Post by Misty Henry (Admin) on Oct 31, 2017 19:39:42 GMT -6
A name is very important to your business, but it is HARD to choose! Not only is it like naming a new baby, but once you come up with a name you feel is PERFECT, you find that it is taken! Blog Clarity has a Guide to Choosing a Blog Name You Won't Regret that gives you some good tips on coming up with that perfect name. Things like considering your Target Market, thinking of your "tone", and narrowing down a huge list of names.
After you've narrowed that list, it is time to do some checks to make sure it is available. First, you can use NameChk to search a large number of social media sites and the .coms, .orgs, and .nets for availability of your name. It is recommended that if the .com is taken, to look for a new name. Think about it, '.com' is ingrained. Even if we know it is a .org, we immediately blurt out '.com' because that is what we are used to (since everything is commercial).
Once you've checked the overall availability, it is time to do some deeper searching. This time, more legal searching. We need to look at USPTO.gov to make sure the name is not a registered trademark. You will also need to check with your own state, particularly if you are planning on an LLC, Partnership, or other State-registered business entity.
Blog Clarity has a few more tips in their Part 2 of choosing a good business name. Tips like saying it OUT LOUD, letting others see the URL written out (their example is amusing!), and letting others just provide their outside opinion on the name will help you navigate the lesser known large mistakes that can happen.
Finally, you want to consider the sustainability of your name. For example, will you always be a diaper business? If not, don't have a name like "Diaper Doodle Dandy" or you'll feel stuck and so will your customers! Growing into a children's clothing space or even carrying other non-diaper related accessories will create some hesitance to visit your site simply because passers-by will believe you only carry diapers.
Oh! One more thing. If you do find a name that you love and you find another business that is either WAY outdated, in another country, or in another industry, you may still be able to use the chosen name. Consider this, however. If they have had bad customer service, do you want your name associated with that? If there is even a tiny iota of a chance that there could be some confusion of one business to another, you'll want to think of something else. The other business could be fantastic, but you don't want your potential customers/customer referrals going to the wrong website!
After you've narrowed that list, it is time to do some checks to make sure it is available. First, you can use NameChk to search a large number of social media sites and the .coms, .orgs, and .nets for availability of your name. It is recommended that if the .com is taken, to look for a new name. Think about it, '.com' is ingrained. Even if we know it is a .org, we immediately blurt out '.com' because that is what we are used to (since everything is commercial).
Once you've checked the overall availability, it is time to do some deeper searching. This time, more legal searching. We need to look at USPTO.gov to make sure the name is not a registered trademark. You will also need to check with your own state, particularly if you are planning on an LLC, Partnership, or other State-registered business entity.
Blog Clarity has a few more tips in their Part 2 of choosing a good business name. Tips like saying it OUT LOUD, letting others see the URL written out (their example is amusing!), and letting others just provide their outside opinion on the name will help you navigate the lesser known large mistakes that can happen.
Finally, you want to consider the sustainability of your name. For example, will you always be a diaper business? If not, don't have a name like "Diaper Doodle Dandy" or you'll feel stuck and so will your customers! Growing into a children's clothing space or even carrying other non-diaper related accessories will create some hesitance to visit your site simply because passers-by will believe you only carry diapers.
Oh! One more thing. If you do find a name that you love and you find another business that is either WAY outdated, in another country, or in another industry, you may still be able to use the chosen name. Consider this, however. If they have had bad customer service, do you want your name associated with that? If there is even a tiny iota of a chance that there could be some confusion of one business to another, you'll want to think of something else. The other business could be fantastic, but you don't want your potential customers/customer referrals going to the wrong website!