Startups Stack Exchange Archive

Is .xyz an acceptable domain name for a startup?

For a website it is best to get the direct .com domain name:

www.pocket.com

But those are usually taken and a lot of startups take whatever close they can find:

www.getpocket.com

But would the .xyz be better or worse than the ‘get’ prefix?:

www.pocket.xyz

The important part in my opinion is sounding ‘legit’ and users remembering the domain name. Does .xyz make that happen?

Answer 12024

Many companies have built successful companies on the back of "non-standard" TLDs, but that success typically comes in spite of their domain choice.

.io, .xyz & .co domains are typically chosen because, as you state, the .com isn't available. But to quote Y Combinator founder Paul Graham:

"...a marginal domain suggests you're a marginal company."

Given the choice, it's far better to choose a different name, and secure a .com, for these three reasons:

  1. They convey weakness. How does your startup compare to a competitor that manages to secure their .com? It doesn't matter whether they've acquired their domain because of better resources, choosing a less sought-after name, or sheer luck: they'll look bigger and more successful than you.
  2. "Clever" domains aren't clever for long. .xyz domains are growing in popularity, but how will we view them five or ten years from now? A few years ago, startups were ditching vowels from their name like there was no tomorrow. Now, Flickr and Tumblr exist as testament to a trend that seems thoroughly outdated.
  3. They're alienating. It doesn't matter if your name or web address appeals to you. It needs to appeal to your target audience. Unless they'll intuitively "get" the .xyz domain, more than they would a .com, you shouldn't take the risk.

To close I'll leave you with another quote from Paul Graham:

"100% of the top 20 YC [Y Combinator] companies by valuation have the .com of their name. 94% of the top 50 do."

Answer 6050

The .xyz domain is trying to place itself as a domain for new startups. Their website displays all the new statups and individual sites that are made under the .xyz domain. I would say that we'll see more and more startups popping up under the .xyz domain. Also google made it hip a few days ago, so .xyz definitely will become more and more "legit".

Since .xyz is a relatively new domain, users who see your website's address will remember it more easily because it stands out. Just as it happened with the first .co and .io websites.

If you want to look like a "legit" website make sure you have a very good design and your site runs really fast, if you do it doesn't really matter what domain name or extention you have.

Answer 6051

Whether .xyz is an appropriate TLD for your company’s web presence is probably dependent on the type of your company, the culture and how it matches to your product/service/whatever you’re offering.

For example, for a startup in the fintech segment, a .com or some local TLD like .eu, .de (for German Finch Startups), etc. may be a better choice.

On the other hand, if your company targets young kids who learn reading (better/faster) and their parents, a .xyz TLD is may be just the perfect choice.

Also, abc.xyz is definitely a nice domain for Alphabet, but microsoft.xyz sounds weird in my opinion.

There are probably better examples and there will be exceptions to the examples, hence the may in the examples.

Answer 6054

Whether or not a domain fits your target market is entirely determined by your target market. An audience of programmers is quite conditioned to .IO TLD’s whereas the average young person may be less so. If your market is at all older and generally not online much, you are almost exclusively restricted to a .com TLD in my opinion.

Also, you need to think about how the site will be marketed. You have to say it aloud and be comfortable getting people to pronounce and spell it with as little ambiguity as possible. URL shortening sites that are most often passed around on Social Media do not need to follow this rule because most people aren’t ever going to use them outside of the context of easy sharing on Social Media.

I don’t think there is a TLD for “startups,” and I personally feel like you should not think of yourself as one outside of anywhere it benefits you like funding rounds. Your company’s brand determines nearly everything about its present and restricts or frees a lot of its future. That being said, I think your “getPRODUCT.com” isn’t such a bad idea because your brand is still captured, and it may not be as difficult as you’d expect to acquire the TLD you’d prefer later on.

I hope I’ve given you something to chew on.

Answer 12326

Unique is good, but not random.

There is reason behind all the domain such as

.com is mainly for commercial

.biz is for startup biz mainly for B2B

.org is for organization

etc.

So you also have define the purpose of the domain. .xyz will be good for application about random or unknown stuff. Because we usually say xyz product.

Answer 13434

I can understand the appeal of a unique domain. However, you should always prioritize your market objectives first.

Your BRAND has to be:

  1. Memorable/Catchy
  2. Close enough to associate with keywords they hope to rank with on search engines
  3. Can be easily typed into a search bar without minimal effort and confusion (short, easy to spell)

A brand is usually remembered through its name, and not through its domain extension. To prove my point, name 3 websites off the top of your head. Do you usually say their extension or just the brand?

You probably just mentioned their brand. Next, if you were a random user, you’d probably type out .com first because it’s the most used and thus the easiest to remember.

Another factor that impacts your choice of domain extension would be your target market. .com extensions are great for a global audience. So are .co and .io. Recently, .xyz is said to be growing more and more popular because it’s the last 3 letters of the alphabet. I am personally still skeptical about this last domain extension. I would put my money on either .co or .io first.

TL;DR: Is .XYZ “acceptable”? Yes. Authoritative? At this point, not so much.

Don’t focus too much on your domain extension. Think about your brand and content first.

All content is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.