20 Qs Before You Choose a Business Name
1. Is the URL available?
This may seem obvious, but I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people sitting around dreaming up and deciding on the Business name that seems "perfect" to them, only to find the domain is not available.
If this happens when choosing your business name, don't compromise on having to use a .net or .whatever just so that you can have the business name that combines the children and their favorite pet bunny the year you moved to the mountains.
Seriously, please don't do that
2. Is the Registration name available in your country?
It is always a good idea to register the business name in your country, even if you only ever plan for it to be an online business.
In Australia that is ASIC
In America that is different for all states
In the United Kingdom that is Companies House
In Canada that is the provincial government where you reside or conduct your business
3. Is the Business Name Trademarked in another country?
Often we only search our own country to check availability of our business name, but doing a world wide search for trademarks could save you heart ache down the road
There are numerous stories across the world of small business inadvertently using a conglomerates name and having legal action taken against them, so do you homework first (and no that's not a good reason to use your grandchild's favorite doll's name as a business name)
4. Is the Facebook Page available?
Seems obvious right?
But there are so many startup businesses on facebook that you would be surprised that most of our brilliant business name ideas are already taken.
Even if you do not intend using this platform it is worth saving the name, just in case.
With all the cloning and hacking going on these days, you don't want a name that has __ or . as separators so that you can have that name. It will just make you look like you've copied someone.
5. Is the Instagram Page available?
Although you may not want to use this platform right now, it is a great idea to still set up the page and grab your name so nobody else can use it.
If the name is taken on any social media platform I would think really hard about the idea of adding a _ to be able to keep the name. You will simply be competing with the original version as I mentioned under the Facebook name.
6. Is the Pinterest Name available?
Again, it may not be the platform for your business name but you see the pattern right?
It is mostly aimed at 40-60 year old women which may not be your market, however it is not hard to save the name, throw up a few pins and leave it sitting there for the sake of keeping your name across all platforms.
Pinterest is a major traffic driver to websites, so it is worth having about 10 different pins for every product or post directing to your site.
7. Is the X (Twitter) Handle available?
People either love or hate Twitter or as it is now called "x"
Whatever you think of it, having your business "handle" as it is called is important, even if it just sits there for the near future with a couple of introductory tweets to point people to your main platform.
8. Is the Youtube channel name available?
Youtube is the social media platform of the future.
People love videos and How-To's so even if you cringe at the thought of making a video now, or can't see how that would fit into your business, I promise, down the track you will.
So reserve your Business Name as the channel name, and even if you never use it, potentially a future owner of your business down the track may want it.
9. Are there any other names that sound similar?
People mistype all the time, plus when somebody is telling their friends about this great business they heard of, it is easy for them to remember the name not quite right.
Are there other businesses with a similar name that could be landed on instead of yours?
Also under this topic, if there are similar business names what are they selling?
Could it have a negative affect on your business?
10. Does the name make sense for SEO purposes?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is how google finds your business.
Remember the Yellow Pages when everything was in alphabetical order?
Google doesn't do it that way, it searches for what it thinks is the best possible match for the request so it’s important to make it easy and almost obvious.
If at all possible, make your business name something that your Ideal Client would actually type into google search bar.
11. How many people a year google the words in your biz name?
This is really important.
It’s great to have a business name that gives you a warm fuzzy deep inside because it has a long held secret meaning to you, but is anyone googling it?
There is a Chrome extension called Keywords Everywhere that will tell you how many people are googling a month whatever it is you are putting in the search bar. Very useful for marketing and SEO purposes.
Another option is Google Trends, where you can type in what country (or even global) to see how your topic is trending, and will also give you other options to consider.
12. Does the business name allow for a transition to a new name in future years?
Businesses always evolve and change.
Let’s imagine you have spent 5 years building an online following and have nailed your SEO so that you are on the front page of google, but now you are pivoting slightly in what you offer.
Or you want to change your business name to be your own name now that you have a large following.
In many cases, social media for example, will not let you just change the name of your page as it will believe that your followers may not be interested in the new content, or it thinks you are misleading your followers.
Having a business name that will allow for that change in years to come will mitigate this issue.
13. Does the name allow for word play if you want to add subcategories to your business?
You may not think at the beginning of your business that you will end up with different offshoots but it happens in so many cases.
Having a name that you can play with so that your branding stays true is a great way to put in place the possibilities for the future.
I will use one of my other business's as an example.
Thyroid School does what it says (great SEO right?) but what if I want to add different courses to that platform?
As it happens, I have and I now have Thyroid “Oil” School and Thyroid “Emotions” School and Thyroid “Mindset” School.
