Domain authority is a term you may not be familiar with if you’re new to search engine optimisation (SEO), and though it sounds pretty self-explanatory, it’s a little more technical than it appears. However, if you want to see your website climb Google’s search engine result pages (SERPs), you’ll need to get to grips with the concept. Read on to learn everything you need to know about building your domain authority.
Domain authority is simply a score used to predict how well a website will rank on search engines. This metric was developed by leading SEO and digital marketing authority Moz, based on a scale from 0 to 100, where a higher number corresponds to better domain authority.
It’s also worth noting that domain authority is not the same as page authority (PA), another Moz ranking metric. While PA predicts how one specific page will rank, DA predicts the ranking ability of the site as a whole.
First and foremost, remember that domain authority is a predictor, and therefore will NOT directly impact how a site ranks. Google does not use this metric itself, which means DA has no influence over a site’s actual SERP performance.
However, don’t knock its value just yet. Domain authority is particularly useful as a comparative tool, giving you an idea of how your website stacks up against those of your competitors in Google’s eyes. For example, if you have a DA of 50 and a business rival’s is 40, this indicates that you’re likely to outrank them in SERPs. However, if your website has a lower DA, this suggests lower ranking abilities corresponding to reduced visibility and traffic.
You could also take domain authority into account during your link outreach efforts, or in other words, when looking for platforms to publish links to your own website. Acquiring a high number of inbound links is essential if you want your website to rank highly in SERPs, but the quality of links is also important. Examining the DAs of different platforms gives you a sense of how valuable Google considers them to be, and placing links on the sites with better scores will likely have the most positive SEO impact.
This can be applied to the terms you want to rank for as well. When you type your desired keywords into Google, you’ll know they’re probably not worth targeting if the SERPs are dominated by websites with significantly higher DAs than yours. However, if you and your ranking competitors have similar DAs, you’re more likely to rank well for this keyword, so pursuing these should prove far more fruitful.
Moz calculates domain authority using its own unique algorithm which takes over 40 different factors into account. As the company hasn’t publicly declared all these elements, you can’t actively ensure that your website ticks all the boxes.
However, we do know that the number and quality of inbound links to your website — its link profile — is taken into account. We’re also aware that Moz calculates domain authority using two of their other tools: MozRank and MozTrust. The former scores pages on a scale of 0 to 10 to indicate how many links point towards it, while the latter measures how trustworthy those links are. For example, links from universities and government institutions will be considered more credible than personal blog links, and a page’s MozTrust score will be boosted accordingly.
Moz includes a domain authority checker as part of its Link Explorer tool. Simply input your website address and hit ‘analyse’ to see your DA. This feature is also included in the MozBar Google Chrome extension that can be added to your browser.
Some SEO experts have hypothesized that a DA score of 40 to 50 is average, between 50 and 60 is good, and over 60 is excellent. However, in reality, it’s not all that productive to deem domain authority ratings as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
If you have only recently launched your website, don’t be disheartened by your low score — as brand-new sites always start with a domain authority of one. Moreover, it’s important to remember that the DA scale is relative, so there will always be fluctuations. As Moz explains: “If Facebook were to acquire a billion new links, everyone’s PA and DA would drop relative to Facebook”. This means that your score won’t necessarily reflect your SEO efforts, which accounts for why domain authority is best used comparatively. Forget about the value of the number itself, and instead focus on how it measures up to other websites, and remember: Your aim is to have a higher DA than your competitors.
When attempting to boost your domain authority, bear in mind that Moz uses a logarithmic scale. In simple terms, this means that there isn't an equal distance between each number, so it’s much easier to increase your score from, say, 20 to 30 than it is from 70 to 80. Therefore, if you’re starting with a low score, you should be able to increase domain authority more quickly.
Clean up your link profile
Though we know little about how exactly Moz calculates DA, it’s clear that links play a significant role. Therefore, your first move to improve domain authority should be examining your current link profile by conducting an audit. You can do this using a backlink checker like SEOMoz or Ahrefs, which will give you an overview of all the inbound links to your website. Low-quality, low-relevance links (or spam) is not valued by Google, and your website could even be penalised if Google suspects you’re part of a prohibited link scheme that intends to deceitfully manipulate how a page ranks in SERPs. Disavowing unwanted links will give you a healthier link profile, and a higher DA.
Obtain more high-quality links
With all the bad links gone, you can focus on acquiring new inbound ones from high-quality platforms. Of course, this is easier said than done, but these links carry critical ranking power which makes them the most effective means of building domain authority. You could use an online tool like HARO to reach out to journalists and provide industry-specific knowledge in exchange for a link, while SEO blogger Neil Patel recommends using Q&A websites like Quora to gain quality backlinks. Simply search for questions relevant to your field and write a helpful answer including a natural link to your content.
Create quality content
It will be much easier to attract quality links when your own website features amazing content that users want to engage with. If you publish well-written guides and blogs for example, it’s more likely that people will find your site, as Google will consider these posts useful resources. As a result, both your rankings and domain authority will improve. Comprehensive content which answers users’ questions always brings the best results.
Improve your holistic SEO strategy
While improving domain authority is undoubtedly useful for SEO purposes, remember the relationship works both ways. The best means of building your site’s DA is a holistic and effective approach to SEO. Consider on- and off-site elements such as meta tags—the titles and descriptions that appear in SERPs—as optimising these will make it easier for users and search engines to process the information. Making adjustments to site speed, navigation and user experience could also go a long way in improving your SEO. As these factors play a significant role in a successful website strategy, it’s a no brainer that your efforts will be reflected in your site’s DA.
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But what do you do? Do you abandon the brand name you had your heart set on, or do you try to modify it by adding extra dashes and words or by choosing a different domain extension? It’s tempting to do the latter, but not all of these solutions actually work. Here are four pitfalls to avoid when your domain name has been taken:
Unless it makes complete sense for your business to do so, adding extra words can complicate things for customers. It has the potential for your business name to lose its meaning and lessen its impact. For instance, Apple is much easier to remember than Apple Computers, which is what the company originally started life as. The brand Apple now refers to a much wider range of products than computers.
By adding extra words to your name, you’ll likely have to contend with the owner of the existing business. For example, if you desired the name ‘masterflorist’ but it was already taken, you might opt for ‘themasterflorist’ as a similar variation. But by doing this you’ve automatically put yourself in competition with another business. This original company will likely be more visible than you online and customers will likely get confused between the two, not to mention potential trademarking issues.
However, if you are a local business targeting one area, you may benefit from adding your location to your name. This only works if you don’t plan to expand your business outside of its current trading area. Adding your location may help increase sales within your local community as those searching for a service in that specific area are more likely to see your website.
Deciding to use an acronym to shorten a business name can work, but it’s a huge risk for new startups. To succeed, your brand messaging needs to be excellent from the get-go. If your acronym is ambiguous, customers will not understand who you are and what you have to offer.
It takes time for a business to reach a point where an acronym is effective, in terms of its global reach and marketing budget. For example, makeup brand MAC, which stands for Make-up Art Cosmetics, works efficiently as an acronym because the brand is well-established and most people immediately know what the company does when its mentioned. However, this can take years of marketing and branding work, making it difficult for any new business to execute this efficiently.
Sometimes coming up with a new name entirely is the best course of action, but Eureka moments don’t come along often. If you’re going to rethink your brand name, avoid using a generic business name generator. Although these can sometimes work, generators often string together a series of words that don’t make sense, giving you a name that might not fit your brand. To combat this, our business name generator uses your own parameters to find a list of names that are closely linked to your business and industry. Each name has been carefully curated with appropriate branding. The most important thing is that each name is available to buy immediately with a matching .com domain.
If the .com version of your brand name is taken, it’s likely that the owner has also secured the relevant localised extensions, such as .co.uk in the UK. In these scenarios, it can be tempting to explore other options – there are more than 250 different extensions to choose from, so at least one of these is likely to be available for your brand name. Some domain extensions are tailored to a given industry, such as .tech and .design, so these may work if your business fits the bill.
However, Google and other major search engines tend to give more authority to websites with a .com domain. And it’s not just in terms of SEO where a .com domain carries more weight. A user is much more likely to click a .com website than a .biz one, as the latter can appear unfamiliar and therefore less trustworthy. We always recommend using a .com domain where possible.
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Fortunately, this is not a complicated task. The difficulty for new app companies is finding the finding and securing the right domain name. If this is a hurdle you have not yet considered, fear not, we will talk you through the ins and outs of picking an app domain name.
For all businesses, not just apps, the ideal domain name will almost always be an exact match of the brand name at a .com address. Stylistically and in regard to brand image, this consistency is hugely beneficial. There are also a number of other advantages to consider.
App websites can be hugely important to the development and success of your software venture. They can be used to collect information about potential customers and to begin to establish an online presence for your app. Once the app has been released, a well maintained site will keep users informed about updates, host FAQs and reviews and, most importantly of all, offer a download link through app stores.
Say you have an app that lets customers sign documents on their phones called Signitive. signitive.com is definitely the best web address to host all the information about the app. If you are expecting people to Google your app, [your app name].com will very likely appear first in the search results due to the matching names. Sharing a download link to your app with the app’s name in the domain will also provide reassurance to customers and will look much better — even if it just redirects to the App Store.
