How To Name Your Brand: Complete Beginner’s Guide

Picking the name of your brand is easy and complicated at the same time. You might already have a vague idea in mind, but is it really something you want to associate to your new business?

In this article, we will be guiding you through the important steps to determine your brand name.

So, if you’re starting a brand but don’t know how to name your business, stick to end of the article for the — do’s and don’t when naming your brand.

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The first thing that you would probably do when starting a brand is, naming it. Let’s take you through the process that our branding agency uses to help clients pick the right name for their business.

Step 1: Knowing Your Keywords

Before you name your brand, you want to truly understand what your business is about. Ask yourself, what keywords would you use to describe your business? How do you want customers to feel about your brand?

Examples of keywords: Fun, Premium, Fast, Affordable, Cheap, Innovative, Funny, Classy and etc.

Pick 3 most relevant keywords to move to the next step.

Step 2: Start Your List

Once you have your keywords ready, it’s time to put on your thinking caps. 🧢

Different brand names has different meanings. It’s important for you to start with a list (10 or more) so you can narrow it down later on. But don’t sweat, take as much time as you need on creating your list. Don’t rush the process.

Remember, inspiration comes from everywhere. Have your phone or notebook handy so you can document your ideas on the go. Keep building that list till you have at least some that you’re confident about.

Our team usually allocates 4-5 days for this ideation step.

Step 3: Judging Criteria

By now, you should have a list of 10 potential business names or more. If you do, it’s time to see what works.

Start by reading each names out loud. Cross out anything that sounds ridiculous or is too hard to pronounce. If you can’t call out your brand name with a straight face, your customer won’t be able too either.

Your list should be left with the top 3 names that are either:

• Catchy, Memorable or Relevant.

Step 4: Domain Check ( Important! )

The most crucial step in choosing your brand name is checking it’s availability. It’s the next best thing in securing your business ‘Intellectual Property’ (IP) aside from registered trademarks.

As all modern businesses will eventually need a website, securing your domain beforehand saves you tons of money and time to acquire it later on.

Domains are basically your website address which you’re customers use to reach your website. Example, our domain is undoubtstudio.com.

It would be a complete nightmare to launch your brand for a year only to find out that your preferred domain is already in-use on other website.

Check your domain availability at GoDaddy.com

Step 5: Securing Your Brand Name

You might realise that some of the names are already in-use. Usually, broad and generic names are already taken, since the internet is almost decades old.

If none of your ideas work out, don’t worry. Just go back to the first step of this article and try again. But this time, you are much more prepared and wiser.

Once you’ve decided on your exact brand name and it’s also available, go ahead and purchase that name so nobody else can steal it. Domains generally don’t cost a lot, but they do require a renewal fee annually. If not renewed on time, it goes right back onto the market & up for grabs.

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There you have it, the 5 steps to help you choose and secure your brand name. But for those of you who are looking even deeper to find meaning in your brand, don’t leave just yet.

Here’s some extra tips on the creative & ideation process of your brand.

Do’s

• Research for potential words from the dictionary or thesaurus.

• Get opinions from everyone. Your brand is more likely to be targeted to normal everyday people, ask them for their views.

• Think outside the box. All names are made up, so just be creative on your approach.

• Conduct a domain check, and get inspiration from their suggestion box.

• Have lots of alternatives. If one window is locked shut, try a different one.

Don’t

• Stress too much. If you don’t feel inspired & creative at the moment, put down your pen and try another time.

• Have names too long to type. Ideally, you want something below 15 letters to ensure that customers remembers it easier.

• Generic names. Names like CandyWorld.com or RacketShop.com is probably taken or a SEO nightmare. Just imagine typing up your own business name in Google but all other brands come up. Except yours.

• Constrain yourself to names that must be exactly related to your business industry. Brands names are merely used to remember your business. That means, you should focus on creating names that are interesting and conveys your brand feeling. ( Rely on your keywords )

• Take too long. Your brand name is only a starting point of your business. Don’t waste valuable time in coming up with an extraordinary brand name, but left with only little time to actually work on other aspects of launching your business.
  

By following these brand naming guide, we hope that you are another step closing in building your online brand. If you ever need help or someone to talk to, feel free to schedule a free 30-min consultation and get experts to help you on your journey.

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About Undoubt Studio

Undoubt Studio is a branding agency that helps their clients all around the world launch online business brands. We are experts in building sales funnels that automate the online selling process. If you’re looking to work with an experienced brand strategist on launching your brand, talk to us today.