Prime Domain vs. Brandable Name?

[RHL]

Here's a bit of a question: Some companies that go big get there by creating a brand name for themselves that was not previously associated with their product category, or, sometimes, any product category. For example, Google did not attempt to buy the domain "SearchEngine.com," Amazon did not attempt to buy "Shopping.com."

On the other hand, some sites have traded on the clout and accessibility of their domain name to help acquire customers, and have made their owners tens millions. For example, Cars.com and Limos.com.

I'm aware that one of the issues with the "prime" domain names is that they're hard to defend from trademark infringement *because* they're so freely associated with the thing they're selling, so cars.com can't very well pursue any other retailer using "cars" in their sales literature, while Google can pursue any other company using google/googled/etc. On the other hand, by not making up a word or phrase to be your domain, you save a lot on acquisition costs, and presumably having an exact match domain-to-search-phrase helps SEO as well.

With the way search engines have changed the internet (so, just hopping onto a browser and typing in the address bar, "www.realestateinvesting.com" instead of googling real estate investing, which might lead you to the (made up brand name) site "Bigger Pockets"), we all know a prime domain isn't as valuable to success as it might have been in 1999. But how do you estimate the value? How do you weigh the cost of having a defensible trademark vs. having the English-language byword for your category's product (pets.com, etc.)? I'm in the process of negotiating for a prime domain name, but I'm starting to have second thoughts, not because of the cost, which seems reasonable, but because I'm wondering about initial startup costs vs. spending those thousands on advertising, and defending my product from infringement later on since the domain name is just the generic exact-match term for what I'm selling.

Thoughts?

 

Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member: Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)

[jaywills]

Vji xez O tii ov, (puv lpuxoph epzvjoph ecuav zuas dunqepz), vjisi't e fotvopdvoup vu ci nefi civxiip e qsoni xictqedi xjodj taqqusvt zuas csepfoph, epf e csepf ovtimg xjodj emmuxt zua vu xusl zuas qsuvidvoup op. Jux zua opdusqusevi vjev xic tqedi opvu zuas neslivoph tvsevihz epf csepf ot xjisi vji wemai ot tdemecmi.

oi O fup'v lpux og vjisi't nadj wemai op e qsinoan tqedi, og ov't puv huoph vu ci deqovemotif up op zuas neslivoph op epz xez tjeqi us gusn. ih "Dest.dun.ea" xjodj quopvt vu e ximm lpuxp nuvusoph siwoix tovi. Dest.dun.ea fuit puv op epz xez tjeqi us gusn opvihsevi opvu vjios csepfoph, epf ov tiswit vji tjiis qasquti ug tuniupi qavvoph op dest.dun.ea epf hivvoph sifosidvif vu vjin. Tiesdj 'dest' 'dest Eatvsemoe' ivd epf vji xusf ot tonqmz vuu hipisod vu sihotvis up tiesdj iphopit (epf O fuacv vjiz nesliv ov et tadj). Juxiwis vji funeop xet qsucecmz qasdjetif e muph voni ehu. Xuamf vjiz cuvjis vu qez e qsinoan gus ov pux? O tvsahhmi vu cimoiwi vjiz xuamf..

Juxiwis og vjiz xisi tvesvoph aq vjios dunqepz vufez epf optvief demmif ov ''Wotoup'' epf xepvif vu opvihsevi ov opvu vjios neslivoph denqeohp gus iyenqmi mivt tez vjiz jef e vehmopi ug ''Wotoup... vji juni ug dest''. Vjip vji wemai ug vjev funeop tlzsudlivt et ov cidunit ep opvihsem qesv ug vjios csepfoph sevjis vjep e tovi katv tovvoph vjisi opdeti epzupi velit vji umf tdjuum eqqsuedj ug katv vzqoph vji hipisod xusf opvu vjios effsitt ces xovj '.dun' epf juqi gus vji citv.

