9 Tips For Coming Up With a Business Name

One key step toward building a business is naming it. What’s your best tip for how to come up with a good business name, and why?

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at yec.co.

The Joinery brand
photo credit: Airam Dato-on / Pexels

1. Easy To Spell

Ensure the name is memorable and easy to spell. This is important because a name that stands out in people’s minds can aid in your marketing, making it easier for search for your business. Additionally, a name that resonates with your values, products, or services can establish a strong brand identity. Consider using word association to generate ideas that capture your business’s value prop.

Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

2. Check Domain Name Availability

Before you start a business and name it, it’s recommended that you check the availability of the domain. You need a domain to have an online presence and to attract a relevant audience from a particular region or around the globe. Finding the right domain is not that easy. They’re either parked by resellers or already taken. So, you should consider domain availability before getting started.

Jared Atchison, WPForms

3. Test Before Finalizing

My best tip is to test your business name before finalizing it. There are affordable user testing tools out there where you can present variations of your business name and ask a representative group of your target audience how they feel about the names. You’ll be surprised by the feedback and get great insights you’d never think on your own. So, always test your names to get the best fit.

Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner

4. Consider Intellectual Property Regulations

Before deciding on the name of a new business, one should always be careful of copyrights and intellectual property regulations. You should always check if there’s already a company registered using the name that you think is fitting for you. This will save you from the hassle of acknowledging legal issues down the road and help you pick a unique name for your new business.

Chris Klosowski, Easy Digital Downloads

5. Do Keyword Research

Do keyword research before choosing a name, and find a domain that includes a searchable commercial keyword. This gives you a leg up on the competition and helps you with SEO from the beginning. Many businesses think about SEO far too late in their journey. Put it front and center in your market research to get traffic to your website when you are just starting.

Matthew Capala, Alphametic

Brand identity

6. Reflect Your Brand Identity

When naming your business you need to ensure that it reflects your brand identity. It should perfectly align with your brand values. It should give your customers a hint of what your brand does and how it can help them. The other thing you need to be vary of is to make it simple and memorable. Choose a name that is easy to spell and pronounce.

Benjamin Rojas, All in One SEO

7. Connects With Target Audience

One key step toward building a business and naming it is ensuring that it resonates with the interests and preferences of the target audience. This helps you promote your solutions effectively and makes it possible for you to build a relatable brand identity. As the name of your business aligns with the needs of the intended audience, it helps you foster a better recall and generate more traction.

Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

8. Avoid Made-Up Words

My tip for coming up with a business name is to avoid made-up words. We have all seen names that make no sense and mean nothing. While you can add meaning with actions, I think a good business name should paint a picture in someone’s mind. If it can do that while being short, easy to remember and type and the domain is available, you have a winner on your hands. If not, portmanteau is your friend!

Abhijeet Kaldate, Astra WordPress Theme

9. Love it

Naming your business is like naming your child. You need to love it! This is your pride and joy. You will be saying this name countless times and it will be said by others. Make it memorable and aligned with your business services. A name is just a name until we give meaning to it.

Ariya Malek, Educational Awakening Center