Finding the right name for your business: How to name your business

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Some companies owe their names to the founders' dreams, others are named after the founders' great love. But not everyone is lucky enough to come up with the right name so quickly. That's why we've put together a few tips that will hopefully help you find the right name for your business. Because there are a few basic things to consider.

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Why is the right company name so important?

From a psychological perspective, brand names trigger a stronger emotional response than other nouns. While we process most words in the right, rational brain, brand names are processed in the left, emotional brain. The effect is very simple: We react emotionally to the names of our friends and family, and the same happens with brand names. What do you think of when you hear “Coca-Cola”? For summer? And what if we say “Tinder”? Probably on a few good dates and maybe a few less good dates. The thing is: We all associate feelings, images and ideas with brand names. And that is exactly why choosing a company name is so incredibly important.

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Pick a memorable name

Not only can pop songs and jingles become catchy songs, but really good brand names also make you never forget them. Try to choose a name that is as short and self-explanatory as possible. Ask yourself whether any additions are needed at all or whether you can omit them. Imagine if “Facebook” had called itself “The Facebook” (which almost happened, by the way). The name sounds much better without the addition, doesn't it? So we're learning: It's better to omit unnecessary filler words from good brand names.

In the best case scenario, many people say the name of your brand out loud. In everyday life, we constantly ask each other which dating app we use, which bank account our friends have, what the app is called that tells us which song is currently playing. And everyone knows the answer right away because the name is on the tip of the tongue. So it's smart to also think about how the name sounds pronounced. Tongue twisters and letter sequences that sound strange to your target group are therefore not suitable.

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The name should match the objectives

Many companies use metaphors in their names, from which the company's purpose can be derived. Culture and history are a treasure trove of ideas for company names. Think of your favorite books and movies, your favorite fairy tales from childhood, historical events that have stuck in your mind since you were at school. Did you know that Nike is the Greek goddess of victory?

Well, the company chose their name as their brand name and why is probably easy to guess. Nike had the vision of being supported by winners. And they chose a name that reflected that.

Check availability

Unfortunately, the nicest name is of no use if there are technical obstacles. Therefore, be sure to test whether the domain is still available for your desired brand name. It should also be checked whether the brand name is already being used by a provider from another country — then there could be problems with promoting the site, because the competition may already be in a much better position.

You should also note that the brand name is good to use for SEO. Before visitors get to your site, they'll search for it. This process should run as smoothly as possible. That's why it's best to choose a company name with the following characteristics:

• Kurz

• Memorable
• Only use letters and numbers (no special characters, hyphens, or punctuation marks)
• Unique (we don't want searchers to end up with competitors by mistake)

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Clarify legal issues

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Before you decide on a name, you should definitely clarify the legal issues. This means that you have to check whether there is already another registered company under this name or whether someone has already registered trademark rights for it. To be absolutely sure, an expert in this field should check this out. But you can also do some research yourself:

• Enter the name in search engines
• Die Trademark database contains information on active and deleted Swiss trademarks and applications
• You can find internationally registered brands at Madrid Monitor

• Trademarks registered in the EU at TMView ‍
• Companies registered in Switzerland with Zefix
• You can find domain names at SWITCH ‍

Findings

• Brand names have an emotional impact
• A company name should be memorable and easy to remember
• The company name should reflect the corporate goals

• Research domain names and their availability
• Check if the name is still available in your country

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