So what’s the difference between them?
Well, simply put, a generic domain is a domain that perfectly describes a common item, action, location, product or service. Basically it is a domain that is an exact match for a word or phrase or name that means something to a lot of people, without any additions or alterations. Ideally a generic domain will match a reasonable number of searches – ie the domain name will be made up exactly or words or phrases that people are actually searching for:
Examples of Generic Domains (none of these are mine – didn’t seem fair!):
- Money.co.uk
- SpiralNotebook.co.uk
- ShoppingCentre.co.uk
- GardenGate.co.uk
- Cambridge.co.uk
- Plumbers.co.uk
Examples of Bad Generic Domains:
- UPVCFencingUK.co.uk
- Cast-Iron-Dutch-Ovens.co.uk
- DarkGreenSocks.co.uk
A brandable domain can take the form of made up words:
- Daga.co.uk
- Sweed.co.uk
- Bello.co.uk
Or generic words with qualifiers:
- GoodKeys.co.uk
- RJGarages.co.uk
- Nursery73.co.uk
Or “Cool Sounding” Word Combinations:
- JealousBuddha.co.uk
- MintyGreenDevil.co.uk
- PanParadise.co.uk
- Apple.com
- Orange.co.uk
- Shell.co.uk
Now don’t get me wrong, it is possible to build a perfectly decent website on a 100% brandable domain or a made up word. “Google” is the most quoted & most famous example, but undeveloped brandable domains are notoriously hard to sell, and even harder to turn into successful websites, unless you’ve got a world beating idea for a real service, a lot of luck, or very, very deep pockets.
Anyone looking to invest in domains names would be well advised to stick to Generic Domain names – preferably ones that have a high exact match search volume, as launching a website on a domain name that people are already searching for is a huge, huge advantage when it comes to turning it into a success.
Enjoy!
Ty
