Choosing a business name is one of the most exciting and, at the same time, most complicated processes you can face when launching a brand or business.
Simple as it may seem, once you consider the impact of choosing a name that lends itself to misinterpretation, or that could offend part of the population, everything becomes more complex. Not to mention that the name you choose may already be registered or belong to another company…
These are some of the reasons why creating a business name is often a process that worries business owners.
Also, keep in mind that the name you choose will stay with the business throughout its life, so it has to embrace all the values of its potential market niches.
That’s why in this article we’ll look at key aspects and mistakes to avoid so that this process is as painless as possible. We’ll also look at a few business name generators to help you find inspiration.
Business names: how do you create them?
One of the first pieces of advice I’d like to give, before going into detail about how to create business names, is to devote quality time to it. In other words, don’t do it in your spare time or in gaps between other tasks.
Choosing an original business name has to be done carefully. That means analyzing the impact of each idea.
My recommendation is to block out the hours you’ll need in your calendar and make sure no one interrupts you with other matters. Only if you’re focused will you find the name that best represents your business.
Below you’ll find a short guide in which I share all of this with you:
- A list of 10 key aspects that will put you on the right track.
- 7 mistakes to avoid when creating business names.
- Online tools in case you need a name generator.
Creating the business name is one of the most important moments in the early days of a business, with long-lasting effects.
10 key aspects for creating a business name
If you’re looking for an original business name and don’t know which steps to follow to get it right and land on the final idea, these recommendations can help you.
Shall we get started? Here are some of the most important guidelines:
1) Collaboration
This could be one of the first steps when creating business names. Meet with your partners or colleagues and write down all the ideas that come up at first. At this stage, they’re all good.
As a suggestion, I’d also invite your family and friends to take part. They may give you good ideas to work on.
2) Niche focus
Like any marketing action, the business name should also be clearly focused on its niche. We should think about what interests that niche so we can take it into account when creating the business name.
For example, if your audience is international or used to product names in English, you could consider giving your business an English name.
If, on the other hand, they aren’t familiar with English, it’s better to create it in the native language or even to play on words in both languages.
3) Simplicity
One of the goals should be to come up with business names that are easy to identify and remember. So it’s better to stick to simple ideas. Nobody will remember a long name, but they will remember a simple one (for example, with no more than 3 or 4 letters).
Along those lines, if you go for wordplay as we mentioned before, make sure the phrases are simple and easy to understand.
4) Originality
It’s important for the business name to be related, one way or another, to the company’s philosophy, values and activity. But that doesn’t mean it can’t include a certain dose of creativity.
For example, Steve Jobs named his brand “Apple” because he wanted to convey that his computers were as easy to use as eating an apple.
But if you want to be easily recognized, stay away from any similarity to the names of your competitors or of companies in other industries.
5) Easy pronunciation
If you’re targeting an international audience, make sure your brand name is easy to pronounce in every language. Otherwise, still make sure you make it easy for the people you’ll be addressing.
6) Clarity
If you think a name could cause confusion, or has a double meaning you don’t want your brand associated with, better not use it!
History is full of well-known brand names that had to change in different countries for this very reason. For example, SEAT changed the name of its SEAT Málaga model to sell it in Greece. In that country, “Málaga” is pronounced “Malaka”, which means “excrement”.
7) Positive, descriptive language
Language is also something you should pay special attention to. Ideally, business names should be evocative and trigger positive feelings. This will go a long way toward acceptance in the market.
By this I mean avoiding rude words or words that might sound like them. Think of the Spanish paper brand Gvarro. Many people call it “Guarro” paper, which in Spanish means “filthy”.
On the other hand, if you’ve thought about creating business names that describe your products or services, I recommend you think twice. In many cases it isn’t the best option, either because they don’t sound quite right or because they have no hook.
It’s better to add a touch of creativity so the name surprises people, builds high expectations and even makes everyone want one of your products.
Even so, there are cases where descriptive names have worked, such as Booking or TelefĂłnica.
8) Showing the benefits
If the company’s product or service has a benefit worth highlighting, why not reflect it in the name? That’s what the mattress brand Marmota (Spanish for “marmot”) did. In Spanish, people say “sleep like a marmot” the way English speakers say “sleep like a log”: who doesn’t want a mattress that helps them sleep like that?
