Finding a name for your app

A “good” name helps to convey your message, and sometimes even help in its virality. It should just “click” for your prospective customers.

Here is my process of finding a good name for your app.

Make a list of words that are related to your functional domain. It can be something that is direct, or a synonym, or some of the verbs and nouns used in your industry.

For eg. if your idea is something related to meetings - it can be “meeting”, “agenda”, “convention”, “session” etc.

If you can possibly find something that is related, that also brings a positive feeling - it would work fantastic.

For eg, “Progress” can be used as the name of an app that targets / measures student learning outcomes. It brings a nice positive feeling, when you say the word.

Using suffixes and prefixes

You can use some commonly used suffixes or prefixes if the direct word is not available as a .com.

For example, Slack was slackhq.com, in the initial days.

Some prefixes you can use are - try, use, get, meet

And suffixes - hq, fx, app

Searching for a domain

Based on the keywords figured out above, there are many tools available online that can help you figure out a good domain.

Should it always be a .com domain? Yes, stick to .com as much as possible. People tend to “trust” .com the most.

The other TLDs(top level domains) are good as well, but if .com is taken and points to something else, your prospective customers might be confused. And it won’t help SEO either.

The following are some domain search tools:

For one word domains

Wordoid Helps you to “create” words that looks and sounds good.
One Word Domains Gives you a list of one word domains for tlds like - .app, .ai, .co, .io

For two word domains

Lean Domain Search Gives you list of 2 word domains which has .com available to register. It also shows Twitter account availability.
AI Domain Search Gives you ideas on how you can make domains by combining words, suffixes or prefixes. Some of the domains might be taken, but it will still help you in figuring out a good domain.

Check trademarks

For the domains you shortlisted, check if there exists any trademarks for any of it. You can use a free trademark checking tool like TrademarkElite to check trademark registration in 180+ countries.

Do a google search

Do a google search of your shortlisted domain, and check what the current results are? Is it used somewhere else? Is it some famous brand? Is it used somewhere else - say for eg. is it a name of a drug/medicine?

If it doesnt have many search results, then it is good to go.

Do the Radio Test

If suppose, someone talks about your app in a radio show, will it be easy enough for listeners to type it and go to the webpage directly or do a google search? This is an important factor for word-of-mouth growth, or when friends refer your app in a casual talk.

Making use of simple words, with no spelling tricks, would be helpful here.

Avoid word combination mishaps

Re-check your domains to avoid mishaps like:

Expertsexchange.com (Experts Exchange)
Speedofart.com (Speed of Art)
Therapistfinder.com (Therapist Finder)

Test it with your friends

And finally, send your final shortlist to your friends, and ask them what they think about it. Human feedback can bring some interesting facts and perspectives, that you might not have thought of.

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There are many factors that go into making an app successful. Finding a good name is just one of them. The name should bring a sense of trust, and positive vibes in the minds of your customers.

Combine this with a good product and it will result in increased number of social shares, and higher popularity.

Thinking of creating a new app?

You should give Axion Stack a try!

Axion Stack helps developers to cut-down time and money on getting a SaaS app up and running. This allows you to focus on your core business. Schedule a call today, to know if it is a good fit for you.