Statistics reveal that there are approximately about 33.2 million businesses in the US. This figure includes everything (as in everything), from small local businesses to large enterprises and multinational corporations.
So, if you’re a startup, choosing your business name is undoubtedly one of the most tedious and challenging tasks that could cause sleepless nights. Understandably, it has to be memorable and meaningful because it sets the tone for your branding.
This article will guide you through the process of selecting a business name and help you make an informed decision quickly.
What Makes a Great Business Name?
Think Google or Uber. Both of them have memorable, sweet, and SHORT names. Yes, I figure. They seem pretty simple. But on a second look, I also realized that they carry much weight in and represent their respective companies in their industries.
Your name is the first thing your customers see when they discover your business, whether on social media, website, or Google ad listing. It must resonate with your target market and represent what you do and your products and services. Thus, it must be easy to remember.
How Do Brands Create Their Business Name?
Do your homework and research
Brands conduct thorough research online, visit competitors’ pages, and analyze their industries. They check the names of their competitors and look for specific patterns in terms of trending words and phrases within their niche. But of course, as you want to stand out, you avoid being a copycat. Hence, don’t try to blend in.
Brainstorm for business name ideas
Discuss it with your creative friends and team to brainstorm potential business names. Let your ideas flow and be as innovative as possible. No judgment on this part! You can come up with as many names as you can to narrow down later.
After all, creativity is the key! Who knows? Your most unique business name ideas might come from unexpected places (and people).
Create a mood board
Take some time to visualize (no, not a meditation session, but close to that). For this activity, you’re creating a mood board. Add images, fonts, and colors that best represent your brand’s messaging, feel, and personality. The point here is to see the potential names that clearly align with your business’s overall feel.
Draft a business name
Now that you have the magic list of potential names get to work and start drafting. Combine phrases and words, change spellings, and experiment with different variations. Your end goal would be to refine all those ideas and develop a final list of cool business names.
Get feedback
Gather feedback from mentors, family members, trusted friends, and stakeholders. This is an essential step in creating a business name.
What do they think about your potential business names? Are these easy to pronounce and recall? Do they evoke emotions (and touch the heart)? Narrow down your options even more.
Register your business name
Check that the business name is available before investing too much in it. Do a quick domain search, and remember to check trademarks. Once you are 100% sure your chosen business name is available, register it ASAP.
Things to Take into Consideration When Choosing a Business
Hard-to-Spell Words
We don’t recommend using hard-to-spell words (and complicated phrases). The goal is to help your customers find your business on Google and other search engines without trying to guess how to spell it correctly. So, if you’re struggling to spell your business name, your customers would, too. This name might not fit your business, so back to the drawing board.
Difficult names
When a name is hard to remember and pronounce, it’s more likely hard to remember. This is a bad sign. Instead of complex names, stick to those that are easy to pronounce. We recommend using standard and simple words for quick recall.
Abbreviations
Unless abbreviations are commonly known, do not use them for a business name, which, in a nutshell, must convey information about what you do without explaining it. It’s most probably best for you to avoid abbreviations.
Avoid A Lengthy Name
Long names take much work to incorporate into your merchandise, marketing materials, business cards, and logos. Plus, they don’t blend well with any design. Keep it short and sweet.
Website Domain Name Consideration
Check for the availability of a domain for your business name, which must translate well into a domain name. Put it in the browser window, and feel it. Does it look odd? You have to think of this beforehand to avoid any regret later.
Trademark Issues
Your chosen name should not be trademarked. Otherwise, you might face costly and time-consuming legal battles, which you could avoid by doing a quick search. Also, avoid business names that closely resemble already established names in the industry.
Tips and Ideas to Find a Good Business Name
Made-up words
Fun and catchy names like Kodak and Verizon are made-up words. They’re unique, appealing, and, most importantly, brandable.
Word Play
Create a memorable, distinct business name with wordplay or puns that can stick in people’s heads because they are hilarious!
Words that Rhyme
Rhyming names like FitBit or StubHub are both memorable and fun. And as you might already know, they’ve gone huge since launch, and probably one of their secrets is their memorable rhyming names.
Web-friendly and short
The goal is to keep your business name as short as possible. Why? Shorter names are easier to remember and type in the browser's search bar (or website URL).
Word banks
Make a list of relevant words (associated with your business), and then try to experiment. Mix and match those words for a bucket of inspiration. Again, who knows? You can connect cool and appealing words for business name ideas.
Thesaurus
Look up synonyms in the dictionary and find those words that sound more unique and appealing. You might be surprised by the results.
Key Qualities to a Strong Business Name
Conciseness
Again, keep your name short and sweet. It’ll be easier to integrate into marketing materials, and customers will be more likely to remember them. Famous brands typically have one or two words max in their names (Apple, Google, etc).
Relevance
Another thing about branding, which you should remember, is relevance. Ensure your name is relevant to what you do or what value you offer. Avoid weird and odd words just to be different. Don’t use words that have nothing to do with your business. Otherwise, you might just confuse people.
Uniqueness
Again, your business name has to be unique (but not weird or odd, okay?). Use a name that is unlikely to be any other name out there. Your originality will help you stand out from the rest while, at the same time, it will pique curiosity. Find the right balance and steer away from overly unique names, though.
Buzz inspiring
Use a provocative and distinctive name. Remember, we’re talking about branding (not blanding).
Linguistically clean
How is your business name pronounced by an Italian, Spanish, French, or Japanese native speaker? What does your name mean in their respective mother tongue? You must support such languages to do business in the US, especially in highly-populated areas such as Florida, New York, and California.
Engaging
Creativity is essential to creating a great name for your business. Imagination will come in handy for this. Think Häagen-Dazs and Tesla .
Brand alignment
Excellent business names authentically express a brand’s message. The same goes for their positioning and personality. One Flex, Fitbit Zip, and Force are exemplary names that convey simplicity and high energy.
Flexible and enduring
If your business model changes in the future, will your name still be relevant? What if cultural trends shift? Or what if your brand transcends local boundaries? Things like that.
Culturally sensitive
Is your business name free of negative connotations and meanings in other countries? (Exemptions are famous brands whose names have negative meanings or connotations, such as Virgin, Fossil, Slack, Gap, and Poison).
Timelessness
Unless you’re in the fashion trends business, stay away topical and hip business names. You must be careful of using trendy expressions and words (Trends come and go). Plus, “in” names will not also work across all market demographics. So, we advise, stick with simple, classical names that endure the changes of the times.
20 Cool Business Name Ideas
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FreshFlock
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ByteHive
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NovaNest
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EchoEcho
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GigaGroove
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UrbanSprout
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ZenithTech
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EcoSphere
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AstroArcade
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HumbleHive
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ChicCrafters
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PulsePioneer
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QuirkQuest
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BlushBliss
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SnapSizzle
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RadiantRidge
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CraftClique
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AquaQuirk
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GleamGrove
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LushLoom
Conclusion
Choosing a business name combines strategy and art. You must balance creativity with objectivity to create a unique, easy-to-remember, and relevant business name.
Explore different business name ideas and be ready to refine them. Review all angles before finally deciding on a business name. At the end of the day, the name of your business is the very foundation of business branding and identity. So, give it your best shot!
If you’re ready to get started, feel free to explore our AI business name generator. Alternatively, you can consult a branding expert to help you create that perfect business name that represents your business, resonates with your target audience, pique interest, and leaves a good and lasting impression.
