

Ask HN: get*.com and *app.com domain names - antileet

I am building "productx", which is a nice and suitable name for the product. Unfortunately, productx.com isn't available. But getproductx.com is available.<p>While I am used to these kind of domains, my target audience isn't. Will opting for getproductx.com hurt in the long run?
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___dav
From a personal perspective, I'd say choose productxapp.com, if it is an app,
over getproductx.com. (Or choose a domain hack, like produc.tx, if that would
be possible/available?) But you always should keep in mind and accept the fact
that some of your target audience and visitors will end up at productx.com
anyway.

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mjs00
I agree - productxapp.com is probably best second choice after productx.com
for an app name/domain combo, especially consumer apps. And make _sure_ that
an existing productx.com service and domain are so different from yours in
focus, there is no confusion for consumers who type productx.com by mistake,
they know to keep looking for you. Also check US trademark and existing apps
to make sure you can trademark it, else if you are successful you may find
folks trying to clone variations of your name, or worse claiming your app name
on different (android / windows mobile /...) app store if you just start with
Apple, for example.

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metachris
Problem with Xapp.com or getX.com is that once you gain traction (and possibly
funding), at some point you'll be buying the original domain for a lot of
money (since the owner knows about your startup). I'd recommend to look for
another name with an available .com domain.

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chc
That's a rich person's problem, along the same lines as "You might get a
headache from all the expensive tequila you sip as you relax on the beach with
millions of dollars in the bank." I'm not sure it's actually profitable to
worry about this even in the long run, and certainly not before you even
launch. As long as "getX.com" works for marketing purposes, it's better than
choosing something weird and unpronounceable.

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JustTim
Is productx.com a parked name or will you be infringing on someone's
copyright/trademark? If it is the former and you think you have a home run,
buy the domain. If it is the latter you need a new name.

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adityar
At some point, if you're successful you're going to have to buy them out. I
believe mobify started with mobify.me (hey another option!) and then later
bought mobify.com after gaining traction.

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sathishmanohar
I personally went with productapp.com, since getproduct.com sounded a bit
generic, while productapp.com implied that its a software app in some form.

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user24
dropbox started with getdropbox.com and it didn't seem to do them any harm.

Their customers were techies though so I take your point about lay people not
being 'used' to them. It's really a pretty arbitrary decision though, 'google'
means nothing to their customers intrinsically. Build a brand and the name is
unimportant.

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metachris
Except that Dropbox needed to spend _a lot_ of money to get the .com domain.

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user24
and they acquired that money while they had getdropbox.com. If get __ __was a
bad thing, it certainly didn't seem to hurt dropbox is what I'm saying.

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abbasmehdi
So the point is, get it before getting famous, otherwise your fame will drive
the price northward.

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breathesalt
It's much easier to change a domain name than a product name.

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davidhansen
Did you try to make an offer for productx.com first? The fact that a given
domain name is taken shouldn't immediately preclude you from obtaining it. If
you were to contact the current owner and pitch a deal, you might be surprised
by how flexible they are in working something out.

I say this as someone who has direct experience in these matters.