Undesirable as the scenario is, missing out on your perfect .com domain name is not the end of the world. There will always be good alternatives. Some suggest adding the word “app” to the end of your app name as a solution. This would leave you with signitiveapp.com instead of the more straightforward and authoritative signitive.com.
Then there is the prospect of using a niche top level domain for your app’s web address. Rather than .com, your website could end with .app, or something more specific to what your app is, such as .bible if you are releasing an app of the Bible (or an app of a metaphorical bible, such as cooking.bible).
These options are both serviceable, but we always recommend that brands use a .com domain name for reasons described in this post on the benefits of dot com domains. (Above all else, they increase the authority of your brand in the eyes of consumers and investors.)
If you have a name for your app and the relevant .com domain name is taken, it is likely that another business already goes by your app’s name. If you want to call your app Novanym, for example, you will find the novanym.com domain is very much occupied by a stellar branding agency of that name. At best, this will cause confusion. At worst, it could turn into a legal argument.
No amount of domain name compromise will solve this problem, so it might be best to head back to the brand drawing board. (We have one in our office if you don’t.) Settling on a new, exciting and unique name for your app will give you a second chance to secure that perfect .com domain from the beginning.
All of our business names here at Novanym come with perfect .com web addresses guaranteed. Our software and tech business names might be a good place to start for app-applicable names. And needless to say, if you’ve only just conceived of your idea for an app and haven’t thought of a name yet, get in touch today.
]]>Now our mobile devices, such as phones, tablets and even smart watches, are challenging conceptions about what it is that makes a good logo. Designers are once again faced with the challenge of conveying brand image and identity on these newer, smaller digital platforms.
“Thanks to mobile, the era of the complicated logo is dead.” These are the words of LinkedIn’s Digital Marketing Leader Jennifer Bunting. Her article on making mobile friendly logos backs up her statement with this: businesses need to think about what to use as their mobile app icon and badge on the App Store.
These considerations have led many businesses to rebrand with logos that can easily be adapted to fit into a small square box. Airbnb, for example, added their now-famous upside down heart/capital-A symbol to their logo so that the symbol alone could appear on the app button, and they didn’t have to cram the whole company name on there.
Southwest Airlines did almost exactly the same thing, replacing their giant plane logo with a small rainbow-coloured heart, and using the heart as the app icon. New brands and startups are increasingly working symbols like these into their branding from the start, recognising the importance of a mobile app to their business strategy.
In July 2015, Facebook changed their logo — but only very slightly. So slightly, in fact, that some users may not have noticed the change.
Our branding expertise tells us that the difference here is simply the typography. While the old logo was more hard-edged and chunky, the new typeface is smoother, thinner and rounder.
This change is in line with other recent rebrands. Airbnb comes to mind again. Their original graffiti-like bubble writing was swapped out for a slim, two dimensional font with crisp gaps between the letters.
Much like the addition of simple symbols, this change was directly inspired by the mass adoption of mobile devices. On mobile screens, which are smaller and therefore potentially more difficult to read, the clearer and cleaner the font, the better.
The most important thing about mobile logo design, though, is seamlessly integrating it into your logos across different platforms. Recently, Google announced its ‘mobile first’ policy for online searches, which means websites that look good and work well on mobile devices will receive a boost in rankings.
This does not mean mobile versions of websites, entirely different to the desktop versions, but rather websites that adapt dynamically for either mobile or desktop, depending on how a user is accessing it.
Google themselves rolled out a rebrand in line with this change, making their logo slimmer, clearer and more two-dimensional, and creating a multicoloured ‘G’ symbol to act as their app icon.
As this collection of responsive web logos shows, major brands create logos that reduce in complexity as a browser window gets larger and smaller, thereby increasing their suitability for the screen size.
Since mobile and tablet internet usage overtook desktop internet usage last year, responsive and mobile-friendly business logos are essential. All of our business names come with mobile-friendly logo and typography designs, equipping you fully for the mobile first age.
]]>When it comes to naming your business, short isn't always sweet. In this post we'll explore the perils and pitfalls of initialism, acronyms and three letter business names.
]]>One rule that Novanym recommend is steering clear of the three letter business names. Whether takes form as an abbreviation, acronym or initialism, the message your hoping to convey is likely to be lost entirely.
Every one of our cool business name ideas have been crafted to communicate and engage in a single word .com domain. We work to help firms begin their journey with a name that delivers three crucial branding essentials: visibility, differentiation and relevance. This takes more than 3 letters.
Changing to initials can be a useful tactic for well established businesses who’ve carved out a high profile for themselves in the market (think IBM or BBC). But it’s only a feasible solution for those who have laid the groundwork.
Let’s take an example. Say three junior partners in a leading law firm set out to go it alone in the biz: Cooke, Patel and O’Connor. As talented as this team might be in the field of corporate law, say, they’re no branding experts. So they gravitate towards the standard formula and makes the mistake of becoming CPO.
Unfortunately for CPO, the name is virtually meaningless to anyone outside of their company. A client approaching it for the first time not only has no idea what type of law the business practices, but no way of knowing that CPO are partners in law at all.
All of this assumes that they got the name right in the first place, when spoken aloud it can may be hard to distinguish P’s from B’s and C’s from T’s. With profit margins on the line, it’s an expensive risk to take.
Has your own name has influenced your line of work? What about your business name? In this article, we look at how business names can spark subliminal emotional triggers, affecting the success and of your venture.
]]>If you’ve stumbled across the theory of nominative determinism, you may have already wondered if and how your own name has influenced your line of work. So what about your business name? In this article, we’re going to look at how business names can spark subliminal emotional triggers, affecting the success and of your venture.
Also referred to as ‘aptronyms’, this is the theory that people tend to gravitate towards professions, actions and lifestyles by virtue of their name. It is was first spelled out by New Scientist journalist John Hyland, and also has something of a history with psychologist Karl Jung, who suggested in his 1952 book Synchronicity that there was “sometimes quite [a] grotesque coincidence between a man’s name and his peculiarities.”
This hinges on the idea that we are driven to fulfil the prophecy of our names. So far, surveys have struggled to come up with something concrete, but when we think of the cases of Belgian footballer Mark De Man, poker champion Chris Moneymaker and gardener Bob Flowerdew, there seems to be a little more to it than chance.
The idea behind the research is that we feel an emotional warmth towards our own names, and that is what attracts us (albeit subliminally) to activities that sound similar. Social psychologists sometimes refer to this as “implicit egotism”. If your name is Lewis, you might feel a particular affinity for the Scottish isle, and make a bid to relocate. If our surname is Barber, we might embark on a career as a hairdresser.
Researchers analysed the initials of people donating money for a number of Atlantic Ocean hurricanes that hit the US between 1998 and 2005. They discovered that people were significantly more likely to donate more, and do so more frequently, if the name of the hurricane shared the same initial as their own. Imagine if a business could tap into that!
The effects of this phenomenon are often comical. In fact, Hyland was drawn to his conclusion on the theory of nominative determinism after coming across a scientific paper by authors JW Splatt and D Weedon on the subject of incontinence. Durex’s public relations officer in France was one Mlle Cecile Hardon.
The theory was also batted about when business mogul Donald Trump rose to prominence within the Republican Party to run for President of the United States. To anyone in the UK, it seems a little odd that someone whose name is basically a moniker for breaking wind would earn such revere, but across the pond, to ‘trump’ someone means to surpass or beat. It’s used in card games (or ‘Top Trumps’) when a particular set becomes dominant. Its meaning is thought to derive from ‘triumph’.
Powerful brands rely on two things: Engagement and Differentiation. So creating engagement and differentiation is crucial to effective branding ...and branding starts with your business name.
My first of two blogs outlines 7 simple tips that will help you to keep focused on engagement when you are naming your business.
]]>Creating engagement and differentiation is crucial to effective branding - and it’s a vital element of effective business naming, too.
Branding people often talk about engagement without really unpacking what they mean by it. This is a shame, because it’s full of meaning.
Essentially, engagement is all about making a connection with people. If your branding makes connections, it can get people’s attention and hold it; it can build affinity; it can make your business memorable - and encourage referrals; and it can tell people that your business matters and is relevant to them. So engagement is a very powerful thing.
Branding starts with your business name, so an engaging, catchy business name is great branding opportunity.
There are many ways that you can make a company name engaging - some are obvious, some less so, and some are about what you shouldn’t do. Here are 7 simple tips that will help you to keep focused on engagement when you are naming your business.
A name of few letters, or few syllables, is easier to recall, easier to say, and easier to tell people about. When it comes to business names; the shorter, the better.
Without going into much depth about the science of phonosemantics (the relationship between the sound and feel of word elements and what they mean to people), some combinations of letters are associated with certain meanings. So some words will sound rounded, warm and friendly, and some sound angular, cold and clinical. For instance, words where letters p, t or k dominate tend to sound hard, whereas words based on the letters l, m or n will sound softer. Neither is bad - but you should make sure your business name sounds and feels appropriate for your business.
