You can’t have a business without a business name!

But the process of choosing the perfect business name that is both catchy and communicates what your business is about is by no means easy. Businesses have failed in the past largely due to a name that just didn’t work, so it’s important to get this right.

Choosing a good business name is very important if it’s going to be successful, and it’s key to differentiating you from your competitors. Customers associate a business name with the value it provides to them. The following guide will help you choose a defensible trademark and a search-friendly, recognizable name.

1. Unique and unforgettable. 

In the trade, this is called “stickiness.” But the issue of stickiness turns out to be kind of, well, sticky. Every company wants a name that stands out from the crowd, a catchy handle that will remain fresh and memorable over time. That’s a challenge because naming trends change, often year by year, making timeless names hard to find, remember the dot. coms.

2. Avoid unusual spellings. 

When creating a name, stay with words that can easily be spelled by customers. Some startup founders try unusual word spellings to make their business stand out, but this can be trouble when customers ‘Google’ your business to find you, or try to refer you to others. Stay with traditional word spelling, and avoid those catchy words that you love to explain at cocktail parties.

3. Easy to pronounce and remember. 

Forget made-up words and nonsense phrases. Make your business name one that customers can pronounce and remember easily. Skip the acronyms, which mean nothing to most people. When choosing an identity for a company or a product, simple and straightforward are back in style, and cost less to brand.

4. Keep it simple. 

The shorter in length, the better. Limit it to two syllables. Avoid using hyphens and other special characters.

Since certain algorithms and directory listings work alphabetically, pick a name closer to A than Z. These days, it even helps if the name can easily be turned into a verb, like Google me.

5. Make some sense. 

Occasionally, business owners will choose names that are nonsense words. Quirky words Yahoo, Google, Fogdog or trademark-proof names concocted from scratch Novartis, Aventis, Lycos are a big risk. Always check the international implications. More than one company has been embarrassed by a new name that had negative and even obscene connotations in another language.

6. Give a clue. 

Try to adopt a business name that provides some information about what your business does. Calling your landscaping business “Lawn and Order” is appropriate, but the same name would not do well for a handyman business. Your business name should match your business in order to remind customers what services you provide.

7. Make sure the name is available. 

This may sound obvious, but a miss here will cost you dearly. Your company name and Internet domain name should probably be the same, so check out your preferred names with your State Incorporation site, Network Solutions for the domain name, and the country’s Patent Office for Trademarks.

8. Favor common suffixes. 

Everyone will assume that your company name is your domain name minus the suffix “.com” or the standard suffix for your country. If these suffixes are not available for the name you prefer, pick a new name rather than settling for an alternate suffix like “.net” or “.info.” Get all three suffixes if you can.

9. Don’t box yourself in. 

Avoid picking names that don’t allow your business to move around or add to its product line. This means avoiding geographic locations or product categories to your business name.

With these specifics, customers will be confused if you expand your business to different locations or add on to your product line.

10. Sample potential customers. 

Come up with a few different name choices and try them out on potential customers, investors, and co-workers. Skip your family and friends who know too much. Ask questions about the names to see if they give off the impression you desire.

If you are still unsure of yourself, you should know that there are many dedicated firms, like Igor and A Hundred Monkeys, that can relieve you of $1 million of your hard-earned funds to come up with just the right appellation. 

If you are looking for the right solutions for your small or medium business, we are willing to provide a good mentorship with an appropriate process to lift business click here

Also read: Why digital marketing is important for small businesses?