Josh sends link:
http://www.smallbusiness.co.uk/news/262015/great-domain-name-not-essential-for-sme-success.thtml
J: “The headline is somewhat out of joint with the article. Only somewhat. Bebo.com is cited as a name that is meaningless, yet the site is successful. Bebo may have previously been meaningless, but the folks who built the site and contribute to it built meaning into it. Bebo is a fun, short, easy to remember domain name. That’s part of my criteria for a good or great domain name that reflects the type of site that a bebo style site is.”
Quote from story: “”‘Another question might be: how important is a great name? Presumably most of the great names are taken. It’s only one small part of your marketing and branding exercise…”"
***FS***I think this article is misleading in that it only shows the white side of a white and black ball.. For every Google, Bebo or Zillow there are hundreds of WhoHa’s, Zingzongs, Snap2b’s and Barjo’s that unceremoniously die on the vine for nobody to see. At least if they had a good domain name there would be something to sell at the receiver sale and an opportunity to start again. The name always lives on… and if it’s generic and descriptive, it will have value again, to a different party, and for a different purpose.
Tell that to the guy with the name so bad i can’t remember that he had to spend $100K a day for the past 30 days advertising his Halloween costumes in full-page ads in USA Today
More than a little irony in the fact that the article was on a site called “SmallBusiness.co.uk”. I wonder how many people would have seen the same article (or paid it any attention) on a site called FlubWibble.co.uk?
More repetitious foolishness.
(Especially Internet) companies which become successful do so in spite of the their poor choice of names.
Sure; everyone knows NOW that Amazon sell books, eBay runs auctions, and Monster does jobs…
…but just imagine how much quicker they would have grown–and how much bigger and more successful they’d likely be today–had they instead started with… Books.com… Auctions.com… Jobs.com…
In addition, hard as it may be for all of us “Internet smarty pants” to believe, there are still untold 10′s of millions–in the US alone–who have yet to join the Internet party…and who have further yet to hear about; and/or care about; the Amazons, eBays, and the Monsters of the world (er, excepting the Halloween type of monsters, of course)…
…but if and when they do, they’d sure feel more “comfortable” were the products & services more “aligned” within their minds with what they’re looking to buy/do… books… auctions… jobs.
ps In the time it took me to write this, I’ve already forgotten the name of this “leading IT” company…hummmm…but would I have forgotten them had their name been IT.com… or Computers.com… or Software.com?
Nuff said.
***FS*** Your excellent point is amplified as time goes buy.. it’s easier for amazon or google type names and brands to score first and second out… There will be great brands yet to come, but countless failures which would have had a better shot.. with a better name.