You can gain people’s attention by being incongruous. If your company name is a surprise - either because it doesn’t follow the conventions of your sector, or because it’s not what people have come to expect for your type of business - then your audience has to get a little bit involved (often subconsciously) in order to make sense of it. People are more engaged because they have to resolve the incongruity.
A crucial element of engagement is being remembered. By providing a hint, suggestion, or allusion to your business in your name, you can help people to remember who you are and what you do. But be careful to only provide a nudge in the right general direction, without spelling things out, because letting your audience make the connections themselves makes everything more powerful.
Too many businesses are afraid to show that they’re run by people, for people. An effective brand name will have personality and character. There are many ways to demonstrate that you’re human. Your name could be overly-modest, gently witty, or surprising. It could be a bit random or slightly enigmatic. Or quirky or clever. However you do it, choosing a business name that isn’t bland, predictable and anonymous will make for stronger branding.
For thousands of years, people have bonded by telling each other stories. People who understand branding know this, so they often tell stories about their businesses. Names can play a role in these ‘narratives’. So a name with a rationale, or back story, can be very powerful. Your business could named after the town in which you met your husband or wife, it could be created from the surnames of obscure early pioneers in your industry, or the wood that your office floor is made from - the detail of the story doesn’t really matter. People love a story; so they’re very *engaging*. And - keep this quiet - you can even utilise what’s euphemistically called ‘post-rationalisation’: find a name you like and invent a story to suit.
Listen to your heart. Naming isn’t about facts and figures. It’s not rational. It’s emotional. So if your proposed name makes you excited, makes you smile or makes you just a little bit nervous, then you’re on to something. If it feels comfortable, familiar or safe, then it’s very unlikely to be engaging and won’t help your business name become a brand name.
Naming isn't easy, especially if you want a brand name, not just a name. Novanym offers a smart solution to businesses that are struggling to come up with an engaging business name. Our store sells brandable domains - names with great brand potential, just waiting for the right business to find them and make them their own.
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Remember all that hype about cool new domains like .london, .pizza, .whatever? Weren't they going to take over the internet? With a few exceptions, they never really took off. Take a look at this post to find out why this happened (or rather didn't happen).
]]>Inevitably, this has meant that finding that perfect .com domain is getting tougher by the day. Because the .com is the default choice – and because it implies a sense of ownership and primacy over a business name – demand for the .com is high. And high demand means scarcity.
In recent years, and in response to this growing demand and shrinking supply, the organisation that looks after internet domains, ICANN, has been introducing a dizzying array of alternative TLDs. This is where ideas like .pizza, .london, .hotel, .mobile, and over 500 more like this, come in.
On the face of it, this seems like a great solution to the 'elusive .com domain' challenge. But, for a whole set of rational and irrational reasons, very few have made it to the mainstream. And very few have resulted in NEW mainstream brands. Generally speaking, they remain at best niche, and at worst an experiment in business branding.
Here's a great infographic that helps to explain why the new TLDs haven't really taken off. And you can click on the graphic to read the full post 'Which New gTLDs Matter?'.
From the meaningless to the invented, form the emotional to the indefinable - in this helpful and informative post, we explore the range of qualities and characteristics that make for the best business names.
]]>Accepting that there’s more than one way to skin a rabbit, here we explore the common threads that separate the best names from the rest…
As well as demonstrating creativity and delivering differentiation, business names without meaning tend to be really flexible - allowing a business to change and develop over time.
So focus on how a name feels, not what it means. For example, the name Farthingdale has a pleasingly old-school traditional feel, and a slightly hipster vibe. It would make a great name for a financial adviser, a creative consultancy, a coffee shop, or countless other business types. But Farthingdale doesn’t mean anything - and it doesn’t need to.
People still debate over the importance of a domain, but the truth is clear cut: it’s really, REALLY important. And the .com is still the one where ‘top level domains’ are concerns. So if you come up with a great business name idea but can’t secure the .com domain, keep looking. If you don’t have a perfect .com domain, and your business goes on to succeed, you’ll regret it big time. Don’t compromise on the domain; it’s .com or nothing.
This underlines the benefit of owning a perfect, no-compromise .com domain. When you have a shortlist of name ideas, run them through Google/ Bing and see what search results you get. Don’t expect no results at all; it’s a huge world out there, and 100% uniqueness is almost impossible to achieve these days.
So if there’s another company with the same or similar name, but doing something different to yours, that’s OK. But if there appears to be a name clash with a relevant business, I’m afraid your name search isn’t over.
Some of the biggest brands in the world - like Xerox, Accenture, Kodak, and Häagen-Dazs - were invented names. Creating a name from scratch is tough, but the branding benefits of originality are significant. Pretty much every name here at Novanym has been invented by a human brain, not a computer generator.
Aiming for originality is a good thing, but not at the cost of legibility. So whilst a name like Flrimx might look unique and quirky, how the heck do you say it? And will anyone remember how to spell it? For a brand name to stick in customers’ minds, there has to have a certain logic and comfort in the way the letters work together. Be inventive, but keep it real.
Far too many businesses try to explain what they do in their company name. For example, a personal trainer will be tempted to use ‘fitness’ in their company name. We understand why this is tempting, but it’s an approach that should be avoided. Why? Because a descriptive name paints a business into a corner. Every company will change over time - so the name that accurately described a business on day one can soon go out of date.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that common descriptive words make a new business name nearly impossible to find online. And finally, it’s really boring and shows a lack of imagination. We've crafted this collection sports and fitness business names to help you build a strong, engaging brand identity and avoid these naming pitfalls!
Over the years there have been many global titans with names based on initials: IBM, DHL, ICI, KLM, etc. But these companies were born in a time where branding as we know it today was less important, and when international competition was low. And it was decades before the internet had even been dreamt of.
Today, creating a business name using initials is like throwing an invisibility cloak over the company. In terms of branding, they’re dull, lifeless, lack any engagement, and it’s hard to believe anyone still uses a bunch of initial letters to name their business. But they do. Don’t be one of them.
Not emotional as in fluffy or ditzy, but emotional in the sense of having character. Names that contain a dash of personality have the potential to connect with people. This is known as brand engagement. Be aware that, because they’re more focused on emotional triggers that meaning, choosing names like this usually require a bit of bravery.
Every industry and sector has its own conventions for business names. One of the more recent trends in tech industry was to 'take inspiration' from Spotify (or Shopify) and create a name with an -ify suffix. Similarly, the .ly prefix started popping up in the names of web developers and the like. This sort of phenomenon always starts off looking cool …and ends up clichéd and embarrassing.
Also, it’s not very helpful when scores of businesses in the same line of work have similar names. It’s good to be aware of any business naming trends in your own industry - and then avoid them like the plague.
When it comes to naming a business, I believe that people use too much logic and not enough instinct. It’s perfectly OK for a name to just feel right, without needing to explain exactly why. So, if you come across an idea for a company name that just seems to sum up the character of the business yet doesn’t make total sense, listen to your heart and go with it.
The bottom line is that the best name for your business is the one that, as well as ticking all the practicality boxes, simply feels right to you.
Choosing a business name is tough. But when you have your shortlist, a combination of left-brain logic and right-brain creativity - emotion AND logic - will lead you to the correct decision.
]]>However you go about getting company name ideas, the chances are you’ll end up with a short-list, or maybe a long-list of names to choose from. So how do you go about choosing the right name from a list of options?
By employing the right mix of gut feel and rational thinking, that’s how.
And it's important to recognise that you need just the right amount of both.
Focusing on how a name ‘feels’ might sound cod-spiritual, but it’s vital if you’re looking to build a brand.
Names that evoke certain feelings tend to make ‘connections’ with people. If people feel something when they see or hear a name, they’re more likely to remember it.
This is particularly true with animal themed business names. As one of the oldest forms of symbolism, animals can imbue brands with desirable attributes and conger positive brand associations.
Another example is the name KidsPlayWorld. This would be an accurate description of a play centre, but it lacks any emotional triggers. A less logical but more emotive alternatively is the invented name 'Kingaru', which creates an image of bouncy energy, and it feels like a lot of fun.
At the other end of the business spectrum, a financial adviser called Apex Financial Solutions sounds perfectly sensible, and just the sort of thing thousands (and thousands) of advisers are called. But the name 'Inchpenny' has personality, a certain warmth and charm …but somehow it’s still financial.
Subtle emotional triggers like this are powerful in the world of branding.
This is why ‘invented’ names like 'Kingaru' or 'Inchpenny' can be so effective in branding. When done well, an invented name can send out gentle, or emotive hints at what a business does, but without laying it on with a trowel.
Names based on descriptive keywords, however, tend not to create emotional responses - or at least not positive ones.
Of course you want a name that you, as the business owner, personally connect to. Forming an emotional attachment will help you feel a sense of ownership and pride, which will help see you through tough times. But beware; just because that slightly bonkers, highly personal name lights your fire and means a lot to you, this doesn’t mean it’ll do the same with customers. In other words, don’t overcook the emotion.
All of this means being brave enough to stand out from competitors, and brave enough to accept that not everyone will love your name and brand. But the people who matter will.
But before we get too hung up on all this creative, right-brained stuff, let’s not forget…
There are certain practical considerations when choosing a name, and there are some simple, logical tests you should use on your shortlisted names:
Google your business name idea, and see what results you get. Blindingly obvious I know, but it’s a good place to start when determining how common/rare your name ideas are. But don’t start with the aim of complete and utter uniqueness. This is not realistic; there’s a massive world out there.
