Choosing a killer name for your business is difficult than it seems to be. Perhaps, it is one of the common challenges faced by startups. One of the important things to think about while choosing the name of the company is how it will appear in the subject line of an email. Next, how it sounds when it is said aloud. In recent times, most of the leading companies have selected names between five and ten letters and at least a hard consonant. Before you name your company, check out a few tips to choose the name for your startup from entrepreneurs who have been through the whole process.
Tips to choose the name for your Startup
Do not hurry
There is no specific amount of time when it should choose a name for your company, but it is better to choose one by 6 months of iterating before you make a final decision. A significant thing to remember is to continue working on several other aspects of the business as you become closer to choosing a name. The process of choosing the name should not affect the working of your business.
Find out who is your audience
While choosing a name for your company, always keep on your mind who is your audience. It plays a vital role as if the audience find the name attractive and unique, they will keep in mind. Therefore, considering your audience is important while choosing a name for a business.
Make it simple to spell
It is alright to use unique spelling, but you should not make your company’s name so much unconventional that it is hard for your audience to remember. If it gets difficult for your customers to keep in mind the name of your company, then they will never come back to you ever.
Short is always better
This is one of the vital tips to choose the name for your startup every business owner should keep in mind. Every company cannot have a short and simple name like Lyft or Dell, but if you come up with a great long name and a short one, you must probably choose the shortest one. Attaining the rights to short web domain names, however, can be expensive, if not impossible, so first, make sure whether your desired URL is available or not.
Factor in search engine optimization
Making your organization easy to find in the search engines is a significant thing while choosing a name. If you are going to make use of a proper noun for your name, you must think about how that decision will affect SEO. For example, choosing a common term like “Bell” would make it difficult to place your company on the first or second page of the Google search results.
Choose from plenty of options
Having to change your name after twisting from one business model to another is not the end of this world, but if you can twist and still retain the identity of your brand that you have already built up, that is perfect. Choosing a name that does not categorize your company to a specific service will be helpful. The main objective is to create something that is wide enough to instinctively answer who you are and that speaks to your core customer base, but also grows your business in other areas.
Do not restrict the growth
In the initial stage, may be your startup will focus on a specific thing, whether it is a location, product, or target audience. But this does not mean that you must name your business something specific. For instance, let us say you are launching a fashion brand that sell men’s jeans. Naming your brand “Jeans for Men’ is not good. Have you ever thought what will you do if in future you start making shirts, hats, or shirts? Or let us say you name your startup based on a location. If you open a new shop in some other location, then it will be a problem. So, it is better to name your startup after something like a street if you want some connection to your local area.
Check the domain name
So, you are ready to fix a name. Once you fix the name, the next thing to do is use an online tool like Domain.com to check if the domain is available. It is a mistake that most of the people make while starting a startup. A company settles on a name, but what if somebody else has the .com domain. So, rather than purchasing it, they try another extension like .net, org, .biz, instead. It does not mean you should make your domain different from your startup name just to get a .com domain. If you find that your domain name is taken and you are not able to purchase it, then try to think of a different name for your business.
Buy the .com domain name
The strongest preference is to get the .com domain name for your startup instead of using alternatives like .org, .net, .biz, or any other extensions. Research has shown that customers tend to link the .com name with an established business. Undoubtedly, someone will have your desired.com business name, but there are many domain owners who are interested in selling their name for a fixed price.
You can check the availability of a domain name on sites like GoDaddy.com. If you find that the name of the domain is taken, you can track the owner of the domain name and find out if they are interested in selling it. Also, ensure to grab your preferred business name on social media sites like Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Use a business name that has some meaning
One of the important tips to choose the name of your startup everyone must follow is to choose a name with some meaning. Preferably, you want the name of your business to convey something meaningful related to your business. Can customers instantly understand what your business is all about? While meaningless names like “Yahoo”, “Google” or “Zappos” have appeal because of their attractiveness.
Avoid decisions by a committee but test your company’s name with others
It is enticing to involve our friends, employees, customers, and family in finding a name for a company. Sometimes, this can work well. But these are some risks. People might be disappointed if you do not choose a name which they believe is great. You will find yourself trying to find consensus, which can lead to a plain name. If you involve others, choose a small group of people who understand you as well as your business. Once you have a few choices, you must share them with your family, friends, and customers to receive their feedback.
Try to avoid obscure words
Company names that narrate stories can be memorable and powerful. However, obscure words or references might be hard to spell or pronounce. Be sensitive if you are trying to reach a huge audience. Obscure names can do wonders. Like for example, Xerox. However, this needs a massive marketing budget and lot of effort.
Say it Loud
Your business name might sound great on paper. But, when you say the phrase or word loudly, you may reach a different conclusion. Ensure that the word is easy to spell and does not have any words that you do not want to associate with your company. In fact, some of the popular brands are held guilty of not doing this safety check. If you believe you know how to pronounce Lidl, Nutella, and Adidas, think once again. Creating confusion is not a great thing for a startup that is trying hard to establish itself as a brand. Therefore, keep the name simple and recognizable for the customers whom you are targeting.