“I’m gonna tell a real story. I’m gonna start with my name.” –Kendrick Lamar
Your name gives you power. If you want to tell your story to the world, start it with a proper name. It is no wonder that people get confused with these three words: brand name, business name, domain name. Though 3 of them have different meanings in terms of the web world all of them lead to a unanimous goal of appealing to customers. It is essential to pick proper names for your business, brands, and domain. Your choice, not only affects your business but also the customers and their trust.
WHAT ARE BUSINESS, BRAND, AND DOMAIN NAMES?
Business name-
A business name is the identity of your business. To simply put in words, it is the name with which customers identify you. There are few unspoken rules for choosing a business name. There are no laws against choosing a willing business name, but there are few conventions.
The most often interchangeably used terms in the online market are company name and business name.
A company name is a wrap-up of an actual name(business name) followed by the structure of the business a company adopts.
Ex:1. Business name – Wal-Mart Stores.
Company name – Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
2.Business name – Google
Company name – Alphabet Inc.
Brand Name-
A brand name is the name of your products or services offered. Your business can offer a single product or a class of products or services. It would be better if you name your brand the same as the name of your business. Though there are no written rules to have the same business and brand names.
Ex: Uber company offers vehicles for transportation through online booking. It also has other brands like Ubereats that provides food delivery.
It is recommended to add a few keywords to the core business name for various brands of the same company.
Domain name-
A domain name is the name of your online website. This name is really important as this paves a path for the organic traffic for the site.
TLD you choose would play a crucial role in driving the traffic. However, .com is the most used extension and is a reliable one.
HOW TO CHOOSE PROPER DOMAIN, BRAND, BUSINESS NAMES?
Choosing Domain Name-
Your domain name would make a first impression on your online customers which is why it is very imperative to pick a name.
- Keep it simple: “Simplicity is the best beauty.” As long you keep your domain name simple it will be easy to recollect and search. Simple has varied meanings. It should be easy to pronounce, type, remember, and short.
- Define your service: A domain name that describes your service or product would be the best fit. Generic names are difficult to remember and vague at times.
- Avoid special characters: Influential companies often used simple names without hyphens and numbers. Usage of special characters, white spaces, and numbers often make the domain name weird and unclear.
There are various domain name generators online if you get stuck up at any point. Not only, the quality of the website but also, a proper domain name will be a hook to attract customers.
Choosing a Brand name-
The essence of your brand name is to identify your company and business. Your brand name will exalt your business. People will identify and verify your quality through your brand name. It is advised to have a brand name that represents your product symbolically rather than literally. It is essentially like an icon or the cherry on top. All the brand names need not be the same as Sony etc. Different brands can be pooled under one parent business.
- Perform research on the existing brand name.
- You will have to trademark a name for your brand. It is similar to the patent for your invention or copyright for your artistic work.
- Do not choose a brand name anywhere similar to the existing brand name. This could lead to adverse effects in the future(I hope not!). This similarity may create confusion in customers, worst case, letting go of organic traffic to other businesses.
- Avoid generic names. There more than hundreds of “Kapoor and sons’.” These names may hinder your identity and credibility.
- Representing your functionality or how you work through your brand name is an advantage. In studies found, people in America buy Kleenex more than tissues. The same people seek Q-tip to clear their ear wax rather than a cotton swab.
- Sometimes it’s just luck! Some company brand names have no connection with their way of working, yet they manage to stand superior in the market.
Choosing a proper business name-
A business name is not a physical asset but an abstract element, a trust factor. It is a good practice to have business and domain name in alliance.
NOTE: Everybody is too lazy to memorize all the names of brands, businesses, domains, products, and companies. If you have all four different names for all of them, then god knows what would happen with your business. At least two of them are to ought the same name.
A business name should not:
- Be rude or offensive.
- Same or similar to any other existing name but can mean the same.
Successful companies have come up with their title after progressing and passing through an evolution. If you couldn’t name your business properly at the first attempt, it is okay. You can rename it, but it comes with a cost.
You have to go through a few simple registration processes to acquire names for your brand, business, and domain. Several websites would provide you insight into the name picking and registration processes.
WHY CHOOSE PROPER NAMES FOR YOUR DOMAIN, BRAND, AND YOUR BUSINESS?
This is the tip of the iceberg. People know it is vital to have proper and credible names but fail to implement it in their case. I will tell you five naming factors that would influence your business:
- The ‘.COM’ (dotcom) myth-Proper extension is as important as a proper name. They are like wife and husband of a household. People automatically assume .com as your extension as if it is their acquaintance. It is because .com is one of the famous TLD. Most of them aren’t aware of extensions they tend to think of the only possible extension that can exist is .com They automatically add your name with .com and start searching. It can’t be helped, people are habituated. So it is better to buy and register for a .com. Having a .com will give your company credibility and value.
- Long-term vision– “Great vision without great people is irrelevant”.Do not let your short term goals get in the way of your long term goals. .com is a costly extension, but it is worth it. Many companies bought other extensions at first and regretted their decision. They ended up buying .com which cost them a fortune. When aspiring for something big your vision must be equally big.
- Homophones and Homonyms– English is a funny language, Isn’t it? They write something and speak something. They speak something and mean something completely different. It is discreet rather than funny, I would say. When picking a name be careful(very careful) with homophones and homonyms. It would create a confusion matrix in one’s brain. Be very picky and smart. This could create miscommunication between you and the customer.
- Losing traffic– You would be a world full of hurt if you lose your traffic to other websites(worst case). The purpose of your online website is to be available to your customers. The whole hard work would be in vain if not for driving in organic traffic. Silly mistakes can cost you your business. One of the prime causes of losing traffic would be associated with the names. So better be careful!
A real bad story!
Let me tell you a real-time experience. My friend Ramu owns a stationery shop ‘Ramustationary’ in the town. He has a successful offline business and wanted to extend his services online. He created an online website and named his domain ‘online stationary. XYZ’. His competitor in the very same town came up with the cruel idea of grabbing his customers. He created an online business and bought a domain with the name Ramustationary. XYZ. This name collision hit Ramu hard. People who searched for Ramustationary online ended going to the wrong website. It has all happened because people are accustomed to the name ‘Ramustationary’ through offline. As Ramu what would you learn from this lesson? This example is a clear demonstration of lacking naming skills and long-term vision ultimately losing customers.
The best solution for such kind of collisions is to have multiple websites(in this case 2). Your offline business name is inevitable for people. Create two websites on the offline business name and the name you want to give your online new site based on your product or need, redirect them both to the same page. Don’t worry about the cost at present. It will cost your whole business if you don’t handle it with multiple websites. You have to look out for yourselves. People will be always looking for ways. Several fraud cases occur every day. This will not only cause harm to you but also your customers and their faith in your business.
- Losing Rank– Drop in SEO ranks of your website is a piece of bad news! You certainly can’t avoid the rankings but strive to be good. A proper name for a website or brand would be a good start. There will other factors that would drive the rankings in the future. Start itself can’t be worst right!
CONCLUSION
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet“.
Shakespeare’s words definitely will not work here. It’s all in name and it’s all about the name. Make sure you pick the right one for your business. There are branding experts who would suggest you if need be. There are branding experts who would suggest you if need be. Creating multiple websites could support your offline and online fame. Again, aim for long term success.