Tag Archives: Service Naming

On this blog I already talked about what makes a name successful and how to pick a domain name, but many of you ask if I find a fabricated name to be superior to a descriptive name, and how to best navigate the types of names that one can consider, quickly. Short and actionable, I’ll give one sentence of advice on each type of name. 3, 2, 1, go:

Descriptive

Example: Match.com

Advice: Great as it immediately conveys what it is/does – only if you will never expand your product offerings – but limiting and hard to find a sound domain name

Metaphor

Example: Puma

Advice: Not a top choice as existing connotations, domain name difficulties and Search Engine results can quickly come in the way for a new company

Founder

Example: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Advice: Great if you are the brand, you already have a legacy and if you are Bill, and not Lance

Fabricated

Example: FINIEN

Advice: It’s genius, of course! In all seriousness, it is a great path, if easy to pronounce and recall, and backed by a great story

Acronym

Example: AOL (America On-Line, Remember?)

Advice: A solid option to sound like a larger company from the start; only if your customers can recall your letters and if you can get hold of a reasonable domain name (sorry, three- or four-letter combos are all sold out)

Fabricated x Acronym

Example: Wanelo (Want, Need, Love)

Advice: Great option if tied to a tag line – otherwise the same criteria applies as with Fabricated names

Creative Spelling

Example: Lyft

Advice: Don’t do it, it’s pure laziness – unless word of mouth is not important to you (Wait, you spell it just like Supply but with a v instead of the u?) and you cater solely to ages 18-28

Numeric

Example: 7-Eleven

Advice: Don’t do it out of laziness (I picked our street number, easy does it) as no one will recall it – do it only if you can create shared meaning (7-Eleven: open 7 – 11, 7 days a week) or showcase value (Social 123 – easy as 1-2-3). See my post on numeric names for details.

There you go – no more excuses. Just do it, or dig deeper via our white paper, or if all fails (or you have better things to do, like starting a business) call me for help, or call us for hands-on naming magic.