For those that specialize in the brandable niche of domaining, you know you have seen some funky names get picked by start ups and some go on to get pretty sizable funding. It is the subjective nature of domain names and branding. You will always think I got names much better and they never get a bite and this name that just got $5 million in funding flunks the radio test, has many different possible spellings when heard by a consumer etc…
The Verge put together a little quiz to match the domain name to the start up. Ben Popper wrote:
When you’ve been covering startups as long as I have, you get used to being pitched by companies with bizarre, unpronounceable names. No contraction is too challenging if it means you can nab a five letter domain name. No pun is too terrible. Collected here are some of my all-time favorites. Correctly identify what each startup does and you’ll win the undying respect and admiration of The Verge staff. Miss a few and hey, no worries, you can always PushforPizza.
I thought it was a fun exercise for those who spend a little time each day looking for five letter pronounceable names that end in 00, or track every name dropping that ends in ly which one friend of mine does.
Take the quiz here
a good domain name, worth 50% of a startup’s success
I don’t think that is remotely true, a good name is nice to have but not making up 50 % of the success of the company.
Google … Facebook … Twitter … Apple … 🙂
Would have all had the success they had named just about anything due to their products and services.
this is the remaining 50%
The startups that hand register their domain are the ones that normally have the terrible names. If they buy their domain in the aftermarket the names are normally much better. Here are the names below. If I went out and hand registered these domains and tried to give them away on Namepros there would be no takers. Every name sucks. The only people that would register names like this are startups that know not one thing about the naming process. I do like Yipit though and obviously ABB too but the rest are horrible.
DOOSTANG
SHPOONKLE
ABB
ZAARLY
NANIGANS
YIPIT
POSLAVU
YOTPO
WUTZWHAT
WAKBY
YUMETY
RORMIX
SYMPLER
OXIMITY
So depressing … If I hadn’t just finished a naming session with a client, Shpoonkle might make me want to slit my wrists!
Actually, Nanigans.com would be alright for something (depending on the something). I’m assuming “ABB” wasn’t ABB.com, since it must have something wrong with it.