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The Same Name Game: Do Your Domain Name & Business Name Have To Match?

The Same Name Game: Do Your Domain Name & Business Name Have To Match?

Originally Posted in July 2016. Updated September 2021.

Key Takeaways:

– Think carefully when choosing your business name!

– Before choosing a name for your business, check to see which domain extensions are available for the names you’re considering.

– Don’t rule out a name just because the domain may not be available!

– Your domain and business don’t need to have matching names, but be strategic with this decision.

If you’re starting a new company or rebranding your existing enterprise, expect to devote a significant amount of time and energy to choosing your business’s name. A name needs to be memorable, easy to pronounce, understood clearly by your target audience, sufficiently unique in your industry, and must accurately communicate your brand’s distinct identity and appeal. That’s a tall order! Finding a name that meets those criteria that will also serve well as a domain name can be even more challenging.

Good domain names are short – ideally, seven characters or fewer – and can contain numbers but no hyphens. They also need to be available for registration; .com extensions are still viewed as the most desirable and serious, although other TLDs are available. Of these, .net, .org, and .gov are the most popular. Industry-specific extensions such as .diamonds or .pizza are rapidly gaining ground, especially as many of these names are currently unclaimed, making them easy and affordable to register.

The Lesson of BigBadCough.com

While matching a business name to a domain name was once thought to be essential, today it’s much less relevant. “About 90% of our clients get it that it is OK not to have the exact same domain name, but the startups, especially, don’t get it,” said Alexandra Watkins in a recent Knowledge@Wharton interview.

Workarounds exist. GlaxoSmithKline, a giant in the pharmaceutical industry, uses GSK.com for their corporate website. When they wanted to promote vaccine use, specifically for whooping cough, they created an entirely new website and used the domain name BigBadCough.com. While BigBadCough.com is slightly longer than the 7 character ideal, it is both memorable and clearly communicates what type of content is being discussed on the website.

The main difference between business names and domain names is that a business name is used for identification, branding and legal purposes whereas a domain name is primarily a digital address for your website. As such, your business name and domain do not necessarily need to match. In fact, in many cases, it is better to NOT match the two names.

– Best4Businesses

TTG Tip:
Good domain names are ideally 7 characters or fewer.

Another way to approach the domain name issue is to add location information. BobsPlumbing.com could become BobsPlumbingNJ.com easily enough, and the geographic signifiers can help customers know they’re choosing the right website.

Long story short, there are many factors to consider when naming your business. But don’t let the availability of a .com domain name be a dealbreaker for you. If a name works for you on every other level, there’s a way to find a domain name that will work equally as well!

Launch with Confidence & Get Expert Assistance with Your Bold Rebrand!

Check out these on-demand training sessions designed to help you perfect your branding from domain to design. Or, if you want a one-on-one partnership to help you flesh out your big ideas and create a plan for the road ahead, work with one of our expert mentors!

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Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
Design, Photography, Illustration, Digital Imagery Manipulation, Wesbite Development

Platforms/Tools:
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, HTML/CSS, Wordpress

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Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

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