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Ask HN: How do you come up with a name for a product?

2 points by f1gm3nt ↗ HN
I'm curious what you guys do when you come up for a name with a new product. I recently made some new tools to help me with server management and maintenance, but can't come up with anything I like other than ServerTools.

7 comments

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iusable
Random questions

- what exactly does it do? - who's your biggest competitor? - what's the target market/country? - do you want a matching domain name?

Maybe we could hash a name out here :)

klaut
I usually run a random name generator at domainhole.com and pick a few that sound nice to my ear (and that are free). then i try to reference my product by that name for a few days and see if it sticks.
aorshan
Some might disagree with me on this, but I believe a name should convey what a product does. By hearing your product name, with no background information, I should be able to have a general idea of what your product does or at least what it is used for.
helen842000
When naming I always consider the product benefits not features. So ServerTools is just a bit too literal. Think about what your tools afford you to do. Save time, be more organised, respond to alerts quickly.

Have a play around in Google keyword tool and find all the popular random phrases that people use when they are searching for the solutions that your product provides!

breathesalt
I usually go with a simple metaphor so I have more to lean on for the design and theme of the product.
mjs00
Several thoughts: - Just add your company name ahead of 'Server Tools' as the formal name (ie "SCL Server Tools") - Take a key attribute/benefit and do a play off your company theme (ie Monitor + Scenic City >> CityScape >> "ServScape","ServerScape") - What is unique about your tools when compared to what is available? Do a play on that unique differentiator.