Deciding on a domain name for your online presence is a pivotal moment for any business in the modern world, and you’ve probably noticed that most companies align their business and domain names. But is it always necessary? Does your domain name have to match your business name?
We will take a closer look at the pros and cons of each option and show you how sometimes it can be beneficial to have different business and domain names.
Does aligning a domain name with a business name really matter in today’s world?
There was a time when some company names were almost interchangeable with the products they offered. For instance, people would commonly use “Xerox” when referring to any photocopying activity, regardless of the brand of the machine they were using.
But those were the companies that were pioneers or monopolies in their industries. In fact, Xerox was among the first 100 domains registered [1]. The situation has changed since then, and now every industry and niche is highly competitive, with hundreds of companies offering similar products.
Things changed even more when we entered the digital age. The rise of the internet has drastically changed the way consumers engage with businesses. Most of the shopping journey takes place online, where consumers rely heavily on search engines like Google to find products and services.
In this competitive digital era, companies do their best to appear at the top of these search results. Consequently, search engine optimization (SEO) has become more critical than ever.
So, will it harm your revenue if your domain name and business name don’t match? No, not necessarily, but there are some advantages if they do match.
Benefits of your domain name matching your business name
Even though the previous section might imply that aligning your domain and business name doesn’t matter anymore as long as you have a strong SEO strategy, it still does have significant benefits. We are going to take a closer look at them next.
Brand recognition 🔎
People are generally prone to making quick conclusions and need just 50 milliseconds to form an opinion about a website [2]. The alignment of your domain name with your business name can significantly contribute to consistent branding. This means that your potential customers will remember and locate your website easier.
Streamlined marketing 📈
How would marketing professionals answer “does your domain name have to match your business name”? Well, marketing professionals would likely respond with “yes, it should match”. They would add that having your domain name mirror your business name can amplify the efficiency of your marketing efforts. The reason is because of what we said above – brand recognition.
Consistency is key in marketing, and a unified brand name across all platforms – be it your website, social media handles, or email – enables a seamless customer experience. With an exact match, customers are much less likely to wonder if some domain name address really represents your business or if it’s a scam.
Credibility and trust 🤝
Speaking of scams, in the world of online business, trust is one of the most valuable assets. As we stated, customers are more likely to trust companies whose domain names match their business names. This alignment signals legitimacy and professionalism, assuring customers they are dealing with a reputable business. Don’t underestimate the power of “I’ve seen this company somewhere before.”
Customer convenience 🧑💻
Does your domain name have to match your business name when it comes to customer convenience? It certainly helps.
Namely, aligning your domain name with your business name makes it easier for your customers to find you online. If your domain name matches your business name then all a potential customer has to do is type it into their address bar and add .com after it. This also speaks to the strength of having a .com domain extension because the vast majority of people will attempt .com when playing this type of guessing game.
However, even if you choose another extension like .online or .store, you will still benefit from having an exact match domain name. This is because it’s one less extra thing your customers have to remember. At the end of the day, the less obstacles you put between you and your customers, the more likely you are to get more sales.
Situations when having different company and domain names is beneficial
Despite the many benefits to them matching, there are specific situations where your domain name and your business name can be different. Businesses might opt for different domain names based on some of the following reasons:
Long company names 🧶
Long company names are not uncommon, especially in the legal and financial sectors. Having the last names of several partners listed instills trust in potential clients, but it is a nightmare regarding online presence. That’s why organizations with long names go for initialisms and acronyms for domain names.
For instance, the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz chose wlrk.com, while
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP chose skadden.com because even the combination of the first letters would be too long and difficult to remember.
Entering a new market 🛒
Sometimes you need to differentiate product lines and brands to gain new customers. Harley Davidson, with its electric bike brand LiveWire is the perfect example.
Imagine an established heavy-duty survival kit manufacturer that wants to penetrate the high-fashion urban streetwear market. Does your domain name have to match your business name in this case? Well, a separate domain name would likely be a strategic move to prevent consumer confusion and maintain brand integrity in both markets.
