Brand, Web & Presence

Do I really need a .com domain, or is .io / .co / .in fine?

A starting point

For a serious brand, fight for the .com, it's still the default people type and trust. If the exact .com is taken or absurdly expensive, a modified .com (get-, try-, use-, or the -app/-hq suffix) usually beats an exact-match .io. For an India-first B2C play, .in is a legitimate choice.

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📄 Article
Free Beginner

How to come up with a brand name: the ultimate guide

From Webflow Blog by Webflow Team 12 min read

Why we picked it

A structured, practical walkthrough from a reputable product team covering name types, domain checks, and trademark basics in one place.

  • Understand descriptive vs invented vs evocative name types and their trade-offs
  • Check domain and social handle availability before committing
  • Run a trademark knockout search early to avoid legal dead-ends
Open webflow.com →
📄 Article
Free Beginner

Startup Names

From paulgraham.com by Paul Graham 8 min read

Why we picked it

Paul Graham's short, opinionated take on naming from someone who has seen thousands of startups, canonical, no-fluff, and free.

  • A name should be easy to say and spell, avoid clever misspellings
  • The product makes the name good, not the reverse
  • Don't over-invest time here; ship and let the name grow into itself
Open paulgraham.com →

People also ask

How do I come up with a good name for my startup? Pick a name you can spell out loud once and have someone type correctly. Short, easy to say, and not a clever misspelling beats 'meaningful but con... Beginner 3 resources → What kinds of startup names exist and which type should I pick? Names fall into buckets: descriptive (Dropbox), invented (Kodak), and evocative (Amazon). Descriptive is easiest to understand but hardest to trade... Beginner 2 resources → How do I check if a name is legally free to use in India (trademark)? Before you fall in love with a name, do a quick free knockout search on the Indian trademark registry (IP India public search) in your class, plus ... Intermediate 2 resources → How do famous startups actually get their names, any real examples? Most iconic names started as jokes, placeholders, or happy accidents, not committee outputs, the product earned the name meaning. Look at how India... Beginner 2 resources → Should I buy a premium domain or just use a cheaper workaround? At pre-revenue, don't drop lakhs on a premium domain, a clean workaround domain (tryX, getX, X-hq) costs a few hundred rupees and you can upgrade l... Beginner 2 resources →