Start your Blog or Business success with The Perfect Brand Name.
Starting a home-based business such as a Blog, HandCraft store or Freelance skill-based service can be an exciting and rewarding opportunity. One of the most important tasks when starting your venture is choosing your business name. Your name needs to sound catchy, be reasonably short and memorable, and relevant to the product or service you are promoting. Ideally your Domain name will be the same to help cement your Brand.
A great Business or Brand name will help to build trust, and therefore sales and recommendations to others, and assist brand expansion.
In this post, we’ll explore:
- What makes a great business name
- How to make your name brandable
- Domain name tips and the best registrars
- Trademark checks
- Examples of high-value domains and what we can learn from them
What makes a great business name?
A powerful business name should have the following key features:
- Memorable
- Simple
- Relevant
- Unique
Memorable: You want people to remember your Brand name after hearing it once. It should have a catchy sound to it.
Simple: Try to avoid complicated spelling or long words. It needs to be easy to type, remember and share!
Relevant: Your name should hint at what you do, without boxing you into a corner. It should allow for future expansion into other products or areas if you need to. An example might be “Stitch and Bloom” which is perfect for a Hand-crafted Sewing goods store that may expand into other handcrafted goods in the future.
Unique: It shouldn’t sound like everyone else in your chosen niche. Try to avoid trendy names that blend in. You want to STAND OUT!
What makes a Business Name Brandable?
Brandable names should evoke emotion in people. suggest a story or spark curiosity. Perhaps it suggests the key element of your business that you wish to highlight such as Strength, Endurance or innovation. Or perhaps a feeling or sense that your product brings to the user, such as the softness and warmth of a handcrafted woollen coat (eg “Cosy Coats” or the craftmanship and timeless endurance of Handmade Wooden furniture (eg.”Oak and Hammer”.
Quite often, Brandable names are made up or are semi-real names, that suggest stories or evoke emotions in consumers. For example:
- Zappos – catchy and fun
- Canva – short, unique and suggests creativity
- Notion – real word but broad and intriguing
How to make your name Brandable?
Firstly, try to work out what keywords, or attributes or emotion are you trying to promote to your customers? What is it that your customers are looking for that you have?
Once you have identified your key feature in your product, look for words that symbolise or convey that message to the ultimate consumers of your products, i.e. your customers/clients. See how those words can be added to or changed to make a unique name that will be remembered but also tells your customers what you’re about.
Play with sounds, combine words or add new words.
Examples are:
- Sounds: Loom, Glowly, Roam, Fizzy
- Combinations: Blogtique, CraftNest
- Create: Wix, Etsy, Trello.
(For tips on getting started with finding the key attributes or ideas try my bog post on Brainstorming ideas).
Try to imagine your customers seeing your Business name. What will they Think about it? What action will they take? What message does your name convey/ Does it fit with the overall package of what your business stands for?
Will your brand name look like it belongs on your product or promotional materials ie mugs, hats pens etc. What meaning does it have in other languages? Is it offensive?
Is your name SCALEABLE?
Domain Name Tips: How to Claim Your Space Online
Once you have some name ideas, you’ll want to check if the domain is available. Here’s how:
1. Stick to a .com if possible
People default to typing “.com” and it’s the most trusted extension. That said, some creative businesses do well with .co, .io, or .shop.
Be sure to check there are no trademark issues. It’s always possible a business already exists with your name, which will likely prevent you from using your business name.) Always obtain proper legal advice before starting any business or using your business name.
2. Keep it short and typeable
Avoid dashes, numbers, or confusing spellings.
Check availability on domain registrars like:
Tip: Even if you’re not 100% ready to launch, buying your domain early protects your name from being taken by someone else.
Don’t Forget Trademark Checking
Before you fall in love with a name, make sure you’re legally allowed to use it.
If someone already has a trademark for a similar name in your category, you could face legal problems later—or be forced to rebrand.
When in doubt, consult with a small business Lawyer or Government business services for appropriate trademark checks.
There are Trademark Check services online that may be a good starting point for you.
Real Examples: High-Value Domain Names (and Why They Matter)
Your Brand or Business name is EVERYTHING and a major key to your success.
Some domain names are so powerful they’ve sold for millions. Here are a few of the most expensive:
- Voice.com – Sold for $30 million. One word, broad, and instantly evokes a concept (communication).
- 360.com – Bought by a company for $17 million. Short, global, numeric.
- Insure.com – Sold for $16 million. Highly relevant to a huge industry.
- Fund.com – Sold for nearly $10 million. Simple, clear, and finance related.
Why are these names so valuable?
- They’re short
- Easy to spell and say
- Instantly credible
- Directly related to profitable industries
Now, you don’t need a million-dollar domain—but you can learn from these. If you can find a short, clear, and relevant name that evokes emotion or meaning, you’re on the right path.
Final Tips for Choosing a Business Name
- Say it out loud – Does it roll off the tongue? Is it pleasant to say?
- Search it – Are there already businesses with the same or similar names?
- Check social handles – Try to match your business name across Instagram, Facebook, etc. Tools like Namecheckr can help.
- Sleep on it – Let your top choices sit for a day or two before you decide.
Recap: Your Business Name Checklist
- Easy to spell and remember
- Relevant to your niche (but flexible)
- Unique and not too similar to others
- Evokes an Emotion and Action.
- Brandable and Scalable
Good luck in your new venture!
Need more help getting started or lost for ideas? Try some of my other work from home blog posts like: