Have you ever had the opportunity to give a name to someone or something? It is not a simple job at all. Spiderman once said that with great power, great responsibility would come too. Naturally, once you give someone or something their name, it will remain permanent. Not all of us approach this with an equal dose of seriousness and responsibility, so we end up with silly and meaningless names. The name does not determine the success, of course, but it can certainly help a lot with promoting, memorizing the name, and other important stuff.
How important is the name for a business or a blog?
More than one may think, that is for sure!
A well-thought-out brand or blog name can result in everyone knowing about you and only talking about you, while the wrong name can lead you and your work to failure and oblivion. It would be ideal if, on behalf of your brand, you were able to combine what you do, your uniqueness, and your value. Today, when technology, the Internet, and intelligence are evolving too fast, it seems impossible to find a unique business name.
For the blog, sometimes these things are easier because a lot of bloggers name the blog after themselves, and they simply solve the problem by branding themselves and their work. Of course, I am not saying it is a bad thing to do, but it is easier to remember a striking, creative, and catchy name than a simple first and last name.
A brilliant brand name is what makes it stand out for you and what sets it apart from the rest.
Take, for example, Apple or any other known company e.g., Google, Facebook, Amazon. Their names serve them as a whole platform for branding products. The brand name is the first indication that you are a person who is “thinking differently.” That is precisely why it is crucial to give a good name to your business because it needs to convey all these meanings to your visitors.
So do not take this decision lightly; it is not something you need to rush with. It is a decision that will determine the future of your business, product, service, or the visibility and popularity of your blog.
Some experts think that the best brand names should be abstract because they give you complete freedom to create your image. Others think that names should be informative and give immediate insight into what you do. And some think that fictional names are much more striking and memorable than the rest. It is up to you to decide what works best for your case. After all, any of these types can be a winning combination, but only if you have used the right strategy to reach it.
In this post, we will go through the strategy that will show you a systematic approach that you can use to come up with a striking and unique name for your brand. And of course, we will make sure that name is web-friendly too!
How to name a business / How to create a name for a blog?
First of all, we need to mention what kind of names there are to make it easier for us to know in which direction we want our name to go. When you start thinking about potential names, think about what you want the name to say about business/blog. It should emphasize the key elements of it. There are four types of brand names:
- Descriptive names
- Acronyms
- Fictional names
- Names that describe the experience
Descriptive names indicate what you are doing or what is being achieved by using the product or service you provide with your business or blog.
Advantage: Descriptive brand names are the oldest type of names for a reason. They are simply the most effective. They convey the purpose to you immediately. Take PayPal as an example; you are immediately aware of a company that deals with cash payments and online transfers.
Disadvantage: They are quite restrictive. A descriptive name may include a city or state name, but what if your business goes out to export later? It loses its meaning.
Acronyms are abbreviations of descriptive names. HP, for example, was created by taking the first two letters of the company’s founders’ last names.
Advantage: Acronyms are easy to remember, easy to pronounce, and easier to brand.
Disadvantage: Yet, the acronyms have no soul. They have no meaning at first glance, and you would have to explain the meaning of the name
continually.
Some of the world’s most famous brands, such as Kodak, Google, and Twitter, have fictional names. Names that were created just to name a brand.
Advantage: This type of brand name has one significant advantage, which is that it has no restrictions. They can just come to your mind and sound fantastic.
Disadvantage: Not every made-up name is good enough to be a business or a blog name.
The best fictional names are those that are sound, and that gives a specific impression. Twitter conveys a high-speed communication experience. Google hints that it used for search and discovery, and Kodak seems to give the idea of power.
A name that describes the experience; this type is based on the experience a user has after using a branded product or service or after reading a blog.
Advantage: This naming class includes the most notable names, such as Apple or Virgin. This type of brand name describes how you will feel if you choose them
Disadvantages: They are distracted because it is sometimes difficult to associate a brand name with a specific meaning (i.e., with an absolute value that you want people to associate with you). So it takes a lot of experience and time to come up with a name like this
After deciding what works best for you, it’s time to take action, light up your brain cells, and look for the perfect name.
1. Transfer your values to a blog or business name
Try to think about the name that will easily express the philosophy of your blog or business, something unique that is common to you. A name can be a quick, easy, and essential way to introduce your service or purpose of the blog. The more your brand name explains the purpose of your work, the less effort you have to invest in explaining what you do.
