How to Name a New Business

Coming up with a relevant and memorable name for a business can be tricky, but to get things started, here are 10 tips to get the creative juices flowing.

1. Reflect your brand

Your company name should reflect your brand, values, and mission. Consider using keywords that describe your company’s services or evoke the emotions you want your brand to convey.

2. Consider your audience

Your company name should resonate with your target audience. Think about who your ideal customers are and what they care about, and choose a name that will appeal to them.

3. Make it easy to pronounce and spell

Your company name should be easy to pronounce and spell, as this will make it easier for people to remember and search for online. Avoid using unusual spellings or obscure words.

4. Brainstorm ideas

List words that reflect your company's mission, the product or service it offers, or words that are meaningful to you.

5. Use a thesaurus

Expand your list of potential names by looking up synonyms for words related to your company.

6. Use a domain name search tool

Make sure that the name you come up with is available for use as a website domain. https://knowem.com/

7. Combine words

Use a word-combination tool to help generate a name from keywords: https://www.oberlo.com/tools/business-name-generator

8. Be different

Look at your competitors' names and avoid using anything too similar.

9. Ask for feedback

Get feedback from trusted people to help narrow your choices.

10. Visualise the brand

Consider how the name will look on a logo, website, and other marketing materials.

In conclusion

I always recommend thinking like your client rather than you as the business owner. We often get caught up using terminology and names from within, whereas our customer’s language can differ.

At the end of the day, make the name relevant, memorable and different. And don’t forget to have fun doing it.

And if you're still scratching your head, I’m your man.

About the author Andy Brown
Founder & Creative Director at Great Circle

My first experience with digital marketing was in 1986 when I was introduced to the Apple Macintosh Plus.

From that point, I was hooked and spent most of my career in advertising agencies in London, Scotland and Jersey before setting up Great Circle in 2004.

I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some of the leading brands in the world, from which I bring my experience and love of digital marketing to our clients.

My superpowers are business growth strategy, content development and SEO. I’m also a bit of a data geek, so I’m heading up the adoption of Ai into the business.

You can contact me by email at: [email protected]