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Switching to a simpler, cleaner business name from your established one is always risky.
The board, and the design agency will consider it a win. The press will too, as it’s something to talk about — whether well received or not, it’s good for them.
But there’s a big question I think companies and startups are missing. Why do some rebrands ignore (or seemingly ignore) Google search?
This week ConvertKit has announced it’s becoming… just Kit.
It’s actually very clever, and very well done. I applaud the move.
I really want it to succeed too, as I love the backstory ConvertKit and how they’re aimed at indie creators.
But I can’t help worry about Google search, with such a generic name.
It reminds me a bit of when Integromat became Make.
Again, really clever move and a big brand improvement.
However, since the move it’s become a nightmare to search for how-tos, tips and general information with such a generic word.
It’s almost like they became invisible on Google. Many Make users (me included) simply stuck to using the old name in Google for a while, but that never lasts long after a rebrand.
It’s also unhelpful for converting new users. Let’s say you heard about this app called Kit from a friend, or on a video or something. You try to Google it, but you have to filter out a lot of noise — pretty much everything else relating to the word ‘kit’.
It doesn’t build trust or confidence when you can’t find and isolate a brand name in searches. It adds frustration, and you may even give up trying.
Let’s hope ConvertKit have thought about this, or will be thinking about it as they work through their move to the new name.
One of the best things they’ve chosen to do is ‘rebrand in public’, so we’ll get a front-row seat on decision making and all the thinking behind a lot of the changes.
As a designer I’m interested in the visual rebrand. As an indie creator, I’m very curious about the impact on the search side of things.
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