Having a unique business name is a great way to set your business up for success. In fact, a name that is unique is an effective first step in distinguishing your business from the competition while allowing clients to connect with the business powerfully. While you can find a good name simply by brainstorming, a great business name is not usually easy to come by and it is advisable to spend some time and resources to get the best name. So where can you get affordable and unique business names?
(a) Use a thesaurus
Playing around with keywords associated with your business using a thesaurus can be a good starting point in naming your business. A thesaurus can help you to find word alternatives that precisely convey your business idea while also helping you to create a great business name. For example, if you intend to open a boutique coffee shop in your locality, you can use a thesaurus to find synonyms such as “Cappuccino,” “Java,” “Espresso,” “Joe,” and more, which you can use in creating a unique business name.
(b) Try using business name generators
There are several companies offering business name generators and you only need to research and pick the one that is reputable for unique business names at a competitive cost. Examples of reputable business name generators are Shopify generator, NameMesh, Panabee, Naminum and Hipster business name generator. Using a business name generator, you will find suggestions in a broad range of themes, available URLs and name ideas.
(c) Conduct SEO-based keyword searches
If you have a good mastery of SEO, then you know that there are several ways to determine what your prospective customers search for online. And while SEO-based keyword searches are often used for advertising and traffic-generation purposes, you can employ SEO tools to help you name your business according to what your prospects search for. For instance, using Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool can give you a glimpse into what your potential clients are searching for, enabling you to generate crucial business name ideas or to tailor your company name to match the search volume.
(d) Understand factors affecting the prices of domain names
For you to get affordable domain names, you need to weigh the factors affecting the value and prices of the names carefully. Typically, an effective domain name is simple, short, easy-to-remember and unique, but the price (and intrinsic value) of the name may depend on several factors including number of words, overall length, ease of spelling and amount of traffic going to the name without prompting. Short one-word names (like dog.com) are costly because of lots of potential users while highly demanded domains with .com and .org domains are also scarce and expensive. Instead of these domain names, you can opt for more affordable top-level domains (TLDs) such as .club, .design, .guru and many other extensions with less stiff competition.
(e) Buy available domain names
In order to get affordable and unique business names, you need to conduct thorough research on companies offering domain names. The price, ease of use, amount of control and quality of customer service differ greatly between companies. Likewise, you need to run a name check for your desired business name to find out if its related domain name is available. Services such as GoDaddy, Namecheck and the Network Solutions WHOIS database can help you to establish your domain name’s availability. Similarly, you need to check the legality of your company name in the trademark’s database to avoid using somebody else’s intellectual property accidentally. If your domain name is available, pay for it as soon as possible so you do not lose it.
(f) Bargain for an occupied domain
If you find that the domain name applicable to your desired business name is already taken, find out the owner and see if you can buy it. If the owner is a well-established site, just ignore it and look for an alternative, but if you find that the domain was purchased as backup, on a whim or without thorough consideration, contact the owner to see if you can negotiate a deal. Make sure to be extremely cautious when contacting the owner of the domain and only agree to buy the domain when all the terms are agreeable.
(g) Try fun sites for ideas
Sometimes, it is a good idea to drop practicality to the back burner and just brainstorm for business name ideas. In fact, you can find clever ways to combine words and phrases into unique business names by visiting fun sites. Examples of fun sites that can get you started are Werdmerge, Fakeword and The Name Inspector.