Think about what your brand is all about, but keep in mind your plans for the future. You may want to start with something small now, but later, you may want to expand the business, and the name must fit both purposes. Once you come up with a name, it will be your trademark, so choose it wisely!
2. Analyze the names of competitors
Another thing that can help you while looking for business or blog name ideas is a list of competitor brand names. First, divide them into the four categories I mentioned in the previous chapter. Then pay attention to the following things:
- What words or phrases do they use most?
- What attitude or belief ‘imposes’ the names of your rival brands?
- Which names are the most memorable, and why?
While it may not seem like something specific and essential to you in the process of branding and inventing a brand name, it will certainly give you guidance and inspiration. Besides, you will know exactly who and what your competition is.
3. Avoid names that can be misspelled or mispronounced
Names that have a high risk of misspelling or wrong pronunciation are generally a bad name idea! If people need to ask you how to write or say your name, then you have to be aware of the fact that the chances of new visitors finding you are extremely low, sometimes, almost none. In this case, you should be looking for something unique, clear, easy to remember, and spell but again to be as short as possible because people do not like long names.
4. Search for domains and trademarks
It is imperative that you investigate if there is someone who has a similar or the same name as you. Countless times brands have had to change their name because they matched other brands. So when you decide which brand name you want, before you make it official, make sure there is no one with a name similar to yours.
Another factor that will influence brand naming is domain. If you intend to promote yourself online, which is a must-do, you need to consider the domain name as well. Of course, a blog cannot exist without the Internet, so this is one of the main factors that will influence the name choice. But when it comes to the name of the business, you need to keep an eye on it. The domain will have the most significant influence on your marketing and brand promotion, marketing success, and availability to customers.
Sometimes it is quite challenging to find an available .com domain name. Except in the case of a fictional name for the business or blog, you will have a higher chance of getting your domain at the first try. Indeed, although most ‘normal’ names are probably registered, i.e., taken, that doesn’t mean they are used. In most cases, you can buy those domains if someone else is not using it anymore,
5. Brainstorm and don’t judge your ideas
To be honest, coming up with creative names for a brand can be exhausting. Not to mention, it will take a lot of time. For these reasons, I think it is a decisive idea that when you are trying to come up with a name, you should make a list of keywords that have something connected to the essence of your business or blog.
For example, If you want to write reviews about food and restaurants on your blog, culinary terms might be a good start for you.
Take your time! Ask, think, develop ideas. It’s important not to have prejudices in the process of finding the ideal name because sometimes, even initially unconventional, somewhat crazy ideas can end up being a great idea.
6. Seek opinions
The moment you finish writing your ideas and selecting your favorites, seek opinions! Yes, you read that right, ask other people for their advice! In this process, you will probably prefer certain names over others, but if they get negative reviews from a few people, you should consider whether that name is a good match for your business. Getting a critical analysis is of great importance in the name selection process and is a great way to eliminate potentially bad choices.
After all, there is no universal formula for choosing the ideal brand name precisely because of the different characteristics from person to person. Redesign, changes in the concept of advertising and product enhancements are desirable to work on, but the brand name is one that should remain the same forever.
5 test questions for business/blogs name
When you think of a business or a blog name, or have a couple of them in mind, make a quick assessment by considering them based on these five features:
Recognition: Does your business or blog name stand out? Does it stand out from other brands and competitors?
Sound: Say the name out loud. How does it sound? Is it easy to pronounce it? Does it sound good?
Remember: Is it easy to remember your brand name? How many times does it take to hear it so you can remember it easily?
Meaning: Does it indicate what you are doing or what is the purpose of your work? Does it fit into the personality of the blog or business?
Appearance: What does it look like when it is written? Does it look as good as it sounds?
The perfect name will have all five features.
Conclusion
If I was able to make you think at least a little before you decide on the name of your business or blog – I have reached my goal! Because as soon as you start thinking, the chances are that you will not make the first marketing mistake before you even go into the business.
Of course, you can also completely ignore all that we talked about. There’s always a slight chance that a great idea for your business or blog name will come to your mind at some random moment and place. But if that doesn’t happen, you can always go back to these tips and use them!