Having an awesome name for my online store is essential to your success as an online entrepreneur. Like Marty Neumeier writes in The Brand Gap, “The suitable name could be a brand’s most valuable asset, driving differentiation and speeding acceptance. The wrong name can cost millions… in workarounds and lost revenue over the lifetime of the brand.”
It is incredibly necessary to find the best name for your online store to help it stand out from the crowd. Listed here are a few tips about the way to find that killer name for your online store.
1. Keep it short and simple
Having a short, snappy name for your online store is nice for several causes: It is memorable, simple to pronounce, and effortlessly fits in the header of your online store’s homepage.
Discovering one could be challenging, although. Brands are launched daily, and names which are appealing to you’ll undoubtedly appeal to someone else, too. Luckily, it’s a big world and there’s plenty of room for creative, compelling brand names.
Listed here are a few methods you may try to get your gears turning:
- Try different mixtures of short words. Two short words that rhyme or which are alliterative (e.g. “Snack Shack”) could be more memorable.
- Create a word or tweak an existing one. Tech brands like Google, eBay and Skype have immediately recognizable names, even though they are not real words.
- Use a word with personal meaning. It could be a nickname you have for your important other, your pet’s name (a wise idea in case your store relates to furry friends), or even your own name. Utilizing a personal name makes your store simpler to identify with on a personal level—although note that stores constructed on personal brands could be more difficult to sell.
2. Be different
Conduct market research to find which names are taken by your direct competitors and try to provide you with something completely different.
The problem here is to provide you with a great name for your online store that reflects your niche and the kind of merchandise you are selling, without your business name mirroring your competitors. By definition, if you wish to be different you must ‘zig’ when others ‘zag’.
For example, when you’re selling electronics and technology merchandise, you may need competitors who use words like “electronics,” “technology” and “future” in their names. Keep away from utilizing similar words. Instead, think differently and stand out.
3. Consider your online presence
Once you have a listing of choices for your store name, find out if your chosen domain—preferably a .com—is available to be registered. This could be a bit difficult, given that .com is the most popular top-level domain (TLD) and has been for a long time.
Having a custom domain name for your store is mission-critical, although you shouldn’t let your search for the mythical “perfect” domain name cause you to procrastinate—all the things are open to change, including your domain name. However, there’s worth in selecting a solid domain name that properly represents your brand from the start, so it’s a choice that warrants some thought.
You may also consider selling on Amazon, eBay, Etsy or another third-party marketplace in addition to your own online store to take a great name for your online store. Even when that’s not in the plan, it’s a good suggestion to check your business name idea on popular e-commerce websites to make sure the names are available to you, and so that clients don’t confuse you with another existing business.
4. Get creative with your domain name
If the .com for your chosen name is not available, don’t fret: You still have the choice of utilizing a different TLD. The reason .com is the gold standard is that everybody recognizes it, however, that doesn’t rule out other TLDs, which are becoming more commonplace as great .com choices continue to dwindle. And you may always grab the .com after your business has generated some traction.
When they first launched, Shopify store Tattly determined to go with a .ly domain making it www.tatt.ly. Since then, they’ve been capable of buy tattly.com, which is where their website currently lives.
While some search engine specialists believe Google is not as friendly to lesser-known domains, you need to still be capable to rank just as high as a .com when you have a high-quality website with a great user experience. Also, going with a snazzy domain is far more awesome.
Modifiers to think about:
- [YourBrand][Main Product] (e.g. helmboots.com)
- Shop[YourBrand].com (e.g. sandytoesshop.com)
- Get[YourProduct].com (e.g. www.getflow.com)
- [YourBrand]co.com (e.g. shopmeekco.com)
- [YourBrand][industry].com (e.g. lifeinspirithome.com)
- [Verb][YourBrand].com (e.g. wearpepper.com)
- [My/Your][YourBrand].com (e.g. mybillie.com)
TLDs to consider:
- .shop
- .store
- Based on the product you promote (.shoes, .art)
- Continuation of your brand name (e.g. muvo.health for “Muvo Health Supplements”, or feugo.clothing for “Fuego Clothing Co.”)
5. Be original
Be sure you’re legally allowed to use the business name you’ve got come up with. For store owners in the U.S., begin by checking The United States Patent and Trademark Office. They have a free database that is a pain in the butt to search, however, it’s effectively worth the effort.
Additionally, note, the U.S. does not have a centralized national register, so emblems could be made in another country or even another state. In Canada, you may search by the Canadian Intellectual Property Office website, which can be pretty confusing. The only safe method to be 100% sure is by consulting a lawyer.
Once you’ve decided your name is available, go to Google or Bing and see if the names on your listing show up. May you potentially make it to the top of the first page? When you select a generic name, you’ll have a tough time ranking very well.
It’s also necessary to check Twitter, Fb and other social media websites you may need to use for availability.
6. Find new inspiration
When you’re short on business name ideas, you may need to give yourself themes to think about. Maybe you search for a business name that has nostalgia or speaks to a development. Other languages can provide plenty of ideas name for your online store, too.
Inspiration can strike wherever. Listen to conversations around you, survey your environment, and even consider your usual expressions and mannerisms.