What's in a Name?

Finding the right business name is crucial for your business.  It can set the tone for your brand and help you resonate with your target market. 

Here are 6 things to keep in mind when choosing the best name for your business.  

1. Keep it simple. Simple is good. You don’t want potential customers getting confused about how to spell your name when searching online. You want to avoid having to continually correcting the misspelled version of your name. Keep it simple.

2. Check how it sounds when you say it aloud.  Sometimes names look good on paper, but don’t sound so good when said aloud.  Before deciding, consider choosing a name that sounds good and easily rolls off the tongue. 

3. Think long term, don’t pick a name that could be limiting as your business grows.You don’t want to limit your business to a particular product or a specific location. This can prevent a lot of problems down the road.

4. Your business name should convey a deeper meaning.
You will be using your business name for a long time, therefore it should be a name that has a special meaning for you and your target market would be able to relate to it. 

There are a number of sites that can help you brainstorm names, including:

• VisualThesaurus.com (gives you a visual around a keyword)
• Shopify Business Name Generator (generates business name ideas and checks domain availability simultaneously)
• Naminum.com (allows you to generate names based on a theme)

5. Get feedback on the name. Come up with 5 to 10 names and then run them by friends, family members, and your potential customers. Get feedback from your target audience as well. This will help you get another prospective and identify somethings that you might have missed.  

6. Conduct a thorough Internet search. Once you have chosen your best name, it's time to do a web search to see if the the domain name is available. Ideally you want to find available domain name so that you don’t have to purchase it from the owner. Get the .com domain name, instead of .org, .biz, .net …etc.  Customers tend to associate a .com name with a more established business. 

I'd love to hear from you! What are your thoughts on choosing your business name? 

 
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