It’s time to name your product. Do you go with something creative or descriptive? Unique or clear? Many B2B software marketers struggle with whether to give their product an obscure name that they are sure to rank for when people search for it, or choose a generic name that more people actually search.
Generally, in the B2B software space product names tend toward the simple and straightforward, but this can vary by category.
For example, applicant tracking software companies tend to be less straightforward in their naming than contract management software companies.
Top products in our applicant tracking software category:
Top vendors in our contract management software category:
See the difference? A good rule of thumb, before making a decision, is to see what your competitors are naming their products.
Regardless, there are some pretty universal pros and cons to creative vs. keyword naming.
Obscure Name
Benefits:
No one will outrank you for your product name
May be more memorable
Could be used to call out the product’s unique selling proposition
Drawbacks
No one will find out about your product via search
Requires a decent marketing budget to make anyone aware of your product
It may not be clear what your product is from the name
Keyword Name
Benefits:
Organic search traffic
Site search traffic
Immediately obvious what your product is
Drawbacks
May not be very memorable
Does not differentiate the product at all from competitors
Harder to rank high in search for a generic keyword due to heavier competition
SEO expert for Portent Interactive Elizabeth Marsten advises Google Shopping marketers to name products descriptively. “Put a keyword in there and put it up front. For example: ‘King Down Pillow Feather Core’ not ‘Down Pillow’ or ‘240 Thread Count Reversible Hypoallergenic Siberian Goose Down Pillow Set.’”
Indie online shopping hub Etsy advises store owners include keywords in their section names “in lieu of creative or poetic Section names” because it “not only helps a shopper navigate within your shop, but also can help shoppers find you in search engines.”
And while title tags aren’t product names, the advice BigCommerce offers about where to put your brand name in your title tag is obviously transferable:
Many SEO firms recommend using the brand name at the end of a title tag instead, and there are times when this can be a better approach. The differentiating factor is the strength and awareness of the brand in the target market. If it is a well-known brand, and it can make a difference in click-through rates in search results, the brand name should be first. If this is not the case, the keyword should be first.
Bottom Line: Naming is hard.
Developing a product name which makes it clear what the product is, and conveys what makes it better than competitors, while remaining unique is, frankly, too big a challenge for most marketers. And even then, you’re missing out on getting in front of people who want your type of product, but don’t know about you yet.
Using keywords to name your product lets your product name do a lot of the marketing for you.
If you really want to do both, consider using multiple product titles. The short name could be catchy and benefits focused, while the longer title could contain the relevant SEO-friendly keywords.
But, if you must choose, don’t give your product an obscure name. Give your software a generic name that will help you get search traffic.
Do you have any tips on how to improve product name SEO? Leave them in the comments below!