Despite the rise of TLDs like .ai, Patel argues a .com domain is vital for credibility. It prevents brand confusion from user error and is a key perception marker for investors and the public, signaling that a company is mature and serious about its business.
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Large corporations proactively purchase common misspellings of their websites. This strategy, known as combating 'typo squatting,' prevents others from exploiting user typos for malicious purposes or profit. Google, for example, owns numerous variations to redirect users who make common spelling mistakes, thereby protecting its brand and user security.
When building an AI app, a .com domain is still the gold standard for trust and authority, analogous to prime real estate. While a .ai domain is trendy and relevant ('Williamsburg'), the .com carries more weight for SEO and brand credibility, even for an app that lives within another platform like ChatGPT.
To survive the threat of AI commoditizing services, businesses must build a strong brand. The goal is for customers to ask for your company by name (e.g., "Alexa, send me a Pizza Hut") rather than a generic request ("send me a pizza"), making you a destination, not an option.
Contrary to common startup wisdom, Lexicon Branding's president argues that the URL should be the least important constraint in the naming process. He claims consumer research shows people view URLs as a functional address, like a zip code, and their importance is often overestimated by founders and investors.
In a future where Google can synthetically create content, the ultimate differentiator is brand. As Google co-founder Larry Page noted, "brands are the signal in the cesspool." Businesses must focus on building brands that people know, love, and visit directly. This creates a defensible moat that can't be replicated by AI-generated content.
Beyond branding, the financial investment in a premium domain name can serve as a powerful psychological forcing function. It solidifies commitment to a new project, increasing the likelihood that a founder will follow through and see it to completion.
A strong, memorable .com domain acts as an immediate trust signal. Potential customers subconsciously assume that a company willing to invest in a premium domain is legitimate and serious, building credibility before they even engage with the product.
Personal AI agents will soon make automated purchases. Brands failing to build 'digital brand visibility' now by becoming trusted sources for LLMs will be completely invisible to these agents. This is the modern equivalent of not owning a domain name during the dot-com boom.
John Morgan deliberately chose 'forthepeople.com' because it also perfectly encapsulated his firm's mission and brand slogan. This strategy ensures every ad reinforces the core brand message, consolidating the URL, brand, and mission into a single, powerful, and easily remembered concept that never needs to be said twice.
Using a country-specific domain like `.co.nz` creates a long-term barrier to international growth, as it can deter foreign customers and is difficult to change later. It's better to use a generic domain and localize your marketing copy, which is an easily reversible decision.
