Glossary
Unpopular Opinion About Neo: The name is bad for SEO
Introduction
One of the most important things to stand out on the web is optimizing content for search engines (SEO). This includes but is not limited to, creating articles with relevant keywords, updating the website structure, and so on. Like ‘X’, the Neo Blockchain faces similar struggles: the name is cool and drives attention, but it takes a lot of work to rank for these names properly.
The “X” Example
Similar to Neo, X is a very compelling name that drives attention. These names can stand out for those inside an exchange or with communication skills like Elon Musk.
But what happens when you need to compete with the whole web? It’s simple: you can’t. The reason is that these words have multiple different meanings. ‘X’ can mean anything. It’s used as a variable name or a placeholder for something we don’t know. The same applies to Neo: the word derives from “New” in Greek.
The alternative meanings for these words appeared thousands of years ago. It’s not possible for any company, regardless of size and influence, to own these terms. The only solution is to append a similar term, contextualizing the word: The “X Network” or the “Neo Blockchain”.
Legal Challenges
In the technology ecosystem, many people may associate the name Neo with the character from the Matrix movie. This makes the name even more remarkable but also brings some legal challenges. The owners of the Matrix movie, Warner Bros, are known for going after anyone who uses names related to their brands. One example is the name City of Zion. This name cannot be used legally by other entities. That is why the largest Neo community is now named COZ.
Compared to other Chains
Not all networks have unique names. Many of them have different meanings. However, these names were less popular than the name ‘Neo’ or ‘X’. Cardano and Solana are not new words. They existed before the network but were not commonly used. This allowed these networks to ‘own’ these terms, especially regarding online presence.
Try it yourself
Just do a simple test: search for the network name in Google. For almost all of them, searching for the term will give you information about the blockchain network. This does not happen to Neo. The results often don’t include any mention of the Neo blockchain.
The Neo name is very disputed. You can find products with this prefix in almost every industry. Searching for “Neo Tools” will take you to ‘random’ webpages. This doesn’t happen when you do this using competitor’s names. The opposite happens: you are taken directly to pages related to the blockchain tools of that platform.
Should we rebrand Neo?
Let’s remember that Neo has already gone through a rebrand. The ‘original’ network was called Antshares. Plus, let’s consider that analysts estimated that Twitter lost over U$20 billion after renaming the network to X.
The Neo name is well-accepted inside the crypto universe. We need to understand how we can deal with it instead. We may not want to appear as their first result when someone searches for ‘Neo’. This is because they are not looking for the Neo blockchain but likely something else. However, we want to be the first result when similar searches happen, like “Neo Tutorials” or “Neo Tools”.
What should we do then?
Like many of the network’s challenges, improving Neo blockchain SEO takes work. This is because most people are looking for something other than the Neo blockchain. However, it should be easy to find for those looking for it. The energy required to face this challenge is higher than in other networks. The Neo blockchain must identify which terms we want to rank and stand out. This is a full-time job for not only a person but a whole team.
Final Thoughts
The Neo Blockchain demonstrates brands’ inherent struggles in opting for names steeped in commonality and varied meanings. While resonating within crypto circles, the cool and catchy ‘Neo’ competes with many associations and meanings. This leads to diminished online visibility and potential legal entanglements, a fate shared with similarly named entities like ‘X’.
While a complete rebrand may not be necessary or desired, establishing a distinct identity and ensuring easy discoverability for those seeking the Neo network requires dedicated, ongoing efforts from specialized teams. Balancing uniqueness with recognizability is critical, ensuring the brand stands out not just in name but in the digital realm where competition is just a keyword away.
