Choosing a business name can be both challenging and exhilarating all at the same time. Thinking of a name that is both effective and memorable can feel almost impossible, but it’s amazing what you can find through careful and creative brainstorming, as well as a little bit of innovation.
In this article, we’ll discuss some tips on how to choose a successful business name for your online business. We’ll begin by looking at the various factors you might want to consider, and then we’ll move on to discuss how to brainstorm for names that are both effective and unique.
The Basics
The first and most important step to choosing the perfect name is to establish what your business is and what it does. The name you choose should be something that people will remember and relate to your business, but it should also be something that you can own and that is representative of your brand. The name should be memorable and it should also be a reflection of your business and what you offer, but it should not be so similar to other companies that it hurts their brand recognition.
In addition to this, your business name should be available — that is, it should not be already taken by another business. If you operate under a professional or trade name, make sure that this is also available as a standalone business name. Establishing distinctiveness in your industry is critical, particularly as competitors continue to pop up around you. Finally, choose a name that is both legal and ethical, and if you are planning on registering your business name with your state, choose a name that is also relevant to your industry. Maintaining ownership of your business’s name is critical, and one of the best ways to do this is to establish a business name registration with your state. If you run a legal business, you have a duty to use the best and most appropriate name for your industry. This is important because it can help establish your business’s integrity, protect your business from being impersonated, and ensure that your customers and potential investors know exactly who they are dealing with.
Organization
An organization name is a type of business name that is used when more than one person or entity is involved in a business, such as when a partnership or corporation is formed. Some of the individuals or entities involved in a business may choose to use individual names for themselves while others may choose to use organizational names to refer to the whole group, or the business itself. When choosing an organization name, you might want to consider the following:
- The level of formality or informality of your business (e.g., “Goldmans” is a formal name while “GAP” is an informal name).
- The size of your organization (e.g., “Small Businesses” is used for businesses with 1–4 employees while “Medium Businesses” is used for businesses with 5–99 employees).
- The industries you operate in (e.g., “Beauty” is used for beauty product businesses while “Digital Marketing” is used for online marketing and digital advertising businesses).
- The geographical location of your offices (e.g., “Asia” is used for businesses that operate primarily in China while “Europe” is used for businesses that operate in multiple countries within the continent).
- The names of other organizations that could be confused with yours (e.g., “Goldmans” is used for the Goldman Sachs Group while “Sberbank” is used for the Swiss bank Sberbank).
- The nature of your business (e.g., “Insurance” is used for insurance companies while “Travel” is used for travel agencies).
Once you’ve established the basics of your business, you can move on to brainstorming for a name that is both effective and memorable. It’s important to keep in mind that your business’s name will be the face or logo that people will see when they encounter your brand. So, when choosing a business name, you need to make sure that it is representative of your brand, easy to pronounce, spell, and includes the proper keywords, as well as something that will make people interested in your business.
Keywords
Keywords are words or combinations of words that are used to find and direct traffic to specific content, such as websites, articles, products, or services. If you run a marketing or SEO agency, you might want to consider choosing keywords that represent SEO (search engine optimization) concepts. However, you should not choose keywords that are too specific, as this could cause competition in your industry and limit your marketing possibilities. For example, “SEO agency” could be a keyword while “Google SEO” could be an example of a more specific keyword.
When choosing words for your keywords, you need to make sure that they are both relevant to your business and that they will be meaningful to your audience. Relevancy is critical, so you don’t want to choose words that are too generic or obscure. Make sure that your chosen keywords are both relevant and understandable to the average person, as this will determine how often your content is actually found by people using search engines.
Memorable
If you’re looking for a memorable business name, you need to make sure that it is easy to pronounce, spell, and fits well within a limited number of characters. There are a variety of methods you can use to come up with a memorable brand name — from playing off of words that represent your business to coming up with a unique letter combination that represents it to rhyming slang (e.g., “Ode” for “Order”, “Radar” for “Radio Shack”, “Kayak” for “CKAYAK”).
Ideally, you want your business’s name to be both memorable and easy to spell. This will make it much easier for people to find your products and services online. To make sure your business’s name is both memorable and easy to spell, play off of words and letter combinations that are representative of your business. For example, “Hello Fresh” is both a fun and short way to spell the phrase “Hello Food”, which is the name of a clothing line created and marketed by the British company Matalan.
Finally, make sure that the name you choose is available — that is, it’s not already taken by another business, or registered with your state as a trademark.
Effectiveness
The name you choose for your business should be representative of your brand, easy to spell, pronounce, and within a limited number of characters. In addition, you might want to consider choosing a name that is both memorable and effective. To do this, you need to make sure that it is both relevant and understandable to the average person. This means that your chosen name should not only be effective in your industry, but should be able to stand on its own as a meaningful reference to your business.
Once you’ve established the basics of your business, you can move on to brainstorming for a name that is both effective and unique. It’s important to keep in mind that your business’s name will be the face or logo that people will see when they encounter your brand. So, when choosing a business name, you need to make sure that it is representative of your brand, easy to spell, pronounce, and includes the proper keywords, as well as something that will make people interested in your business.
Creative
A creative name is a type of business name that is used for companies that are involved in the design or creation of products, packaging, or services. If you are a marketing agency, you might want to consider choosing a creative name that is also memorable and that will make people curious about your brand or business.
When choosing a creative name, you need to make sure that it is both representative of your brand and that it will make people interested in your business. If you are looking for a memorable name that is also creative, you can choose words or letter combinations that represent your business, as well as the types of products or services you offer. For example, “Burberry” is a luxury goods company that is most well-known for its silk scarves and ladies’ bags. If you sell handbags, you could choose “Handbags by Burberry” as your business name.
Innovation
An innovation name is similar to a creative name, but it is generally used when referring to products that are not yet available to the public (such as new technologies or business processes). If you are an innovation agency, you might want to consider choosing a groundbreaking name that will allow you to stand out in your industry.