What Are the Best Tips for Choosing Company Names?

Choosing a company name is an important decision for any business. The company name is sometimes the first, and possibly only, contact with customers and products. That company name is also what customers will use when they tell others about the products and services offered by a particular company or organization. It is what customers will remember when they want to use a product repeatedly. The best tips for choosing company names include considering the target audience, selecting a name that reflects the business personality, and making sure your company name is web-ready.

When choosing company names, always take a look at the target audience of the company and its product offerings. For example, using a name like "Cute Kitty" for a company that makes wildly painted skateboards for pre-teens is not a good idea. Conversely, selecting a wild name for a conservative company is probably not a wise decision either. Look online and find the company names that clearly communicate what a company is all about. Choose a company name that will distinguish the company from any other, especially from other companies in the same area of business or industry.

One of the most important aspects of choosing company names is finding a name that reflects the specific personality or that creates a particular look. One company may want to communicate a strong, powerful corporate image, and may select a name that represents those characteristics. Another company may want to convey a softer, more down-to-earth image through the company name. Remember, even if a customer only hears or reads a company name, an image is created in that customer's mind. The key here is to select a name that says everything about a company in that name only.

Another tip for choosing company names is to create one that is web-ready. Remember that this name is going to be used as a domain address for a website, in an e-mail address and in other digital formats like Twitter® addresses, so choose carefully. Watch out for embarrassing spellings or matching of words in a domain address, like ChildrensWear.com, which might be rendered as ChildrenSwear.com, or TeachersTalk.com, which could become TeacherStalk.com. Many unfortunate domain names have been created, and it's important to avoid creating them when choosing company names.

A few other things to consider when choosing company names include conducting a Google&reg search and a trademark search to find any possible trademark infringements. A thorough domain name and Internet search will also indicate the availability of proposed names. Consider how a name sounds when a phone is answered, verbalized on a web page, or heard on a television or radio commercial.