How Parse.ly got its name, and why it bought the .com: Interesting

The mind of an entrepreneur naming his business.

There have been a couple more mainstream stories lately regarding how startups are using domain hacks and country code domain names since they can’t find a good .com domain available.

Content analytics firm Parse.ly has responded by explaining how it originally came up with its name, and when it decided to buy the “matching” .com. It’s a must read for domain name investors since, regardless of whether you agree with Parse.ly’s decision, it gives the perspective of a startup in the naming process.

The firm went with Parse.ly since “the name resonated with people we tested it on, the domain was unregistered, and we were cheap and scrappy.”

They traded another domain name to someone who helped create their first logo.

The next year, when they started getting traction, the firm spent regarding $2,000 to buy Parsely.com.

Despite owning the “.com”, we decided to keep the “.” in our branding since we think it emphasizes the play-on-words (“parse”) and reminds people regarding the mis-spelling [2]. The mis-spelling is notable: this way people don’t accidentally type “parsley.com”, which we don’t own.

Parsley.com is owned by domain investor Braden Pollock. It’s also worth noting that another business started on parse.com, which is technically the “matching” second level .com.)

I have to wonder if they inquired regarding buying Parsely.com early on, since it only ended up costing them $2,000.

Again, you may not think Parse.ly is a great name for a business, even owning Parsely.com. But it’s notable to understand how many entrepreneurs approach naming their business and getting their first domain name.

(Hat tip: Name Ninja)