Domain Names - Whats In A Name: Selecting The Right Business Name

Whats In A Name: Selecting The Right Business Name

With all that's written about selecting a domain name, I thought I would address the ART of selecting a name for your business. It's by no means an easy task or one that should be taken lightly. So here we go.

Ask 500 people, already in business, how they decided upon their business name and you will get 500 different answers. Everyone has a story behind how they chose their business name. Even if the business is named after their own birth name, there's probably a reason why this was done.

When you open a business, in a sense, you are giving birth. This new birth was created from an idea by you or your associates. It will have its own bank account, it's own federal identification number, it's own credit accounts, it's own income and it's own bills. On paper, it is another individual! Just as if you were choosing a name for an unborn child, you need to spend considerable time in deciding upon your business name.

There are several reasons why a good business name is vitally important to your business. The first obvious reason is because it is the initial identification to your customers. No one would want to do business with someone if they didn't have a company name yet. This makes you look like an amateur who is very unreliable. Even if you call your company "Bill's Lawn Service", a company name has been established and you are indeed a company. People will therefore feel more comfortable dealing with you.

Secondly, a business name normally is an indication as to the product or service you offer. "Joan's Typing Service", "Karate Club for Men", "Jim-Dandy Jack-of-all-Trades", "Main Street Laundry", "Missy's Gift Boutique" and "Star Publishers" are all examples of simple business names that immediately tell the customer what product you offer.

However, most people will choose the simple approach when naming their business. They use their name, their spouse's name, their children's names or a combination of these names when naming a business. The national hamburger-restaurant chain "Wendy's" was named after, owner, Dave's daughter. Actually, research has proven that these "cutesy" names are not the best names to use for a business. Many experts claim that it makes the business look too "mom-and-pop-sie." But this depends on the business. If you are selling something that demands this mood or theme to appeal to your market, it's okay to use this approach.

Names like, "Sensible Solutions", "Direct Defenders", "Moonlighters Ink", "Printer's Friend", "Strictly Class", "Collections and Treasures", and "Starlight on Twilight" are all good examples of catchy names. These types of names relate to your product or service but serve as a type of slogan for your business. This is a big help when marketing.

When you name a child, you may not decide upon a definite name until after they are born. Hospital nurseries are loaded with "Boy" Smith and "Girl" Jones name tags. You do this because a name is sometimes associated with a type of personality. Somehow, I don't think Tarzan and Jane got the message, "Boy"? (dah!). When you name a business you may need to wait until you have a product or service to sell and then decide upon a business name before going into the business itself because your business name should give some clue as to what product or service you are selling. A business named "Joe's Collections" normally wouldn't sell car parts and a business named "Charlie Horse" would not sell knitting supplies.

To generate ideas - begin looking at business signs everywhere you go. Notice which ones catch your eye and stick in your mind. Try and figure out "why" they stuck in your mind. Naturally, the business "Dominos Pizza" sticks in your mind because it is nationally known. These don't count! Look around and notice the smaller businesses. Take your time. Within a few days you should be able to come up with a few potential business names.

Then, when you finally find a few names you really like - try reciting them to other people and get their opinion. It won't be long until your business will have the proper name that will carry it through it's life!

A final thought. Are they kidding? What your company does or long product description, domain names?

Try VeryLongBusinessNamesThatAreHardToRemember.com (and enter it without a typo)?

Well maybe it's just me; but what happened to KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid)?

About the Author ---- Jim Capobianco, the author of "10 Steps to Your Own Home-Based Business", has been self-employed for over 25 years, both on and off line. At his web site, Cap-Tech.com and in his newsletter, The Cap-Tech Times, he shares his experience and expertise when it comes to owning your own business. Come pay a visit at: http://www.cap-tech.com

Created & Maintained by Empower! CMS Web Sites

Host2Sell Web Hosting | Emarketing Workshops | Site SEO Review | FREE Newsletter

| 1 | 2 | 3 |

How To Choose The Best Domain Name
In this article we are going to look at the thought process you should go thru to choose your domain name.First of all let's define what a domain name is.A unique name that represents each computer on the Internet. (Some machines do have more than one domain name.) The DNS converts the domain name requested by an Internet user into an IP address.The Domain Name System (DNS) helps users to find their way around the Internet. Every computer on the Internet has a unique address ? just like a telephone number ? which is a rather complicated strin...(related: Domain Names)