The ability to secure the perfect, no-compromise .com domain name is vital. Why? For a start, it guarantees a certain level of originality (and occasionally uniqueness) of a business name. There are also obvious SEO benefits to owning the .com, making a business easier to find online. This is where ‘invented’ business names come into their own. If you choose a new name that is available as a .com domain, you’ll be giving your business a significant head-start.
On the other hand, business names (and therefore domain names) that are based on common descriptive words and keywords are harder to find online.
But the icing on the cake is that a .com domain establishes ‘primacy’ if you own the .com, you have the opportunity to be THE company using that name.
Whatever anyone says, every serious company owns the perfect .com domain of their business name. And the ones that don’t really wish they did.
Using specific or descriptive words in a company name can be tempting. But most businesses change direction over time, sometimes subtly, sometimes drastically. So the business name that perfectly described a company on day one can go out of date.
Avoid being too specific with your name – you may well regret it later.
How will it sound when you answer the phone and say the new company name? Is it easy to spell out loud? Are you slightly embarrassed when you say it? Does it sound a bit weird, and not in a good way?
Although it’s good to get creative, you still need a name that obeys the basic rules of orthography and phonosemantics.
If there’s a business in your sector using the name you want, you need to think again. But if a similar version of the name is already registered by another business in another sector, this doesn’t matter a jot.
Too many people reject a great business name because another, entirely irrelevant business is using a similar name. Aiming for 100% originality is unnecessary.
* * * * * *
For anyone who has faced the challenge of naming a business, making a final decision is tough.
But employing a balance of left-brain/right-thinking - emotion AND logic - will help you make the correct choice.
]]>Invented business names are the best option if you want your business name to become a brand name.
]]>First, there's the functional name. This is the safe choice. Many people are comfortable with a sensible, functional name that describes what they do, or features their surname or their local town. Functional names are everywhere. Think Integrated Network Solutions; Ealing Motor Repairs; Clark Components; or Mary's Haircare and Beauty.
Second, there are experiential names that try to capture an emotion or highlight a benefit of using a business or product. Names like this might be Speedy Couriers; Safe & Sound Scaffolding; or Future Financial.
Third are evocative names that are neither descriptive nor experiential, but say something about a business by way of allusion or even metaphor. A popular example of this is when companies use animal-themed business names, drawing on symbolism and associations to imbue their brand with a set of qualities. Familiar names like Virgin, Apple or Firefox fit into this category.
Lastly, there's the invented business name. These are names that are not in any dictionary, and are either completely made-up words, an unusual mix of letters, or combinations of bits of words. Invented names start off sounding strange (some very strange indeed) but end up feeling normal and familiar - names like Google, Kodak, Accenture or Tesco are everywhere.
It’s this last category - invented names - that holds some of the most promising opportunities if you want your business name to become a memorable, successful brand.
Although you can't guarantee that a word is totally unique (it's a big world, and even if a word is unique today it might not be next year) it will be uncommon enough for the word to be associated with your business alone. It’s this ’ownership’ that is key to building a brand name.
There are hundreds of companies out there with very similar names ...even within the same sector or market. Choosing or creating an invented word for your business name means that it's highly unlikely that anybody nobody else is using it. So it will not only stand out from the crowd, but it will stick in people’s minds. It’s this differentiation that is key to effective branding.
Businesses change and adapt as they grow - adding services and products, moving locations and expanding scope. Sometimes they evolve into something completely unforeseen at their conception. (Nokia famously started life as a paper manufacturer and ended up making mobile phones.) An invented business name that is non-specific will never become irrelevant, misleading or out of date. Invented names allow the values and qualities - not the specific service, product or features - to become associated with the business and therefore become 'attached' to the brand name. And it’s this flexibility and longevity that's a powerful attribute of a brand name.
If you want to protect your business name against misuse or appropriation by competitors, then you might consider registering your name as a trademark in the countries in which you operate. But registering a name as a trademark isn't easy. You can't register common descriptive words or generic words that are widely used in your industry. So Hercules Solutions can't be a trademark. You can't simply re-spell common words, either. Trendy Handbagz can also never be a trademark. If a name is invented, however, it avoids these issues so a trademark application is far more likely to be successful.
If you want your business to be visible online, you really need to make it easy for people using search engines, like Google or Bing. But a business name that uses common words (especially words that are industry-specific) is not easy to find. Your business will be invisible amongst the search results because using generic words in the search will inevitably produce results for all of your competitors. If your name is unique, or even just unusual, then you will increase your chances of being found.
If building a brand is one of your business objectives, then opting for an invented business name is a smart choice.Obviously you want to make the right decision when naming your startup. But it's no easy task. However, you can identify the right name by avoiding some of the common pitfalls. Here are six straightforward questions you should ask yourself.
]]>So here are 6 straightforward questions to ask yourself when going through your list of ideas...
When you say the name out loud, for example when answering the phone, does it sound OK? Is the pronunciation obvious? Is it clear, or awkward? Does it sound credible, or maybe a bit dull? Does it sound quirky …or slightly embarrassing? Bear in mind that difficult-to-say names are also difficult to remember.
Literal or descriptive names seem like a logical and safe choice at the outset, but can soon go out of date. Few startups ever predict the twists and turns their business will take in the future, so don’t choose a descriptive name that paints you into a corner from day one.
Short, single-word names – and short domains – are easier to remember than long ones, and are practical for an online world. Don’t make typing out your domain name and email address hard work for customers. When you check out some of our shorter business names, you may notice that these names often make for better logos too.
Unfortunately, the names you first think of are usually the ones you should avoid. Using obvious, familiar terms means it’s highly likely that another business in your sector has the same (or similar) name – potentially causing confusion or even conflict. In any case, choosing a generic business name is missing a fantastic opportunity to build a brand.
Unless your business operates in an offline bubble, a great web address is pretty important. There are lots of reasons why a .com domain is still king, but perhaps the most compelling is that an available .com domain is a good indication of the rarity, possibly even uniqueness, of a business name. In turn this means humans – and search engines – will find it easier to find you.
Whilst this question sounds cod-psychological, it’s arguably the most important of all. You don’t need to explain why you’ve chosen a name - it's your business! So, as long as it sits comfortably in the context of your market, “It just feels right” is a perfectly good enough reason for a name. Ditch cold logic, and go with your heart.
Answering these simple questions should help you filter out those 'so-so' names, and point you towards genuinely brandable business names that are distinctive, memorable, and have the potential to help turn a business into a brand.
Developing business names that could become brands is what Novanym is all about. Check out our collection of great business names - each with an available .com domain - that define 'brandable'.
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The .com domain is well established and universal. It has credibility, and it adds brand authority and clarity to a business. The .com has been called the Golden Domain - and for good reason: it has real value.
But getting the .com domain for your business name isn't easy, so it's tempting to compromise and go with an alternative domain.
]]>The .com domain is well established and universal. It has credibility, and it adds brand authority and clarity to a business.
The .com has been called the Golden Domain - and for good reason: it has real value.
But getting the .com for your brand isn't easy - most have already been registered and aren't available.
That's why some entrepreneurs go to great lengths to secure the perfect .com for their business. (Check out this story of how Mac Nagaswami of Carvertize.com even exchanged equity in his business to get the domain he wanted.)
But many others add the Golden Domain to their list of 'Things To Deal With Later'. Just like the ideal office space or staff recruitment, they see the .com as something they can live without, or deal with down the line.
They're happy to compromise by using another domain suffix, like .net or .us - or even a fashionable .io - and reassure themselves that they can always buy the .com in the future ...if required.
If the .com isn’t available for your preferred name, compromising by using another domain suffix is just demonstrating a lack of confidence.
By adopting this approach, you're not planning for success. You're signalling to potential investors, partners and customers that you're either not taking branding seriously, or not planning on being a major player.
The dominance of the .com domain means that all big brands use it. Despite the plethora of alternatives (.ninja anyone?), can you think of a major brand that uses any other domain?
Like it or not, businesses that are brands have a .com web address, so using anything else lacks gravitas.
Thinking about branding when you're starting up seems like a luxury or, at best, a little academic. After all, if you're not up and running, you can't have a brand yet, can you? But this is the wrong perspective, because when you're starting out, a business name is the only tangible thing you have.
Your domain matters from Day One. People will use it to check you out and to make referrals. If they can't remember your web address or - even worse - they assume you use the .com and find themselves looking at someone else’s site, it's not good news. Now is not the time to confuse people or to lack credibility.
So you have a fantastic business name, but the .com isn't available. Assuming that your name isn't already used by a well-established business that's using the .com address, it might well be owned by someone who is willing to sell it to you. This could be an individual or a business like Novanym.
The cost of domains varies from a few hundred dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars. But even a few hundred dollars might seem like an expense too far for an embryonic business.
So despite the downsides, you might decide to compromise and use another domain. You can always buy the .com later, can't you?
That may seem like a smart move, but it could be risky. After all, the more successful you get, the more a domain owner is likely to ask for when you try to buy it. The price of the domain today might seem like a modest cost in the future.