The reason is that trend-minded customers might find an old-fashioned company untrustworthy regarding modern and hip products. In contrast, die-hard traditional clients and fans would feel betrayed by their company going with the flow and introducing ultra-modern products. So, the company would suffer damage on both fronts and lose the existing and potential target audience.
Soft marketing 📢
Some companies have embraced a soft-marketing approach, launching content-focused websites like makeup.com by Loreal and myfoodandfamily.com by Kraft. These sites offer helpful information to users while subtly promoting their products. They are a strategic move to project a socially conscious image and a customer-centric business model.
However, remember that the trend has moved towards dedicated pages on main sites or subdomains for specific products rather than entirely separate websites. This is because website management for several websites within the same company can be costly and challenging.
How to choose the right domain and brand name
Now that you understand the benefits of having your brand name match your business name and also some exceptions to when it might not be the best move, let’s take a look at how to use this information to choose the right name.
💡 For an even deeper dive into choosing a domain name, check out our full guide using the link at the bottom of this post.
Reflect your brand
A domain name is not just a virtual address for your company. It should represent your brand’s philosophy and spirit. Therefore, ensure that your domain name reflects your business values, services, and vision. It should resonate with your target audience and be easy to remember, which can be crucial in building brand recall among your customers.
Make it easy to spell and pronounce
One of the essential tips for selecting a domain name is to keep it simple. It should be easy to spell and pronounce. This ensures that your customers can easily share your site verbally and reduces the risk of misspellings when typing it into a browser.
What to do if a domain name is not available
In a perfect world, your desired domain name would be available for the taking. But what happens when it isn’t?
Negotiate with the current owner 🧍
If your desired domain name, yourbusinessname.com, is already registered but not in use, you may be able to purchase it from the current owner. Find out who owns the domain and how to contact them. There is no harm in asking, and you might just get lucky.
Brainstorm alternatives ⚙️
If buying the existing domain isn’t feasible or it’s too expensive, brainstorm variations of your preferred domain name that still align with your brand. This could involve adding industry-specific keywords, which can help your domain stand out in search engine results.
Use a different extension 💡
If the popular .com extension is off the table, plenty of other extensions are available. These include .net, .org, or geo-specific ones like .us, .uk, and so on. While .com remains the most recognized extension, alternative extensions are increasingly gaining acceptance. They can be a good choice, especially if they are more relevant to your industry or location.
For example if you are a new AI startup, then a .ai extension would create brand alignment between your domain name and your business.
If your business primarily operates in a specific geographical area, you can incorporate this into your domain name. For example, if your Miami-based bakery is called “Sweet Treats” but sweettreats.com is taken, you might try sweettreats.miami. Many other cities also have their own domain extensions (NYC, LA, Quebec, Vegas, London, Berlin, Tokyo, etc.), so you can use them to boost your local presence.
Add a verb ⌛
Adding a verb related to your service or product can help create a unique and memorable domain name. For instance, if you’re a home renovation business called “Beautiful Spaces” and .com is taken, consider createbeautifulspaces.com. Verbs always imply action, and they can make a difference in acquiring a customer.
Use a Domain Name Generator 🎡
You can use the DomainWheel name generator to create unique, immediately available domain names based on your keywords. You can even buy a domain name and hosting with just a few clicks.
Remember, while your domain name is important, it’s just one aspect of your overall online presence. A well-designed, user-friendly website and a strong SEO strategy are equally critical in driving traffic to your site and growing your business online.
Final thoughts 🏁
The decision to match your domain name with your business name should be determined by factors like your overall branding strategy, the nature of your business, and your target audience’s habits and preferences.
While aligning the two can be beneficial for brand recognition and customer trust, diverging can sometimes provide unique marketing opportunities. It can also help you establish relationships with new demographic segments.
So, does your domain name have to match your business name? 🤔
The answer lies in making the right choice based on a thorough understanding of your business, its audience, and marketing objectives. It can be beneficial, but it’s not a prerequisite for success.
Now that you understand whether or not your domain name should match your business name, you should check out our in-depth guide on how to choose a domain name.