I am able to keep within my branding and add offshoots which have their own branding, but are clearly linked to the umbrella business.
Where or how can you do that with your current business name idea?
14. Is the name easy to say?
When you are telling others your business name, do they ask you to repeat it?
Do they say “sorry, what was the name again?”
If that happens when you tell your name idea to a few close family members or friends, then you may want to rethink it.
Perhaps it’s too long? Or perhaps it's just too fancy? Perhaps it doesn't make sense to them (enter the random business named after the pet you had when you were 3)
Make it easy to say by imagining you are casually saying it over your shoulder to someone as they walk away. Would they need to stop and come back to you to understand it? Would they need you to write it down?
15. Is the name easily spelled?
Or will you be forever spelling it out?
I grew up having to spell my surname to everyone who asked my name.
I now have a married name that I have to do the same thing.
Do you want to be doing that with your business?
Do you want to risk the potential client misspelling your business name and not finding you online?
Make sure it is easy to say and spell.
If you have grown up with an actual name or surname you have had to spell and repeat all your life, then you will know exactly what I am talking about... don't do it I beg of you!
16. Does the name tell people what you do instantly?
If it does, then not only will you be easy to find on google and your SEO is one step ahead, but it makes it easy for people to know what you do when they find a random business card somebody has left behind (by mistake I’m sure).
I will use one of my business clients as an example here.
When I met this lovely business woman, her business name was Soul Melody Healing.
Now, while it is a lovely sounding name and you get that she is a healer of some kind, it really doesn’t say what she does right?
After a brainstorming session where we went through each of these questions, we landed on the name Anxious Soul.
Since this client is a healer who specialises in anxiety it gave both the softness of what she offered along with the topic of the problem she helped her clients solve.
The number of people (sadly) googling the word anxious is through the roof, so that will help google to find her.
17. Do the initials of your business spell something weird or wonderful?
What your business name spells could make you a legend or a laughing stock!
I have a friend who started The Outback Media Group (OMG) how genius is that?!
But there is the flip side of something like Australian Stock Services (ASS)... whoopsy!
I would hate for you to get a couple of months into your beautiful new business and business name only to have somebody point out to you that the initials spell out something horrid!
I was considering the YouTube Channel name "Chronicles of Kylie" at one point until I saw what the initials spelled... so that was a hard no from me!
The upside to having initials that spell something great is that you can use it as a shorter email for example or as a different logo.
18. Does the name allow you to shorten it to something catchy?
Following on from the initials spelling something, can your name in general be shortened?
It may be an Aussie thing to shorten names (including a business name) but it is a sign of affection and it is a great way of being able to casually refer to your business in conversations without actually saying it and sounding like you are an advertisement.
An example might be the business McDonalds, which is affectionately referred to as Maccas (I think in Australia it has literally been changed to that name)
Another example would be Kentucky Fried Chicken being referred to as KFC for so long that it eventually rebranded to that
An example of a company that sticks by its original name but has a nickname would be a conglomerate like Rio Tinto that is always referred to as Rio.
So what will your name be shortened to by customers?
19. Can you call your followers something catchy?
Does the name allow you to call your followers on social media a great nickname so that they feel a part of your tribe?
Denise Duffield-Thomas is a great example here.
She has made her name from her original book “Lucky Bitch” which was also the name of her original website.
Denise has a money bootcamp online course where she teaches women how to remove money blocks and has many loyal followers who call themselves “Lucky B's”.
Eventually Denise landed a publishing contract with Hay House who requested she no longer use the term “Bitch” so her website became her own name.
The nickname though had already begun morphing into Lucky Bee’s over the years as followers started sending her Bee paraphernalia and some of her branding includes Bee logos for a long time.
20. Does it have the feeling of whatever you are selling?
This may sound a little woo woo however if your business name is sharp or harsh sounding but you are selling hoodies for puppies then there will be a disconnect that the customer may not notice but could feel.
It may also cause somebody to scroll right past you when looking for a puppy clothing store if your name is Brutus Stud Collars dot com.
People shop with their hearts in most cases, so making sure the feeling matches the product is vital.
Final Thoughts…
Your magic Business Name does not have to tick off every single point here.
Most names won’t.
It is important though to consider each step and then decide if it’s a deal breaker or not.
Some of the questions are more important than others, so decide what’s important for you and your business and if you are happy that it ticks enough boxes then go ahead and get your business started!
Don’t let your business name indecision be the cause of you not starting your business.
If you haven't checked out the list on the 20 Qs to Ask BEFORE you start your business, you can read that HERE.