And there are other risks. The longer you are up and running with your compromise domain, the more likely it is that the owner of the .com will use it for something else, or sell it to another business. Even if isn’t a direct competitor, it could still become annoying - and detrimental to your brand - if the name becomes better known as theirs, not yours.
Starting a business is full of compromises - it's vital to distinguish between things that you would like and things that are must-haves. So a glitzy office in a desirable part of town might have to wait. Your business can always move later.
But your brand name and domain might not be so easy to upgrade.
]]>If a major business, with significant financial backing and unparalleled media exposure, recognises that their brand authority is enhanced by owning a .com domain, perhaps smaller businesses with major aspirations should take note.
]]>To us, owning the .com shows that a company means business. And owning a perfect .com—just the brand name, with no awkward compromises or bolt-ons—gives a business real brand authority.
For a start, using a .com establishes primacy. It’s at the top of the domain hierarchy, and is used by household names. So having a .com address tells people that you ’own’ the name. It's your brand name. You’re the ‘Farthingdale’ not ‘just another Farthingdale’. Of course, it works the other way around, too. You’re not the Amazon unless you have the .com after your name.
And perhaps more importantly, a 'perfect' .com doesn’t confuse your brand. Your brand name should be the name your customers use when they think or talk about you - and adding a .com to your name doesn’t alter that. But if your business is called Clever and your domain is CleverSolutions.com or WeAreClever.com - is this what you want people to know you as?
The trouble is, even imperfect dot com domains are in short supply - so the chances are that the perfect .com domain for your preferred business name isn't available.
Some people tell us that a perfect .com domain really doesn't matter - because it's more than acceptable to come up with a workable compromise. “For every Amazon”, they say, “there's a Tesla Motors ...they may not own Tesla.com, but it really doesn't matter, because they make cars, so TeslaMotors.com is absolutely fine”.
This has always seemed to us to be a fairly good argument ...but with a couple of significant flaws.
Our counter argument has always been that Tesla were not actually happy with the compromise. They would love to own Tesla.com, because they know that their brand name is Tesla, not Tesla Motors. Tesla is what they want to be known as.
What’s more, the addition of ’motors’ to the domain is not just a slightly awkward compromise, it's a branding mistake. Brands are about who you are, not the product you make. Tesla are well aware that some day the might make more than just motor cars, so the domain name won't make sense for long.
News that Tesla have eventually purchased Tesla.com leaves us feeling - let’s be honest - slightly smug.
We can't be sure of their motivations, but we imagine that they would always have preferred to own the domain ...and that using TeslaMotors.com was always an uncomfortable compromise. And we’re pretty sure that the expansion of their business beyond cars into domestic battery technology played a part.
Whatever the motivations, it's clear that the "what about Tesla?" counter argument is now defunct.
If a major business, with significant financial backing and unparalleled media exposure, recognises that their brand authority is enhanced by owning a .com domain, perhaps smaller businesses with major aspirations should take note.
Image courtesy of Tesla.
]]>Startups with great names aren't that easy to find. But when we do find them, boy do they stand out. Here are our current favourites - companies that recognise the difference between a business name and a brand name.
]]>For every creative, distinctive, original business name, there are dozens of companies adopting unimaginative, derivative, or just plain clunky names. And too many compromise with their domain name. When it comes to great business name ideas, many companies are somewhat lacking.
We understand that business naming is tough and, to some degree, subjective. But I believe strongly that far too many new businesses (make that most new businesses) settle for names that lack the personality or originality to become brand names. And when they're not able to own the perfect .com domain of their chosen business name, they’re really making life difficult for themselves.
Hipture is a great new online picture framing service (the service can be pre-ordered at Kickstarter). Using an app, you’ll be able to upload pictures from your Instagram, or from your smartphone’s photo gallery. The frames are hand-crafted, so Hipture is effectively a bridge between a traditional craft business and the digital world. Just like its name.
This is a really interesting concept. For a fixed monthly fee, you get access to tons of things to do in your area; music events, fitness classes, learning and education, arts/crafts events and classes …the list goes on. The name Wonderush neatly captures the energy and positivity of discovering new experiences, but without being descriptive. Wonderful.
Synergyse is a platform that gives developers the ability to include app training, embedded inside the Google Apps they develop. The name Synergyse of course suggests the synergies they have with their clients. Software business names often use a technical sounding, slick phonetics. On a more right-brained level, the name just sounds smart and sophisticated. Job done.
Aside from its elegance, brevity and instinctive spelling, one of the things I really love about this name is that it’s not what you’d expect from a jewellery brand. It takes boldness to avoid following the herd. The company’s mission is to make high quality gemstone jewellery an affordable luxury for everyone. So a warm, accessible brand name is exactly what was required.
Securing this domain was a real coup for this impossibly stylish importer of ‘Made in Italy’ products, sourced directly from Italian manufacturers. By owning this amazing domain name, Itly.com has established incredible brand authority from day one. It’s as close as anyone will ever get to ‘owning’ the word Italy. The icing on the cake is that the name looks and sounds upbeat and fun, so it has strong brand engagement too.
Available in tech hot-spots around the US, Gradberry is a new breed recruitment service that puts employers in touch with talented programmers and software engineers. And the way it does this is suitably clever, and a bit awesome; Gradberry analyses programmers’ code to match their suitability for certain positions.
Vacatia.com is the very definition of a brandable domain name. We couldn't have imagined this holiday themed business name jetting off to a better home. Vacatia is a resort marketplace for families looking for a great holiday venue, and for family-owned resorts to increase bookings. A first class brand name with real authority.
Aprenita offers app developers a whole new way to fund their ideas and grow their businesses. Why is it called Aprenita? Maybe it comes from ‘app’ …but who cares? It just sounds nice and friendly, like the guys running it. For me, the important thing is that the name doesn’t contain the words fund, grow, VC, angel (etc etc). Good brand names give a business the flexibility to change and develop over time. Aprenita is such a brand name.
Although these companies cover a range of industry sectors, they have three things in common: they demonstrate confidence by ploughing their own furrow; they have the authority of owning the perfect .com domain; and they have more than just a business name …they have a brand name.
]]>If you're planning on turning that business dream into reality, you'll soon discover you have a lot of stuff to deal with. But one thing you shouldn't over-think at the outset is branding.
]]>There's a heck of a lot to think about; finances, suppliers, marketing, business structure, website, maybe even finding premises and recruiting a team. And there are two more important items on any startup's to-do list - naming and branding.
The name is important because it's usually the first impression people will get from a business. It will also be the website's domain name, it'll appear in all email addresses ...in fact the name will be seen in every communication the business ever sends. So it's worth getting it right. You can read some naming tips in this post: How to name your business - and create a brand >
But when it comes to the visual branding (logo design, typeface,colours, imagery) I have one valuable tip for startups: don't sweat it.
This may sound like odd advice coming from a branding specialist, but the truth is that most startups don't need elaborate brand development, and they don't need to appoint a branding agency.
Why? Because, by definition, startups are at the pre-launch stage when creating their branding. Effective branding will be the visual embodiment of a company's products and services, its vision, and its attitude. It might also reflect the values or aspirations of its customers. And none of this stuff will be clear or fixed at the outset.
We’d all like to think we know, from day one, our exact place in the market and who our customers will be. Unfortunately this view is likely to be based on guesswork and wishful thinking. Even the clearest brand vision and most thorough market research will be challenged by inconvenient factors like market forces and real customers.
And this is why a startup shouldn't over-think its branding. Sure, you want the branding to look smart and professional, but pre-launch is too soon to make a significant investment in it. In fact, once you've decided on the name and secured a perfect, no-compromise .com domain, all most startups need to get their branding off the ground is:
These should be seen as basic building blocks of a company's branding; and they should provide flexibility for future development, as and when more is known about the business.
It's worth pointing out that even simple logotypes are harder to achieve than they look. Here are a few random example logotype designs from our own collection of business names:
So typesetting your business name in a PC system font probably won't quite cut the mustard. Most people would be well advised to ask a graphic designer to create a logotype for them. But don't bother with platforms like Fiverr or PeoplePerHour. Sure, there will be some great creatives working on these platforms, but the harsh truth is that most are not. So it's a lottery, and you're likely to waste a lot of time getting crummy amateur design.
Get a recommendation instead. Importantly, give your designer a restrictive brief to a fixed price; don't ask them to 'have some fun' or 'show me your creativity'. Just request three or four simple logotype options.
The same goes for the web-builder platforms. If you're technically confident, you can probably do a good enough job yourself. If not, some practical help from a techie friend or relative should help you get a decent looking site up and running.
Branding is important and relevant for any business, but it's not the magic bullet some experts claim. You need to think about it, but you shouldn't agonise over it too much in the early days. You'll have enough on your plate.
In my experience branding a startup is as much about avoiding mistakes as aiming to make everything perfect. This means keeping it really simple at the beginning, knowing that you can - and probably will - revisit your branding later.
There are a lot of things to worry about when setting up a new business, but branding doesn't need to be one of them.
]]>The new year has always felt like a good time to start something new. Alex Novakovic from MadeSimple Group explains why, generally speaking, the best time to start making your new business idea a reality is right now.
