Starting a small business is both fun and challenging. There’s so much to get done, like writing a business plan, coming up with the capital, deciding on what service or product you will sell, and naming your business. All of these are just as important as the others and rely on each other for your small business to be successful. When it comes to naming your business, there are some tried and true guidelines you can follow. Some are old, some new, but all are sure to work. Read on learn how to get small business name ideas.
Table of Contents
1. Make it Easy to Find You
Most new small businesses are online. Even if your business is a brick and mortar store, you still need an online presence. You’ll need a website, landing pages, and social media accounts. When you take this into consideration, you’ll want your customers to easily find you on these platforms so you need to pick a keyword rich name. For example, if you sell tires in Concord, Massachusettes you could name your store something like Concord Tires and More. When people search online for the keyword phrase Concord Tires, your store will come up – as long as you put the work in.
2. Make it Easy to Remember
You’ll also want to choose a small business name that is easy to remember. This way, your customers will be able to find you in the future and tell others about the wonderful products or services you offer. For example, Nike is a short, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember name that denotes not just a company but a brand. This is what you want to achieve when naming your small business. This means keep it short whenever possible while still capturing what your business is all about.
3. Ask Yourself What will Attract Your Customers
When choosing a name for your small business, think about what will attract customers and what will not. For example, if you’re selling discount items, the word “cheap” could be in your business name/domain name. However, that’s not a word you’d choose if you plan to sell high-end items. Instead, you could use a word like “luxury”.
4. Do Keyword Research
A fool-proof way of finding the right business name is to do some keyword research. You can use Google Ads or a site like keywordspy.com to find out how many people are searching for a keyword or keyword phrase. For example, if you offer resume writing services, you can look up keyword phrases like
- resume writing
- resume writing services
- write my resume
- resume help
- and so on
Once you find a few keywords and phrases that have high traffic and which you like, plug some domain names into a search and see if they’re already taken. If not, you have your small business name. If they’re taken, this just means you need to get more creative to find similar keywords and phrases that are not taken.
5. Coming up with a Catchy, Unique Name
A few things to keep in mind when naming your business is that you want the name to be unique and catchy at the same time. It should convey what your business is all about and should be easily remembered. If you’re still struggling with finding a small business name, you can look to the past for inspiration. Catchy names can be inspired by historical figures, literature, and mythology, for example. The company Tesla, a short and easy to remember name is taken from the scientist Nikola Tesla. Consider taking out a map and using a geographical location to inspire your name. Amazon is a good example of this.
To come up with a unique name, consider blending two words together, and add a .ONLINE at the end, such as cheaptires.ONLINE.
Coming up with a good small business name doesn’t have to be hard. When you use the tips listed here, you’ll discover that choosing the right small business name is easier than you thought. Keep in short, catchy, and make sure it captures the essence of your company for it to really stand out and be remembered.
