, competition, et al… i can only give general comments
given all those factors i just listed… a lot will come down to your (or your team) skill set… i.e. if you’re great at search engine optimization and search engine marketing, you might do well with a group of names in a network. there are certainly plenty of examples of people/companies doing just that… i was just reading this morning on DotWeekly about the folks at UsedAirplanes.com, who bought Flying.com a couple months back for 7 figures, have now also acquired UsedAircraft.com (see article here: DotWeekly.com)
When you’re laying out big money for names, if you cannot turn them into cash generators, then they become a liability and drain.
When I owned GolfCourses.com, I acquired some other great surrounding golf related domains… GolfResorts.com, GolfLessons.com, GolfShirts.com… those were solid additions. But I also added several hundred long tail golf related domain names to my portfolio, and with hindsight, i would have stayed with the top end names as a mini network of sites feeding each other… but that’s based on what my busienss plan was and what the team’s core skillset was
at the end of the day, i like to tell anyone that listens :)… to acquire domains based on your strengths, and aligned with your wallet
Thanks for the information, there are still opportunities to be found in the emerging European markets , my own portfolio was registered in 99 and I have had to wait for broadband to move through Europe into the old established Italian markets. I am not interested in long tail, just the top end albeit in another language covering the keyword insurance generics. No team skillset just the rationale of the linguistics moving into authoritative sites giving the SEO people an advantage. Happy to hear from those with experience in the European insurance markets.
Hi Brian! Good to see your “sorta-smiling” face! :) Glad to see you are doing well. If you make it to the KC area, give me a call at 913-406-3659 and let’s get together for lunch or coffee and we can catch up on things. Brian and Jeremy would be glad to see you as well. We’re now at 12400 W 62nd Terrace in Shawnee.
Warmly, Rob
Hi Rob, glad you dropped by, and lol ‘sorta-smiling’ face… i thought i was beaming in that pic? ;)
would love to get together with you guys in KC… i will definitely dial you up and see when we can make it happen!
You should have been around last century when academics and geeks claimed…”there would never be a domain industry…”