9) Availability and durability
By this I mean don’t get carried away by passing fads. A word or expression may be trendy today and no longer funny tomorrow.
So you should choose a timeless name that doesn’t depend on trends. And, of course, one that isn’t registered by any other company.
You can ask your accountant or advisor or, in Spain, check with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM). They’ll tell you whether a brand or company name is registered.
10) Domain availability
Related to the previous point, it’s also worth checking whether your brand’s domain name, just as you’ve conceived it, is available on the internet. If you’re going to create a website, this is important to keep in mind.
If it’s already in use, either think of a variant or keep looking for domains that aren’t directly related to the business name (for example, based on a niche keyword).
These recommendations, plus a dose of ingenuity, will help you find a unique business name that your business will be recognized by.
7 mistakes to avoid when coming up with business names
Just as there are recommendations worth following to create original business names, there are some common mistakes you should avoid whenever possible. They are:
1) Being too generic
With a name that’s too generic, you run the risk of not stirring any emotion in your audience. What’s more, the brand will most likely not make an impression on consumers or be remembered.
The business name has to have enough impact to be remembered. If it goes unnoticed, you’ll hardly achieve that. So, as you know, go for more precise names with a certain dose of creativity.
2) Personal tastes
As we said at the start, every action you take in your business should put your customer at the center. If you’re looking for an original business name, think about how your customer would do it.
Don’t base it on your personal tastes; they’re probably not the same as your audience’s. What’s more, a name may mean one thing to you and something completely different to your audience.
So you could run a survey before making the business name official. Remember that once you start spreading it, there’s no going back.
3) Excessive length
Business names that are too long or complex end up being paraphrased or forgotten. To keep that from happening to your business, go for simpler, shorter ones.
People in general always look for simple options; anything that takes effort or causes complications won’t be a priority for them.
4) Limiting the business activity
When business names are closely tied to the main product or service, it’s often hard to associate them with new offers the company may launch. You don’t know what the future holds, so it’s better to choose a name that doesn’t rule out possible products or services for your business.
To make it clearer, let’s go back to the Apple example. If Steve Jobs had tied the company name to its initial product, computers, it would be harder today to make sense of it making other devices.
5) No strategic planning
Launching a brand should be guided by a clear strategy. The brand’s name shouldn’t conflict with it. It should add strength to the strategy, not divert it from its goals.
6) No professional help
Sometimes the best thing is to seek professional help from agencies that specialize exclusively in this process. Finding an original business name is no easy task. If you feel good ideas aren’t coming, contact the experts.
7) No registration
Once again, I recommend you seek professional advice when you register your brand. The procedure is full of information that can be confusing, especially if you’re not used to dealing with it.
Any mistake that ends up in your business name can be decisive. Before anything else, we need to check that everything is correct.
A list to choose your business name generator
To finish, I’d like to share a list of very intuitive tools or generators for creating business names.
You can turn to them when inspiration isn’t on your side. Also if you want to analyze which options could be most advantageous, or simply out of curiosity. These are some of the best known:
â—Ź Tiendanube. This tool is an ecommerce platform. Among the features it offers, you’ll find a business name generator. It can be used completely free of charge. All you have to do is choose an industry and a keyword that represents the business.
â—Ź Nameshack. Besides suggesting business names, this tool tells you whether the associated domain is available. So you save time in the process. Knowing whether the domain is free or not can make the choice easier.
â—Ź Shopify. It’s probably the most popular platform for creating an ecommerce store. As with Tiendanube, it also includes a free business name generator. With just one search, you’ll get more than 100 name ideas.
â—Ź Business NameGenerator. This tool comes from Wix. And like the second app on this list, it tells you whether the related domains are available.
â—Ź Namelix. One of the best options for generating original business names is Namelix. It includes more filters, which lets you define the length and style. As a result, the options are more varied and creative. In addition, the ideas come with a possible logo.
These tools are a great help for finding an original business name. Even if you have your own ideas, I recommend you take a look at them. Some of their suggestions might surprise you!
Either way, if you’re in the process of creating your business name, remember that it takes time. Great ideas don’t come overnight!
Choosing the name is only the first step: we also recommend our guide to naming and to building your branding from scratch.
A good name should also resonate with your ideal customer, not just sound good.
