✅ Domain Strategy Link to heading

🧭 Goal: Early Signal Over Perfect Branding Link to heading

This step is about momentum. Domains are cheap, and you can redirect later if the name evolves. The goal is good enough to test the offer, not a forever brand.

If you’re early, the name is a tool, not an identity. You’re buying clarity and speed. A clean domain that supports the offer will do more for you now than a perfect brand that takes weeks to chase.

🧱 Start with the Offer Link to heading

The name should reflect the promise. Use your tagline and the voice you just defined as a compression test: if the name doesn’t support the message, it’s probably wrong. Don’t name the product before you can describe it clearly.

Inputs from earlier steps:

  • Offer statement anchors what the name should imply.
  • Tagline is the quick test for name‑promise alignment.
  • Voice traits keep the name consistent with your tone (practical vs. playful).
  • We are / we are not filters out names that imply the wrong scope or audience.

If your offer feels sharp, the naming gets easier. If it feels vague, you’ll spin. That’s a useful signal in itself.

🧩 Naming Paths That Work Link to heading

Two realistic approaches:

  • Brandable: abstract, easy to say/spell/remember (think Yahoo or Google).
  • Suggestive: brandable but clearly tied to the purpose (DocuSign is a good example).

Purely descriptive domains are usually gone. Unless you’re truly novel, you’ll burn time chasing taken names. Favor something you can own and say out loud without friction.

If you can’t say it quickly or you have to explain the spelling, it will cost you later. Early on, that cost is bigger than any perceived cleverness.

🔎 Build a Short List and Cut Ruthlessly Link to heading

Create 5–10 options in each path. Say them out loud. Spell them once. If the name is awkward, confusing, or easy to misspell, drop it.

This is a fast filter, not a branding workshop. The goal is to find one good option, not to build a brand book.

⚠️ Quick Conflict Check Link to heading

Do a basic search. If the overlap is direct and confusing, move on. You’re not doing legal due diligence here — just avoiding obvious collisions.

Also check for names that dominate search results. If the name is saturated, it’s a hint to pick something else.

🌐 Domain Choices Link to heading

Prefer .com if it’s clean and available. Otherwise choose a credible alternative. Make sure the root domain and www are both understood, and plan to redirect one to the other.

The goal is good enough to ship. You can consolidate later if the brand shifts.

✅ Decision Rules Link to heading

If two options are close, pick the one that’s easiest to say and type. Don’t turn naming into a project. You can change it later and redirect traffic if needed.

At this stage, speed beats perfection. A good name used today is better than a perfect name unused for a month.

💳 Buy the Domain Link to heading

Buy it now. Enable auto‑renew. Keep the receipt.

This is a tiny cost relative to the learning you’ll get from putting the idea in front of real people.

If you’re already in AWS, Route 53 is a solid default. The pricing is simple, and it integrates cleanly with later steps like domain mapping and DNS validation.

✅ Output Link to heading

By the end of this step you should have:

  1. A final name and domain.
  2. A one‑paragraph rationale for the choice.
  3. A quick check that your “we are / we are not” list still fits the name.

Next up: building a simple pre-launch site that turns the offer into a clear one-page message.