Jason Calacanis says the biggest mistake Google made with Google Plus was not getting the domain

google-plus-domains

This week Jason Calacanis, a super angel who was an early investor in companies like Uber shared his thought on Google move to shut down GooglePlus. In his tweet, Jason said that he thinks the biggest mistake that Google made with GooglePlus was not giving the service it’s own domain name.

He suggested a couple of names like Plus.com and Path.com, and let’s be honest, there are a zillion other names that Google can afford to buy that would have cemented Google Plus as it’s own unique service.

Instead, Google Plus was always a confusing offering hidden away behind your photo in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. I can still remember when it launched and nobody could find it, it was confusing and when it comes to a social media offering, if people can’t easily access it, then it’s not going to take off no matter how big the brand behind it is.

Jason’s point here is spot on. If Google announced a new service and put it on Plus.com, that could have really become a destination.

What this really highlights is the power of a domain name when it comes to branding. Your domain name is your brand online, and this just goes to show that even a company as big as Google, can’t build a brand online without a domain behind it.

Now for an interesting question. Since Google can afford any domain they want to buy, what domain should they have bought? Here’s my top three:

  1. Plus.com
  2. Connect.com
  3. Path.com

What domain do you think Google should have bought? I want to hear from you, comment and let your voice be heard!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton