How to choose a domain name for your app
Apps need websites too. Not just desktop apps. Mobile and tablet apps can also benefit from a slick website that gives users information about the app, a well-maintained blog, and a link to where you can download it. Some app-making enthusiasts have even argued that, for app-based businesses, making a strong website for your app is actually more pressing than making the app itself.
Fortunately, this is not a complicated task. The difficulty for new app companies is finding the finding and securing the right domain name. If this is a hurdle you have not yet considered, fear not, we will talk you through the ins and outs of picking an app domain name.
Why you need a website at [your app name].com
For all businesses, not just apps, the ideal domain name will almost always be an exact match of the brand name at a .com address. Stylistically and in regard to brand image, this consistency is hugely beneficial. There are also a number of other advantages to consider.
App websites can be hugely important to the development and success of your software venture. They can be used to collect information about potential customers and to begin to establish an online presence for your app. Once the app has been released, a well maintained site will keep users informed about updates, host FAQs and reviews and, most importantly of all, offer a download link through app stores.
Say you have an app that lets customers sign documents on their phones called Signitive. signitive.com is definitely the best web address to host all the information about the app. If you are expecting people to Google your app, [your app name].com will very likely appear first in the search results due to the matching names. Sharing a download link to your app with the app’s name in the domain will also provide reassurance to customers and will look much better — even if it just redirects to the App Store.
If [your app name].com is taken there are other options
Undesirable as the scenario is, missing out on your perfect .com domain name is not the end of the world. There will always be good alternatives. Some suggest adding the word “app” to the end of your app name as a solution. This would leave you with signitiveapp.com instead of the more straightforward and authoritative signitive.com.
Then there is the prospect of using a niche top level domain for your app’s web address. Rather than .com, your website could end with .app, or something more specific to what your app is, such as .bible if you are releasing an app of the Bible (or an app of a metaphorical bible, such as cooking.bible).
These options are both serviceable, but we always recommend that brands use a .com domain name for reasons described in this post on the benefits of dot com domains. (Above all else, they increase the authority of your brand in the eyes of consumers and investors.)
If you can’t get the right app domain name — rebrand!
If you have a name for your app and the relevant .com domain name is taken, it is likely that another business already goes by your app’s name. If you want to call your app Novanym, for example, you will find the novanym.com domain is very much occupied by a stellar branding agency of that name. At best, this will cause confusion. At worst, it could turn into a legal argument.
No amount of domain name compromise will solve this problem, so it might be best to head back to the brand drawing board. (We have one in our office if you don’t.) Settling on a new, exciting and unique name for your app will give you a second chance to secure that perfect .com domain from the beginning.
All of our business names here at Novanym come with perfect .com web addresses guaranteed. Our software and tech business names might be a good place to start for app-applicable names. And needless to say, if you’ve only just conceived of your idea for an app and haven’t thought of a name yet, get in touch today.