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Following on from my previous question, how much weight should be given to domain and social network name availability when naming a business? In my case, there are no other business' with the same name on the internet, meaning I've been able to grab the social network profile names and country tld (.co.uk), but the one thing standing in my way is the .com domain, that I really want rather than having to settle for .net or .org. Given the name and factors surrounding the domain, I don't think I'll be able to afford what the broker selling the .com domain is offering.

What is the common practise in this situation? When naming startups, do you typically just skip names that aren't available, or if the name is good enough (which I think it is), would you just settle for the .net or .org international domains?

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You can also go for the latest fad: .co – dnbrv Jul 5 '12 at 13:30
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@dnbrv - More expensive, less catchy and not really public knowledge. I'd expect non-tech-savvy users to interpret that as .co.uk and go there instead (which granted, I also control, but that's not the point). :-) – Anonymous Jul 5 '12 at 14:05

4 Answers

up vote 3 down vote

If your market is global, then I think you need the .com name. Otherwise you are going to lose customers to the actual .com site by accident for years to come.

I wouldn't go without it.

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up vote 1 down vote

I went through dozens of potential names before I settled on one. I even registered a few (with/without the .com). Eventually I came up with a short, pronounceable .com name which I liked, so I registered it.

I had other names with just the .co.uk but wasn't convinced, as the .com always existed and would likely cannibalise traffic. In the end, you really need the .com as all the others are subordinate to it.

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up vote 0 down vote

Concentrate on the value delivery for some time, using modified version of the desired domain name, then you can think of making another offer to the broker.

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up vote 0 down vote

Do not pay for a perfect name unless it's very cheap or you have loads money to burn. Find something similar which is available or fund a reward between $100-$500 creative crowd will find it for you.

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