]]>Many of us will answer ‘yes’ to questions like this, reflecting on career matters as celebrations come to a close. Writing for The Guardian in 2012 careers blogger Lydia Stockdale said “If all you want for Christmas is a new job, then get prepared to put the festive period to good use. While you're busy eating and relaxing, you can be doing some valuable reflecting”.
For a lot of people, this reflection leads them to conclude that they want to work for themselves - and start their own business. But is the Christmas break a good time for making such a big decision?
Most of us get at least a few days off around this time of the year, so even with a full time job you should be able to make headspace for some business planning. Aside from retail, most sectors experience something of a lull, so reflection can usually be done within a relatively peaceful atmosphere. And although it’s psychological, the new year is synonymous with making a fresh start, and also makes for a neat annual milestone in the future. There’s no better time for marking, and making, a change.
So yes; Christmas can be an ideal time to start planning your new business career. But depending what sector you currently work in, there may be other times of the year that will give you the breathing space you need to gather your thoughts. Spring is a great seasonal metaphor for renewal and new growth, and the summer is generally more laid back. So with longer days and a warmer climate you might find yourself with more motivation and inspiration. In other words, any time of the year can seem like a good time.
Generally speaking, the right time to start planning for your new business is RIGHT NOW!
It’s a fact of life that the period between deciding to set up a business and generating any revenue from it is usually longer than you expect. There’s always a lag. Sadly, all those enticing ‘overnight success’ stories tend to overlook the months or years of planning and experimentation before they achieved their overnight success.
Just because you decide in January to start a new business, this doesn’t mean that you have to leave your job in January. But neither do you need to wait to get the ball rolling.
These days you can form a company in about 3 hours. You can buy and register a domain name today. And you can even set up a decent-looking website using a web builder in a day or so. Laying these basic foundations has never been easier, quicker, or more affordable.
And, once you’ve made your decision to start a business, forming a company and registering a domain name are great ways to start making your dream feel real. It also creates that all-important momentum, and means that you can begin telling people about your idea, and tell them what it’s called. Forming a company also creates a sense of credibility early on, which can be helpful if you’re looking to attract investors.
If your decision is made, there’s no time like the present to get things moving. You may be concerned about broad economic issues, but the reality is that all economies experience rise and fall, and there's no ‘best time’ to form a company. You certainly shouldn’t sit around waiting for the next economic upswing.
There are always reasons not to start a business, the judgment is whether these outweigh the positive reasons why you should.
If you’re feeling inspired over the holidays then grab the opportunity, harness that enthusiasm, and turn it into some positive action. Don’t wait until this time next year.
Company Formation MadeSimple is an approved e-filing partner of Companies House. To date Company Formation MadeSimple have registered over 400,000 UK limited companies and offer a number of online formation services for first-time formers and serial entrepreneurs alike.
This is a guest post by Alex Novakovic at MadeSimple – Follow Alex on Google+
]]>The short answer is “yes, probably you do” …but the longer answer is more of a “maybe”. Guest Post by MadeSimple's Alex Novakovic.
]]>Whilst most businesses can can benefit significantly from planning, it’s not necessarily the be all and end all for building a successful business.
The most basic of plans can be just as effective for one business as a complex plan will be for another. It’s horses for courses. This piece will help to determine the right level of planning for you.
Some types of company aren’t necessarily conducive to business planning at all – for example, a business based on a hobby, where much experience may already have been gained. For some people, a detailed plan that covers all aspects of the business, including marketing, sales, revenue projections and so on, just makes them feel reassured – even if this level of detail isn't mission-critical for the business itself.
Most startups are fuelled with a passion for the core activity of the business – and a drive to make it a success. It’s an emotional thing. And one of the strongest emotions can be fear of things going wrong.
Understandably, emotions like excitement and fear can inform planning. But they shouldn’t. Excitement can breed over-confidence, which can result in unrealistic projections. Fear can create anxiety, which can result in an over-cautious approach (or even paralysis). Business decisions are best made with the head rather than the heart. And this is why data can be more reliable than feelings.
A logical approach to business planning is vital.
The following companies might not ordinarily require a business plan, so if your business fits in one of these categories you can probably focus elsewhere:
As business author Paul B. Brown for Forbes in August 2013 put it, “The longer you plan, the longer you are not in the marketplace”. If you’re in need of revenue you really need to do stuff, not plan it. If you waste time over-planning, someone could pick up your idea and fill the market before you get round to it.
Great, this means you don’t answer to anyone. No ‘powers that be’ questioning decisions or requesting complex financial details for funding applications. If you’re not relying on anybody else to get your business off the ground, you probably don’t need to waste time on a detailed plan.
Many businesses are ‘happy accidents’. If you just want to start ‘a business’ (as opposed to fulfilling a specific dream) then you don’t really need to plan. Not knowing where you’re going can be half the fun!.
So, whilst most businesses need large doses of passion and drive to help them succeed, not all will need a business plan to go along with it.
Whilst we’ve discussed situations when a business plan is optional, most businesses would benefit from a degree of planning – and for some a high level of detail is essential. For example:
If your business is looking to grow significantly, a solid foundational plan and detailed financial projections are a must.
Uncertainty is a fact of life, and there are no guarantees that any business will succeed. But there are plenty of ways that a plan can make sure that risks are properly understood, and that expectations are realistic and managed. Market share, competitor analysis and customer desire can be ascertained more readily with a good plan underpinned by research. In turn, this can provide a clear (and hopefully reliable) idea of the probability of success.
A business plan is invaluable to any investor. Needless to say, they want to see exactly how their money would be used, and the return on investment they should expect to receive (and when). They will also use a plan as a guide for determining the viability of an idea.
If you're looking to bring peers and business partners into the fold, they'll obviously want to see what plans you have for the future. If you can't show them something in writing, then it's understanadable if they don't treat you very seriously.
When looking for fast growth or to determine the viability of your idea, a plan can be extremely useful. Convincing investors is tough at the best of times, so a well-prepared business plan may just clinch that deal.
Of course, there’s no magic formula to building a successful business. And no business plan can make a company successful on its own …although it certainly won’t do any harm.
Having some sort of a business plan is simply what you'd expect from a business professional taking their idea seriously. And most startups will benefit from a degree of planning. But as to how far you go with the details, that’s mainly down to how much time you want to dedicate to it – and to how useful you think it will be in helping you achieve your objectives.
For helpful advice and business plan template downloads, click here to visit the gov.uk website.
Company Formation MadeSimple is an approved e-filing partner of Companies House. To date Company Formation MadeSimple have registered over 400,000 UK limited companies and offer a number of online formation services for first-time formers and serial entrepreneurs alike.
This is a guest post by Alex Novakovic at MadeSimple – Follow Alex on Google+
]]>If finding the name for your business proves to be more of a challenge than you first thought, you're not going to spend thousands on a name with a perfect domain. Are you?
But isn't a great brandable business name worth the price of a daily coffee?
]]>In the self-start culture, you might expect to be able to come up with a name yourself, and secure a perfect .com domain for less than a fiver.
And even if finding the name for your business proves to be more of a challenge than you first thought, you're not going to spend thousands on a domain name. Are you?
To arrive at an answer, let's look at it another way.
If your business is going to succeed, you might think it reasonable to develop a 5-year plan. Your costs might be broken down into thousands per year, hundreds per month and so on.
I never thought I'd ever write this phrase, but ...here goes: Let's do the math. Five years is 60 months. Let's assume a month is a nice neat 4 weeks, or 20 'working' days. So five years is 1,200 days.
This is where 'coffee equivalence' comes in.
Many of us like a daily coffee. Some of us need it. It makes everything just a little better. But all of us would survive without it. And most of us don't stop to think about the cost.
Obviously, the price of a coffee varies from country to country, and even from place to place - even without factoring in your taste for glitzy lattes or seasonal extras - so let's make the maths easier and assume that a coffee costs $3, or £2 in the UK.
Over 5 years, your daily caffeine fix might cost you $3,600 (or £2,400).
So here's my question: is a great business name worth the price of a daily coffee?
]]>If someone Googles your new business name, you want to be on page 1, right? Unfortunately it could take years of hard work to realise this objective ...unless you make sure you own the perfect .com domain.
]]>There are loads of things that will help to achieve this. For example: correctly optimising your website; building lots of high quality backlinks from other websites; filling the site with relevant, interesting, original content; driving traffic through outreach and marketing campaigns; nurturing a wide social media footprint …in other words, hard work and time.
But the fastest, easiest way to get on to page 1 when people search for your business name is to own the .com domain of the business name.
So if you’d like to call your company ‘InventedName’, you should own InventedName.com.
Search engines scan for domain names first. And the .com trumps all others. If you choose a business name where someone else already owns the .com domain, you’re making life hard for yourself from the get-go.
The trouble is, getting an available .com domain can be hard, or really expensive. Well it is, if you’re looking for a business name that already exists...
Take our business name ‘Novanym’ as an example. We knew we wanted a highly original business name and website domain. Try Googling 'Novanym' and you’ll see that we dominate search results. We were this easy to find as soon as we launched our website.
