I have an MVP, should I find a better name?
Hi IndieHackers,
This is my first post :)
I built a webapp that finds contacts you exchange emails with (Gmail only) and helps you to upload them on your Salesforce. I have an MVP that I named Salesforce Contact Uploader, hosted a free Heroku dyno (so with a herokuapp subdomain).
I'd like to share my MVP with few people to test utility and value. Should I find a better domain/name?
Also, I guess I'm not allowed to include the name of another service/company, neither in the name nor in the URL (although including the name could help on the SEO side...). Any thought on this?
I would use" CRM Contact Uploader" while its is their stock ticker its also the industry they're in. So you have a bit more room to breathe there
Thanks for the feedback!
In my opinion, since you can snag a domain for $10~ or so, it's probably worth mitigating the risk (albeit small risk) of alienating any potential MVP users by purchasing one.
Having said that, getting stuck on branding/finding the perfect name and so forth might end up wasting a bunch of time, so as @MarkSmith suggested, maybe just gun it and accept the 'ugly' URL.
On second thought, I should buy a (any?) domain: I can always change it later, and owning the domain will preserve the few backlinks I may have (forums/reddit/etc.).
Thanks for answering!
No problem!
Domains, like most areas in the startup world, are a highly opinionated topic - everyone seems to have their own ideas and policies regarding them, so take mine with a pinch of salt, too.
Which extension (.com/.io/.co etc.) comes down to one key question: how 'techie' is your audience?
For the newer extensions, it's better to stick with classic domains, even if that means having to add-on a word here or there to get something close to what you want.
However, if you're after a moderate or above tech orientated audience, any of the newer ones should be fine.
The registrar I'd recommend is https://iwantmyname.com/ - they're cheap, reliable and have good customer support.
On top of that, when you search on there, they don't record anything or send out any info to anyone else - this is a little 'tin foil' conspiracy of me, but I remember reading back in the day about how some registrars would register domains with a high search volume and then try and sell them back to you. No bueno.
I recommend you check-out this recent (yesterdays!) Indie Hackers post on this subject for some great advice and a broad range of opinions:
https://www.indiehackers.com/forum/lets-talk-domains-share-tips-tricks-and-anything-related-44e674d7d6
On an unrelated note, if you have any thoughts on the thread I just posted here on IH about Livestreaming, I'd love to hear them. No worries if you don't, just figured it was worth asking - please excuse the hustle 😊
Link: https://www.indiehackers.com/forum/ask-ih-live-streaming-building-my-project-via-twitch-yt-live-open-startup-ada60d3ff5
Congrats on your first post!
An “ugly” URL is fine for an MVP, specially since you are gathering feedback from people.
If you know there’s is gonna be trouble including other companie’s name in the URL, avoid it from day 1.
Looking forward to see your MVP!
Thanks! The link is in the initial post :)