How to Choose a Domain Extension for Your SaaS Launch

Launching a SaaS product means making hundreds of decisions — from adjusting your pricing strategy to creating an engaging onboarding experience. Choosing a domain extension can seem like just another small decision among all those you have to make. However, it’s quite often the first thing that your future customers will see.

Domain names build first impressions, support your branding, and can help your customers better remember your company name and business niche.

While the majority of entrepreneurs invest plenty of time in coming up with a proper company name, the choice of the domain extension is often made randomly. It can cause you a lot of trouble if it contradicts your positioning strategy.

Think about the Message Your Domain Will Send

Every domain extension sends a particular message. Even though .com has been considered the most recognized extension globally, it isn’t necessarily the best choice for every SaaS company. Modern customers are already used to industry-specific extensions which speak of the essence of a particular business.

For instance, a software company specializing in innovations could use a .tech startup domain name, indicating the fact that this business operates in the sphere of technology. Instead of struggling with an irrelevant or too long .com domain name, a company can use a certain extension that helps to create a better brand image and lets the visitors know about its niche immediately.

In any case, the selection should be made based on the combination of factors that can enhance the image of a company, but not simply on being unique.

Think About Your Users First

Your future clients should become one of the most important factors in the choice of a certain domain extension. It is important to understand where your potential users are located, how technologically literate they are and what are the expectations that they can have when discovering the new software.

In case a SaaS platform is intended for enterprise clients, it could be reasonable to use a more traditional domain extension. On the contrary, if a startup aims at developers, designers or digital agencies, then it is more appropriate to use a more modern extension.

And, in case your software is distributed mainly via mobile applications or your software is a progressive web application, then you may need to register an .app domain name. The .app domain name is related to applications, so it requires HTTPS for all websites.

Keep Domain Names Easy to Remember

One of the rules of choosing the best domain name is that the easiest domain to remember is the best one. It sounds pretty evident, but a lot of startups try to create complex names consisting of additional words, numbers, and even hyphens just to get a specific domain extension.

Just imagine that you say your website at some networking event. Will the other person be able to remember it later and will he spell the name correctly? In most cases, a simple test like that helps to understand whether the domain is really memorable.

Whenever you can:

• Use short name.
• Use a clear spelling.
• Remove additional punctuation marks.
• Select an extension that makes sense when pronounced.

Sometimes strong branding comes from the simplicity, not from creativity.

Think Beyond Launch Day

Most of the people select their domain only with respect to the present day. But your company could be completely different after two or three years.

Maybe, you will start your business outside your country, create additional products or enter other industries. The chosen domain could become too narrow and restrain your growth as a company.

Before making your final decision about the domain, try to think whether it will represent your brand when your product is going to change. The long-term flexible extension will help you to avoid rebranding in the future.

Protect Your Brand

After choosing your main domain, consider additional registrations for protecting your brand identity. There are many popular SaaS companies which have different extensions for preventing the confusion between their brand name and others’ brands or avoiding impersonation.

Thus, you may use one of the domains for your main website while redirecting another one to the same destination. In addition, there are many cases when companies register their main domain with a different extension and use it for some particular purpose.

Obviously, not all startups require many different domains in their portfolios. Start with ensuring protection of those which will be likely important for your business and target audience.

Avoid Being Fashionable without Proper Planning

There is always new domain extensions introduced, and there are always some which become popular for some time and then become something of a past. It is unwise to select an extension just because it is trendy when it is not suitable for your business.

It is better to look through all the extensions from the perspective of credibility, memorability, availability and brand consistency. A proper extension will make your business more recognizable to the potential customers, but not make them hesitate about the name.

Proper domain becomes a part of your marketing efforts in the background mode.

Small Decision with Large Consequences

While your domain extension doesn’t dictate success for your SaaS business, it can certainly impact how others will view your business long before they sign up to be your client. This is a great opportunity for you to make sure you’re reinforcing your brand messaging.

Don’t rush into selecting a domain extension just because one is available – take some time to carefully consider your options and choose wisely.

John