This isn’t because we have special SEO powers. It’s primarily because we bought the Novanym.com domain. 'Novanym' is an invented word, and we chose it because we liked it. But we would have rejected it if we hadn’t been able to get the .com domain. We didn’t want there to be another Novanym out there.
This principle also applies to the names that we sell.
If you buy one of our brandable .com domains, you are effectively taking ownership of that business name.
This is because we’ve invented these names. In turn this means they’re not used by any other business (or at least not by anyone serious enough to have bothered to buy the .com domain!)
When someone buys one of our names, and one of their potential customers Googles that name – known as a 'branded search' – their website will almost certainly appear on page 1 of the search results. And that’s before they start working seriously on content, SEO, outreach or marketing.
Becoming master (or mistress) of your .com domain makes your business name easy to find online - and provides strong foundations for building a brand too. The icing on the cake is that there's a good chance of being able to trademark the name too.
A good, invented, 'brandable' name can give you all this. So why wouldn't you want a business name where you can own the perfect .com domain?
]]>A short story about why certain types of names are a sure-fire way to make a business invisible.
]]>This was great when there was only one Baker family in the village – it was perfect branding. Need bread? Go to Baker’s.
But as the village expanded to become a town with more mouths to feed, it needed two Baker families to provide the bread.
This introduced a new problem; it would be confusing having two businesses with the same name, doing the same thing, in the same village. One of them would have to find a different business name.
Sticking with the family theme, they could use a relative’s name, for example an in-law’s name, or a wife’s maiden name. This was OK, as long as that name wasn’t also a trade. A bakery called Butcher would cause confusion.
And if they couldn’t find a family-related name for the business, the location name came in handy. Thus, the likes of Townsville Bakery’were born. This solved the problem perfectly. It’s a bakery, and it’s based in Townsville.
This approach was just fine until the other businesses in town also multiplied ...and up popped the Townsville Butchers, then Townsville Drapery, followed by Townsville Hardware, and so on. The location name began to lose its value as a distinguishing feature once everyone started using it.
And when the Townsville Bakery wanted to open another shop in the nearby town of Boroughford, its name was less than ideal. What started out as an accurate description was no longer accurate as the business grew.
Of course, you could add other business-specific keywords (like bread, loaf, flour, grain, granary, cupcakes…) to the list of words that can start to go a bit stale in an expanding food company's brand name.
The point of this bakery empire fable? A descriptive name is half-baked. It will only be a good idea if you're the only business in the global village that does what you do. Using words that competitors have been using for years will make your business invisible - and it will paint you into a corner when the business grows and changes.
So unless you have a rare and distinctive surname, or never plan to grow and expand your new business, or make a totally new and unique product, you should avoid eponymous, location-based and descriptive names like the plague. Choosing a unique business name is essential for becoming a successful, memorable brand.
]]>Spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars on a perfect .com domain name can seem like a lot money – especially when you can buy a domain for next to nothing. But when you look at it more closely, investing in a great domain represents remarkably good value.
]]>At one end of the scale you can buy a .com domain from GoDaddy, or wherever, for about $15. And if you find that your perfect .com domain is available, this is clearly a no-brainer.
At the other end, there are a handful of super-premium domains (usually dictionary words) that can sell for $1m and beyond – like Holiday.com or Sports.com - names that were originally secured, in the mid-1990s, for next to nothing.
Somewhere in the middle you’ll find sites that sell domain names for a few hundred or a few thousand pounds. But even this can seem a lot of money when, in theory, you can buy one for just a few dollars..
Here’s why:
Today, a business name and domain name are the same thing – a domain cannot be an afterthought
The conclusion is clear: Buying a perfect .com domain for a small business should be seen as an investment.
Much like hiring the best staff you can afford, getting proper legal advice, or protecting your business with appropriate insurance, a strong domain name is simply part of taking a professional approach to running a business.
We've brought together eight brilliant brand names, from all sorts of industries. What do they have in common? The confidence to stand out from their peers.
]]>We've brought together eight brilliant brand names, from all sorts of industries.
What do they have in common? The confidence to stand out from their peers:
MONOQI
Monoqi hand picks the best design from around the world, sourcing hard-to-find and limited-edition design products. And its name came about by combining mono (as in singular/unique), and qi (the sound of the word 'key') to create a name that suggests the key an to individual lifestyle. For me, a coincidental rhyme with the word 'monarchy' adds premium character. A distinctive design brand name with a touch of class.
PROPERCORN
I don't need to tell you what this company does. We don't normally like descriptive names, as they tend to be bland. Not this one. Because 'Proper' has the sound of the word 'pop' in it, a whole new familiar-sounding word is created. It's one of those brilliant names that seem obvious, but are VERY hard to come up with.
Visit Propercorn.com >
KIOSKED
A very clever 'audience monetisation platform' that allows publishers to display high quality targeted advertising on their websites. I'm not sure that people would immediately associate the name with the industry (you would be forgiven for thinking it was an outdoor newspaper stand, rather than an advertising display structure), but in this case, it doesn't matter. The name has a likeable quirkiness. So it feels right ...and it looks great.
Visit Kiosked.com >
TIFFANY ROSE
A beautiful, elegant name for this premium maternity wear specialist. The name combines an authentic root (the founder's name is Tiffany) with a subtle metaphor (a rose). In doing so, it cleverly creates an feminine and relevant brand persona. This fashion business name appeals to exactly the target audience. Perfection.
Visit TiffanyRose.com >
ENEVO
This innovative company uses wireless sensors to measure and forecast the fill-level of waste containers, and generates smart collection plans using the most efficient schedules and routes. The result? Up to 50% in direct cost savings. Somehow, without being literal, this energy-efficient concept is encapsulated in 'Enevo'.
Visit Enevo.com >
QUDINI
A name that's simultaneously professional and irreverent. Qudini is a digital queue and appointment management system that allows retailers to better manage their customer’s journey through their online store. So their name makes a clever, discreet reference to what they do, without explaining it. Nice.
Visit Qudini.com >
OKTOPOST
Creating brand engagement is an excellent objective, but tricky to pull off. Here's a great example of how to be engaging, without being silly. For me, the name conjures an image of multi-tasking delivery because of its referencing of an eight-legged creature. This is bang-on; Oktopost manages large scale content distribution to social media and other channels.
Visit Oktopost.com >
MR PORTER
OK, so this one is from the online retail phenomenon par excellence Net-a-Porter, so it's a pretty big player. But what a brilliant example of clever, thoughtful brand extension. By taking the 'porter' they've created an engaging brand persona, and created a separate-but-related brand for male customers.
Visit MrPorter.com >
These disparate companies cover a spectrum of marketplaces, but all have developed an original, catchy brand name. And they all own the perfect .com domain.
As well as being easier to find online, a .com domain provides the opportunity to develop real brand authority, and even 'ownership' of a business name. Serious businesses always own the .com (and if they don't, they really wish they could!).
More important than any practical advantages, these companies all have names that set them apart from their competitors, making them distinctive and easy to remember.
They don't just have business names, they have brand names.
]]>While listening to a fascinating interview with the founder of the curated online cinema MUBI, I learned how the name came about. It was also a useful reminder of why it's vital that a business name should be about customers, not about the people starting the business.
]]>I recently listened to an interview with Efe Cakarel, the founder of curated film-streaming service MUBI, on the excellent Monocle 24. Cakarel's amazing idea (and the story of how he and his team developed it) is fascinating.
But for me, one aspect that really stood out was how the name 'MUBI' came about.
When it was launch in 2007, it was called TheAuteurs.com. This made perfect sense; the service curates from the world's most interesting independent, left-field, art house films. Such films are typically made by 'auteur' directors; directors whose vision and influence is so complete, effectively they are 'authors' of their films.
The trouble is, most people don't really know what auteur means, let alone how to spell it or say it. The founders loved it, most of their potential audience didn't get it. And this became increasingly apparent as the service grew across the world.
This is when, in 2010, the company made the BIG decision to change the name. Their objective was to address the language issue by choosing a name without meaning. They also wanted a name that was so short that people would have no trouble pronouncing it, in any language.
And so MUBI was born, or reborn; a two-syllable name with no specific meaning, though it's rhyme with 'movie' is neat and crosses many borders.
It's a great example of why the name of your business shouldn't be about you (the owner). It should be about them (your customers).
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Turning a hobby into a business can be an enticing and exciting prospect. In this Novanym guest post, Alex Novakovic from MadeSimple Group offers ideas and advice for making the transition.
]]>Many people have hobbies that they dream of turning into careers, with the main goal being fulfilment in work. It's something that Winston Churchill put brilliantly; "Find a job you love and you’ll never work again".
Life, love, passion and work; they might not sound like they go together naturally. And for many, they don't. But there are real ways that you can turn that passion into something that makes money.
It's not going to be easy (it’s not going to be easy at all). But it can be a gamble worth taking - if you have the kind of hobby that could become a viable career. You might be asking, "Well, I have plenty of hobbies; but could they be turned into a career?". Well, if you count watching television on a Saturday night and enjoying a glass of wine as a hobby, then probably not. Or maybe, just maybe...
Many of the internet's most powerful reviewers started with a blog from their home. So you could even turn TV addiction into a career if you really wanted. It might be less viable than other hobbies, but (almost) anything is possible.
