How To Come Up With An Original And Effective Business Name

how-to-come-up-with-original-and-effective-business-name

Back in the day, the name of your business was something personal. You would name it after yourself or a loved one or something sentimental. Because people would come across it in the streets or find it categorized in a phone book, it did not need to be all that practical. However, naming your business is an extremely practical endeavor.

Fortunately, there are tools to help you name your business. You can use a simple business name generator when building your business’s website. It is somewhat utilitarian and not as exciting as naming a business once was. Nonetheless, you can still use some creativity in choosing a name that sounds original while being effective.

What components need to go into an original and effective business name? Here are some of the things you need to consider.

Type of business

When naming your business, you need to think about how both search engines and humans work. Search engines need to find your business easily. Humans need to see it in the search results and decide to click on it. Let’s look at the search engine’s role.

Search engines use algorithms that are not released to the public. However, many experts spend time working out the algorithms and coming up with evolving search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. Search engines today will favor businesses with names that state what they do outright. They are smart enough to see the context, but you need the right words to get noticed.

Now let’s think about human behavior. When you search for a landscaping service, you may notice interesting names, but if they are not related to landscaping, you won’t click on them immediately. Instead, they will go for a business with a name closer to ‘Local Landscaping Service.

You don’t have to be so literal, but include the type of business you provide in your business name. It will only help, even if it is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

Add personality

Your business name should have some personality. This does not mean making up a new word, but rather including a name or item that means something to you. If you were going with the eminently practical ‘Local Landscaping Services’, you can call it ‘Jonny’s Local Landscaping Services.’ This makes it more human and it stands out a little more. You will also feel more of a connection to it with that personal touch.

Domain name availability

The next thing you need to do is ensure that the business name you want to choose has domain availability. This does not mean that there are a .io or .net available. The .com site should be available. Otherwise, you are competing with businesses with the same name that has the more recognizable domain. You are putting yourself at a disadvantage.

Even if you find the domain name available, you should check if there are companies with similar names. For example, if you were naming your landscaping business ‘Local Landscaping Services’, check if there is a business called ‘Local Landscaping Service.’ Yes, there is a difference, but people who specifically go looking for your site might stumble upon your competitor and assume it is you.

Short and concise

If you can make your business name short and concise without sacrificing practicality, you should do so. The shorter your business name is, the better it looks on logos and the easier it is for customers to refer to. This helps with word-of-mouth patronage while making it easier to search specifically for your business.

Placeholder name

The name you choose now needs to be practical because you are starting out. You cannot simply give your business a name you think sounds great because people won’t recognize it. However, once you have a stable flow of customers, you can consider changing your business name. It is not as difficult as it sounds. You will have to buy the new domain names and edit your website and logo, but everything else remains the same.

If your business is providing something innovative and new, you can also consider getting creative with the name. Before companies like MySpace and Facebook, social media did not exist. No one was searching the web for social media sites. They could not just create practical names, because people would not have known quite what they meant.

Chances are you’re not triggering the next phase in the evolution of the internet, but you may still be providing something unique. If so, you have a bit more room to play. Still, you should try to give your business a name that does allude to the services or products you provide.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post