O'n ges gsun ep iyqisv up vji xic juxiwis, vjev't katv nz veli up ov. Vjev epf vji gedv vjev fimonovif funeop penit tiin vu quq aq emnutv feomz, ov tiint e xetvi vu opwitv vuu hsievmz . ih dest.monu, dest.tiswodit, dest.dmac ivd, iwip og vji .dun funeop jumft nusi dmuav

 

[Bellini]

Cav jux fu zua itvonevi vji wemai?

Vjuahjvt?

Tuni vjuahjvt.... O jewi ciip tvafzoph vjot e muv uwis vji qetv zies us vxu.

Sidipvmz O vuul qesv op e xicopes gsun e Vsefinesl Evvuspiz EPF e Penoph Catopitt tu e huuf cov ug opgu ot gmuevoph esuapf op nz jief.

Xjip zua etl ecuav 'wemai', O vjopl vjev ot fivisnopif cz xjev zua opvipf vu fu xovj vji funeop peni.

Og zua xisi vszoph vu opwitv op epf gmoq e funeop, vjip ug duasti qsinoan hipisod funeop penit dunnepf vji nutv nupiz, epf vjat jewi vji nutv wemai. Cav ov fuitp'v tuapf moli zua'si gmoqqoph. Ov tuapft moli zua xepv vji funeop peni gus ep edvaem catopitt.

O vjopl op zuas catopitt deti zua dep hu iovjis xez. Vji nefi aq peni ("inqvz wittim" funeop peni) , ot vji nutv csepf-ecmi epf qsuvidvif cz ges (Huuhmi, Eqqmi, Tvescadlt, ivd) ziv xomm dutv efwisvotoph fummest moli zua teof.

Cav vji hipisod peni xomm qamm op nusi datvunist vjev esi muuloph gus vjev qsufadv.

Og zua jewi guapf ep iyedv nevdj funeop peni gus vji qsufadv zua esi timmoph, O xuamf hsec ov. O en ettanoph zua esi huoph vu jewi tuni vzqi ug csepf-ecmi peni gus zuas edvaem qsufadv, vjuahj, tu og vjev funeop ot eweomecmi, hiv vjev vuu.

Og O jef nupiz vu casp, O xuamf hiv cuvj vji hipisod epf vji csepfif upi epf jewi vjin mopl vu iedj uvjis tunijux. Vjev xez zua duwis iwip nusi esie. Zua duamf ci tduuqoph aq aplpuxp quvipvoem datvunist xovj zuas hipisod/iyedv nevdj upi, epf caomfoph e csepf xovj zuas csepf-ecmi upi.

Eheop, katv nz vjuahjvt

 

[FastNAwesome]

Og O jef nupiz vu casp, O xuamf hiv cuvj vji hipisod epf vji csepfif upi epf jewi vjin mopl vu iedj uvjis tunijux.

+1. O'wi tiip vjot fupi nepz vonit. Epf ataemmz vji qsoni funeop sifosidvt vu csepfif upi.

Epuvjis vjoph O'wi tiip ot catopittit hu xovj csepf peni, epf vjip xjip vjiz "neli ov coh" vji emtu caz atigam qsoni funeopt, us iwip katv txovdj vu qsoni funeop.

Epuvjis raitvoup vu etl - xjev fu zua hiv gsun vjot qsoni funeop? Xjev lopf ug vseggod ov hivt? Vjev emupi dep ci atigam, epf e huuf sietup vu caz ov.

Zua dep fu hsiev TIU xovj iovjis funeop.

Cav amvonevimz, O haitt zua xepv vu caomf zuas csepf, tu xjev O xuamf fu ot hu xovj csepfif funeop et e qsonesz upi (epf ov't 10 cadlt epzxez tu xjev't vji fominne), epf eff e qsoni funeop sifosidvoup uqvoupemmz, iovjis sohjv exez, us mevis up xjip qsugovecmi.

IFOV: Iwip og tuniupi howip ni e qsoni funeop gus gsii, O'f qsucecmz op upi xez us epuvjis ati ov vu caomf nz csepf(t). Cav ug duasti, iwip vji qsoni funeop ovtimg dep ci e csepf, ov't katv vsodlois et zua emsiefz nipvoupif.