There are a number of ways to gauge how many brands use a certain keyword in their branding. This intel is particularly important when considering the acquisition of a domain name.
When looking at a particular domain name to buy, it is nice to know that there are many companies and brands using the keyword in the event my plans for the domain name change and I want to sell. It is also a good way to ensure the keyword is used widely to avoid buying a name that could be considered infringing on one particular brand.
Sometimes a standard Google search will give me an idea of how many companies have a particular keyword in their branding. Oftentimes, I find that this isn’t the case, as Google results return many results with definition and Wiki-like sites to tell me what the keyword means. Not very helpful in this regard.
There is another Google search I use that I find particularly helpful in seeing how widely used a keyword is by different brands: I use a Google Image search. In the search bar, I will type in my keyword + the word “logo” to see how many images are returned with my particular search keyword in the logo. When there are dozens of logos with the keyword in it, I can see that the keyword is widely used.
Here’s an example of the search results using Embrace + logo since I own and operate Embrace.com:
This shows me that there are many companies that use Embrace in their branding and logo. I can not only see that there are many brands using “embrace” in their branding, but I can click through to see their usage.
When considering a domain acquisition that involves one or two words that I think are generic, I will regularly run this type of search to see how prevalent the keyword is used by other companies. There are other ways to see how widely used a keyword is, but I like this visual search.
That’s a great idea to check for usage and compare it to any active filed Trademarks (Both filed and unfiled). It draws a much clearer picture on what one may encounter down the road owning such a domain.
What a helpful post. Been using image search lately myself but hadn’t thought of that.
Fantastic idea. It’s one of those things that is so simple, but un-thought of.
Great tip. Thanks for sharing.
I think such an image search, by itself, can be misinformation — how many of those ’embrace’ logos are published by BIG companies with deep pockets? Many or most of those ’embrace’ logos are probably published by SMALL mom-and-pop companies that will never be qualified buyers of Embrace.com. You have to go deeper to find the few companies that are qualified buyers to get a good sense that there are truly large corporations out there that will understand the value and be willing and able to put real money behind the acquisition. Small mom-and-pop companies will simply offer you $100 for it and then whine and complain when you counter with $100,000.
That’s a fair point, and I suppose that is where additional insight becomes important. I don’t know of any search that can show you all the information right off the bat. From my perspective, it is a good starting point.
Just so you and others are aware without any doubt, I was only using Embrace.com as an example here. Embrace.com is not for sale any more than DomainInvesting.com. Suffice to say, I would sell both of these names if someone wanted them badly enough but neither would be considered “for sale.”
Thank you for the wonderful tip. I have never thought about it. It’s a good starting point.