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We closed the domain naming thread (click for details).

Instead, let's start with a killer "elevator pitch!" Joel will be blogging about the elevator pitch approach to naming, but to get you started:

The Elevator Pitch

This isn't as easy as it sounds. Imagine the user who will never read your FAQ and you have two seconds to grab their attention. It should be catchy but descriptive. It should be thoroughly clear but painfully concise. Make every... word... count.

Here are some creative examples:

  • Gawker: Daily Manhattan media news and gossip. Reporting live from the center of the universe.
  • Gizmodo: The gadget guide. So much in love with shiny new toys, it’s unnatural.
  • Autoblog: We obsessively cover the auto industry.
  • DumbLittleMan: So what do we do here? Well, it’s simple. 15 to 20 times per week we provide tips that will save you money, increase your productivity, or simply keep you sane.
  • Needcoffee.com: We are the Internet equivalent of a triple espresso with whipped cream. Mmmm…whipped cream.

Use it as a Tagline

A shorter elevator pitch can be used as a tagline — something you can display in the header at the top of the page. If it doesn't fit, consider shortening it or creating a separate tagline. Here are some great examples:

The Motto (don't forget your logo)

A logo begs for it own little, short tagline — like a motto. Maybe the tagline inspires the logo; Maybe it's the other way around. Mottos make good t-shirt, bumper stickers, and other marketing material. Either way, you'll recognize a good motto when you see it:

  • Just do it.
  • Think Different.
  • The Uncola.
  • Intel inside.
  • Like a rock.
  • The king of beers.

…and perhaps all this leads to a proper name and domain for your site… eventually. So let's start from the basics. Come up with a killer elevator pitch, tagline, and/or motto!

4 Answers 4

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Elevator pitch

You have a website. Now make it work for you.

motto/tagline

master your domain

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  • I really like the Elevator pitch. I think it completely, yet concisely explains what we do here
    – Earlz
    Jan 9, 2011 at 10:33
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I'll get things rolling with this:

Helping your website respond '200 OK,' 100% of the time.

(It may look like I'm approaching this from the wrong angle, but personally I thought Response200.com was by far the best domain suggested. Obviously few others agreed.)

Anything along those same lines of success would also be good, e.g. "Achieving a 99.9% uptime rate."

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Related to this discussion, Is the name "webmasters" the right name for this site:

It might be critical to use the tagline to expand the scope beyond those who traditionally identify themselves as "Webmasters."

Elevator Pitch

Web professionals, SEO, Performance, Hosting...(1)

(1) I don't know the specifics; just pointing out that the elevator pitch should ENUMERATE the specific "webmaster" fields.

Tagline

"The business of Websites."

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Elevator Pitch

Tips, tricks, and best practices to keep your website running circles around your competition instead of down the drain.

Tagline

We traffic information so your traffic will thank you.

Motto

Credit to CrazyJugglerDrummer for this one. It's short, simple, and memorable, like any motto should be.

Master your domain.

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