In this episode: Yahoo and Its Horrible Business Name
In every article about the multi billion-dollar company, there’s a 99% chance that Yahoo was addressed as, well, Yahoo.
That is the name of the business, isn’t it? Short, sweet, saturated in brand recognition, easy to remember – Yahoo is everything that a business name should be.
But what if its creators had marketed it as something else?
Originally created as ‘Jerry and David’s Guide to the World Wide Web’, the company’s name was later changed to ‘Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle’, which shortens to, you guessed it, Yahoo.
Could you imagine trying to build brand recognition with such a long business name today?
Short URLs for sites like wish.com, dress.com, and yahoo.com, are worth anywhere from thousands to billions of dollars, and people fork out a hefty price for the ones that make their businesses pop, and impress investors and users alike.
Think long term when choosing a business name – something with a lasting impression, and won’t leave you wracking your brain just to remember it.
Don’t create ‘Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle’.