What Is A Domain Name And Why Would I Want One?
In this article we will cover the basics of what a domain name is, how they work and why you need to have at least one. I am going to try and avoid complicated computer terms and stick to explanations that should be easily understood by someone without a computer science degree.What is a Domain Name? Before we can go into what a domain name is I'm going to tell you why we need them as the answers compliment each other. The Internet is just a really big collection of connected computers (a network). For the purpose of explaining domain names ...(related: Domain Names)

Domain Name Forwarding And Search Engines
You own a single site, but several domains - perhaps you wanted to make sure that even if your customers misspelled your domain name they'd get to your site, or perhaps you'd like to have a specific domain name direct to a page deep within your site - whatever the case, ...(related: Domain Names)

Selling A .co.uk Domain Name Via Sedo
Selling a .co.uk Domain Name via SedoThis is a recent example of our experience selling a .co.uk domain name via Sedo. If you are new to domains or Sedo this will give you a guide on the process and the time scales involved.NegotiationsThis is the hardest part of selling a domain ? how much to ask?Ask too much and the buyer may lose interest. Ask too little and you may not get the best price possible for your domain.You can us...(related: Domain Names)

Domain Names - How To Choose, And Register One
What is a domain name?A domain name is the address of your website and it looks like this: (http://www.ebizmodelsyoucancopy.com/). Website addresses are unique, just as your personal ID; no one else in th...(related: Domain Names)

How To Choose The Right Domain Name For Your Company
As the editor of DomainNameWire.com, I'm frequently e-mailed by people asking for domain name advice. Specifically, what should they look for when registering a domain name for their company? This may be basic for some of you, but I hope some of my readers gain value from this.Let me start with the things to avoid when registering a domain name that will be used for your main company web site.1. Never use a hyphen. If your domain is some-name.com, many people will forget the hyphen when typing your name into the browser or sending e-mail to you. This can result in lost business.2. Avoid digits if possible. Using digits requires you to spell the domain name out to people. For example2.com, you need to tell people it's the digit "2" rather than the word "two" or even "to...(related: Domain Names)

Protect Your Domain Name Or Risk Losing It
Your domain name is an important part of your brand and identity. Losing it could be disastrous! Yet, month over month we see people lose their domain name, either because they ignore or forget to renew them, or do not keep their contact information - especially their email address - current and up to date.A whole new indus...(related: Domain Names)

Choosing Your Domain Name ? Internet Marketing
This is actually an important key to your business and sometimes its success. I will explain why through-out this article.Firstly when choosing a domain name you can use letters, numbers or hyphens however you can't use hyphens at the beginning nor the end of your URL. You can use up to 67 characters.Choosing a smaller domain name will help your website be more easily remembered for repeat vistors (who don't bookmark your website but wish to return). Problem is most of the smaller domain names are taken these days.Choosing a name that is relevant and rich in keywords for your product or service will enhance your chances of ...(related: Domain Names)

Free Ebook: Business Domain Names
Since every website needs a name, Dr. Steve Baba has written a free ebook that will help you obtain a brandable, memorable domain name at a reasonable cost, which will contribute to your brand equity and profits. The ebook, downloadable from Seemly.com, explains how to select and buy an elite domain name. You will be able to obtain a better name than your competitors have.There are at least 10,000 words in a dictionary that would make great domain names plus at least 10,000 proper names and 10,000 great short coined-words. With a supply of 30,000 great names and millions of good names, obtaining a good name is easy.There is no need to ...(related: Domain Names)

Secrets Of Expired Domain Name Traffic
One of the biggest challenges to a webmaster is how to generate traffic. More traffic to your website equates to more sales. So how does one generate extra traffic to their website? Search engine optimization, email campaigns, pay-per-clicks, banner advertising, are among some of the tactics that are popular. Another method of generating traffic is throug...(related: Domain Names)