Don't Combine Domain Name Hacks

I see a lot of startups with domain names like getbarai.co and trymspledword.io which combine multiple domain name hacks. These look untrustworthy, are hard to search, difficult to spell, and long. It’s hard enough to get anyone interested in what you are doing that introducing any friction can cause people to forget about it.

Here’s my rule for startup domains:

Use only one domain name hack (mispelling of a real word, made up word, prefix before a real word, non-dotcom top level domain, etc.) AND always use .com. Then, when you have the money, buy the clean .com domain name.

For example, when I started Mosey, we started with getmosey.com (prefix hack) then mosey.so (non-dotcom TLD), then eventually bought mosey.com.

See also:

  • Simple Dot Com Domain Names Are a Multiplier

    The venerable .com TLD and a single word domain are a multiplier that improves nearly every interaction with your business. Establishing trust when someone sends a link (avoiding “this looks like spam”). Communicating your domain name to someone over the phone (try saying ‘dot S O’ to someone who can barely hear you on a land line). Interoperating with old legacy systems (some forms just don’t accept all TLDs). Signaling status to potential customers and employees (“they have the dot com they must be doing well”). Finally, it’s easier to remember off hand since you only need to recall the name not the name plus the TLD.