I found the best way to name new products

There's just one thing that I find harder than building a startup solo: choosing the right name for it.

Should I choose .com or .io? Maybe .ai? How about .xyz and .fyi?
What if someone already has my name?
What if I want to be found easily by customers?

These are all valid questions, but I learned the hard way: trying to answer them is the perfect way to procrastinate instead of actually building something cool for the users.

Here's my framework for choosing a perfect, beautiful, and loud name for a product. It's also the fastest approach, as long as you invite ChatGPT to help you brainstorm.

I always choose a .com domain

Even though there are some great alternatives, such as .io or .co, most potential customers will expect my website to have a .com domain. When I say my brand name out loud, most would assume it's a .com. I shouldn't try to be special, as it will confuse users.
I might consider having a secondary domain with an alternative ending, but it’s best to keep the main website on .com.

I keep it simple

I want a memorable and short name that won't be hard to spell or pronounce. Is my name easy to pronounce? Yeah? Have I actually tried, though?
It's one of the easiest things to overlook. Just like my personal name, my startup name should be something that sounds and feels familiar (that's how we ended up w/ notionlytics.com btw).
If people have to think twice when hearing it, it's a bad sign.

I don't follow the trends

It's best to avoid names that end with "ily" or "ify". Those have been trendy some time ago, but they aren't anymore and just sound cringe, so I should avoid them. Also, there's limited space in users' minds for "trendy" made-up names, and that spot is already taken by Spotify.

I choose a unique name

The way I check if the name is unique is not by simply checking if the .com is taken or not. It's important, but it doesn't guarantee anything.

The best way?

I google it. If Google is confused and starts suggesting, "yeah, but did you mean XYZ instead?" – that's a good sign. It's a great sign, actually, as it means I have a unique name, and most likely, there's no one with it yet.

I check social media handles

One thing that is oftentimes overlooked, which I believe is a really important one - is checking the social media handles.
If I have a pretty unique name, there's a good chance that Instagram/Twitter/Linkedin handles with my brand name will not be taken yet. I make sure to check them first to avoid disappointment and embarrassment later and to keep my handles consistent across platforms.

And, in the end, I just don't rush it. That's probably the most important rule I have.

There's no need to hurry.

I take my time and explore the creative possibilities. With some thought and a bit of luck, and also ChatGPT for a slightly faster brainstorming, I find something for my next project that sounds just perfect.

And it's important to remember: ultimately, it's not the name that makes our startups succeed. It's our dedication and hundreds of hours of hard work that make the difference.

What's your process, folks?