The address broker united-domains examined the websites, company names, and corporate forms of 1,200 German startups. The result: Despite a multitude of new domain endings, 92 percent of all startups still choose the .de or .com endings.
The website represents one of the most important points of contact with customers and the public for startups. Therefore, the influence of the choice of domain can be correspondingly large for young companies.
In addition to the endings, the study analyzes the composition of startup domains, the relationship between company name and domain, and the legal form of the companies. The study's authors also provide advice on what an address should look like.
Facts, facts, facts?
In two-thirds (64%) of the web addresses examined, the URL does not correspond to the company name. The study authors, however, recommend that the domain, company name, and brand should be the same. Startup addresses tend to be short, averaging eight characters (median). German startups use a hyphen in their URLs significantly more often than their US counterparts, with 6.8%. The tip: Domains should be secured with and without a hyphen.
The relevance of the results is certainly open to debate. A look at the Results But it's definitely worth it. Especially since the decision to choose a URL isn't easy to reverse. So, be careful before committing to a domain.
