James Booth tweeted about acquiring Nomos.ai on behalf of a company called Nomos that uses GetNomos.com for it domain name. The acquisition cost was reportedly $55,000. James did not share how the domain name was acquired or any other details about the acquisition.
My question is whether a startup or established company is better of using a call to action + brand 2 word .com domain name like GetNomos.com or an exact brand match non-.com domain name. In this case, the .AI domain name was acquired, but it could be whatever the popular extension of the time is – .IO, .LY, .ME, .XYZ…etc.
On one hand, .com is a widely known and trusted domain name extension. The company will regularly need to remind its customers and prospects to add the call to action word in front of the brand name. On the other hand, a brand will be able to utilize its brand matching domain name in an alternative extension, but it will need to remind customers and prospects it can be found on a different extension.
In the case of Nomos, I am unsure if the company is planning to change its primary domain name or if the .AI acquisition was done for marketing or other purposes. I am curious if domain investors think a business should use a call to action + brand domain name or brand match alternative extension domain name.
I posted a poll on Twitter for people who prefer to not comment but want to participate:
What is a better option for a company, Get[Brand].com or [Brand].ai/.io/.etc? https://t.co/7ratf9ujPO
— Elliot Silver (@DInvesting) December 12, 2023
Considering online and offline channels, having a “.com” domain is considered an asset. Conversely, not having a “.com” can and should be viewed as a liability, potentially impacting visibility,credibility, and trust in the competitive environment.
Using common words like ‘Get,’ ‘Visit,’ ‘The,’ etc., can lead to significant traffic confusion. For example, VisitVegas.com may be mistaken for VisitVegas.com, and GetNomos.com might sound like GetNomos.com, similar to TheFacebook.com’s memorable confusion.”
Worth a read:
https://markupgrade.com/index.php?page=whycom
https://markupgrade.com/index.php?page=valuation
VisitVegas.com may sound like VisitVegas.com? I’m confused aren’t these identical?
Logic tells us all that it should be a .com unless the company is an artificial intelligence focused company. Only then should the .ai be considered.
I believe many investors are buying .ai with generic words that have nothing to do with AI, and that I believe is a mistake. It is NOT the new .com, but I do agree with much of what James has been posting, but the use really needs to be indicative of the company’s business model. If I launched a business that had zero to do with AI but the name was available in AI, I would not use it, but I’d get the best .com available. My two cents. Now, I have done bulk search on GoDaddy for hundreds of one and two word .AI names, and 99.9% have been taken. I only have 2 .ai names. TheMiddleEast.ai, and StableTokens.ai. I have specific reasons for owning both, and am happy I acquired them.
A startup can get away without having .Com but an established business cannot. Which is why many startups eventually upgrade to .Com
I would choose [Brand].ai/.io/.etc. More people are becoming familiar with those techy ccTLD.
On the other hand, Get[Brand].com does not look professional in my opinion.
But I just accidentally voted for Get[Brand].com in your Tweet. I wish I could retract that wrong vote of mine.
Definitely “Get[Brand].com”, because, just as Elliot stated, .com is widely known and trusted. A name using an alternative extension may seem a bit “suspect” to some.
I’m afraid the tide has turned. The powers that be made that happen (the brains in the AI space). They elected and chose to trust the .ai extension invariably, which Google backed (and itself supports with its own impressive set, like Assistant.ai).
We are entering into an AI world. Nothing anyone can do. But these are fairly specialized technology companies, so don’t let it affect your view of .com. That will always be the global, consumerist brand.
.ai is for the nerds creating pioneering tech. That’s where I wanna be!