Some hobbies are more financially feasible, or have the potential to be. And of course, turning your hobby into a business won't happen overnight. This can only become a reality through an organised process of individual steps.
Competition among TV bloggers is extremely high. People work for many years to make a name for themselves and get noticed. Also, demand is relatively low considering the competition. Low demand and high competition means that some hobbies are less readily converted into careers than others.
On the other hand, some hobbies are particularly good options to turn into careers, including:
Okay, let’s say you’re good with your hands; say, making birdhouses or some other kind of carpentry, jewellery making, upholstery, cobbling or whatever. If you can make interesting, appealing products, you can make this into a career. The 'product' and value of a TV blog writer is less tangible than the product and value of a carpenter. QED, a carpenter's product is easier to sell.
Whether you’re a musician selling drum loops as .mp3 files, a graphic designer making logos for businesses, or a digital marketer running social media accounts for companies, digital goods can present a fantastic opportunity to turn a hobby into a career. Most digital skills are translatable into careers. But a word of caution: because this is such an appealing career choice and, by default it's a global marketplace, competition is really high, which means fees can be low. Differentiating your offering from competitors is vital.
Arts and design related hobbies can be very well-suited to being developed into businesses. The online marketplace for artists and designers is growing all the time. whether that’s digital forms of art like graphic design and illustration, or more traditional forms like original paintings and sculpture. Online marketplaces like Etsy, SaatchiOnline and eBay are prime examples of sites that can be used by creatives to sell their wares. Other services like photography, video editing and production are also ripe for transforming from hobby to career.
If your product is of a high quality, it might be possible to build a luxury goods business from it. Entrepreneurs Alice Barrow and Tom Green have turned their scented candle business Wick & Tallow into a premium brand, leading to a valuable partnership with a local high street seller - as reported by Tony Bonsignore for the BBC in December 2014.
A well-known fashion trade startup is The Cambridge Satchel Company – which literally began life on a kitchen table. It's an inspirational example of how well-designed artisanal products have great revenue-generating potential. Featured in a series of advertisements by Google, it inspired public imagination and led to a $21m investment as reported by retail writer Zoe Wood for The Guardian in December 2014.
Computer repair (or any kind of mechanical repair for that matter) and maintenance are also hobbies that can become good sources of income. Another great hobby sector ripe for making money is health and fitness; personal training is an appealing career choice for qualified instructors. Well-being services like yoga and massage are similarly viable careers. Musicians too; teaching lessons can be a good way to earn money from your hobby.
There are numerous obstacles to actually making the transition from hobby to career. The hobby itself is just the first step. There are lots of practical things you need to do, so consider the following if you’re unsure where to start:
If you can visualise the process of making the hobby into a career you're more likely to achieve it. So, what are your aims? If you’ve never made any money off of your hobby then your first goal should be to make something, however modest. After that, what would your next goal be? Forming a company perhaps? Plan, set small achievable goals, and build from there.
An idea in your head is worthless unless you make it something substantive. Quite often you'll find that you’re not actually doing anything of any real use. Something like forming a company, or reserving a company name or domain name, can legitimise your intentions and coalesce them into something concrete. I’s much easier to build on concrete than a nebulous idea!
Whether it’s getting over the initial fear of failure or having the gumption to make the leap, everyone needs motivation. Seek inspiration from those who have come before by reading articles and stories from other business owners, or watching TED talks. A great tip is to join internet forums and ask for questions and advice, feedback or support from others.
Remember that it's a huge challenge. It’s going to be difficult, but with the right approach you are more likely to succeed.
You might be thinking to yourself, is it really worth it? Well, yes - if it works. The real question is balancing the viability of your hobby with practical considerations. If you have a family and need to keep your current job, it might not be viable to start a full time project.
But you can still make a start in parallel with another career. It’s almost like making the business side of things your 'hobby' as opposed to the hobby itself. If you’re making organic pesto products on a Sunday afternoon, try using some of that time to focus on the business aspect like marketing or planning. To make the transition you'll need to focus on both sides, the business and the practice.
If you’re looking for that last bit of inspiration to help you take the plunge, consider the following:
Running a business that is profitable and aligned with your hobbies is immensely satisfying. It’s one of the main reasons why people want to form their own company. Being your own boss requires the self motivation to keep going, but the rewarding feeling of working for yourself can be wonderful.
Even if your ambitions are relatively modest, there may be some (potentially serious) money involved in your idea. It’s a great motivator, but money should be a byproduct of doing what you love, not its raison d’être.
Being your own boss comes with responsibilities, but freedom too. If you’re trading by yourself, perhaps working from home, you might well find that the perks of working remotely or setting your own hours are empowering and liberating - and ultimately change the way you view the notion of ‘work’.
Practical considerations aside, there are plenty of perks in turning a hobby into a career. But the real driver should be that you love what you're doing so much that you couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
At the end of the day the process of turning a hobby into a business is basically just a change in your life. You’ve made one thing into something else, the fact that it’s a hobby doesn’t change that it can be great way to launch a rewarding career, or earn extra income, and make your life more business focused.
Company Formation MadeSimple is an approved e-filing partner of Companies House. To date Company Formation MadeSimple have registered over 400,000 UK limited companies and offer a number of online formation services for first-time formers and serial entrepreneurs alike.
This is a guest post by Alex Novakovic at MadeSimple – Follow Alex on Google+
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Confused by the choice of business name types you could go for? Well you're not alone. Our infographic helps to make sense of the different options you could consider – and may help you decide which is best for you and your business.
]]>So we thought it would be useful to break down the most common brand name types, and illustrate them in an info-graphic.
The graphic shows the most popular, tried-and-tested types of names used by companies large and small, across all sectors and around the world.
But if you can think of any brand name types that we've missed, drop us a line and we'll add it to our infographic. (Well, we might...)
Of course, a business name isn't everything - a company still needs to tick all the commercial boxes to stand a chance of being successful. But a great name that you can own provides good foundations for building a brand.
A unique brand name will differentiate a business from its competitors and engage with customers.
A wishy-washy name that sounds a bit like someone else's business, will not. Be brave!
]]>Casper sell mattresses in a box. But this isn’t just an inspiring story of entrepreneurial chutzpah - disrupting a stuck-in-the-past business model by doing the seemingly impossible. It’s also a business naming masterclass.
]]>First of all, you have to visit huge showrooms with acres of bland beige or white products that all look the same. Then you have to ‘try out’ the product for a few minutes at most - fully clothed, in public - and make a decision that you’ll live with for years. (And, let’s face it, they all feel pretty much the same, don't they?) Then you’ve got to arrange for delivery, and eventually struggle up the stairs or down the corridor with the world’s most cumbersome home product.
And you pay a small fortune for the privilege. It's a very dull nightmare.
So how do like the idea of buying the product online? Just select your size (Double? Queen? King?) and wait for it to be delivered in a box. Yes; a box.
That’s what the guys at Casper have done. They’ve created a product that conventional wisdom says shouldn’t be possible. It’s a mattress that pretty much everyone will find comfortable. And it’s decidedly cheaper than the products in the mattress store. Just pick the right size …and wait for the box to be delivered. (OK, so it’s quite large box, but still only the site of a small fridge.) Take a look at the unpacking video here, if you don’t believe me.
You’ll get the message that this isn’t an ordinary mattress company. And they’re not ordinary mattresses. And this certainly isn’t how mattresses are usually sold.
So how would you go about naming a business that really, really isn’t like all the others? Well, for a start, your name should not contain the word Sleep. Or Night. Or Dream. And it doesn’t begin with an S, like most mattress brands. Nor is the name based on combinations of spurious technological jargon words that sound clever (and expensive) - Spring-this, Pocket-that. Something Lumbar, and so on.
None of that. It’s called Casper. And they have the perfect casper.com domain.
Why Casper? Who cares? It’s a concept that you won’t forget, with a name that sticks in the mind. And the name does more than stick in the mind. It tells you very clearly that they are not like all the other mattress companies. In a very short time, it's become a powerful brand name.
Why Casper? Well, it has nothing to do with friendly ghosts. If you insist on a rationale, the name apparently comes from an old college friend of the founders - he was just an easy going, sleepy kind of guy.
To me, this isn’t just an inspiring story of entrepreneurial chutzpah - disrupting a stuck-in-the-past business model by doing the seemingly impossible. It’s also a business naming masterclass.
]]>Your business is up and running, and it's working just fine. But you want to take it to the next level, and that means money. Once upon a time the options for a small business getting funding were narrow. Happily, things have changed. Alex Novakovic from Made Simple takes us through the options.
]]>This is a tough question. If you’ve just started a business, you might find that your resources are relatively modest - but this is not necessarily an impediment to gaining more.
One way to grow is to build slowly, incrementally and within your means. Another way is to obtain funding. With increased resources comes increased potential for growth. And if you can increase funding substantially, your potential for growth increases substantially too.
But how do you actually get funding? Here we will discuss the practical steps that a business can take to get funding. We’re not talking about massive tech startups that blow up with $100 million support - this is about companies like your own startup.
So let’s explore how to get funding in a little more detail.
There are numerous options for businesses that you might not be aware of. Sometimes people feel like their idea is simply not eligible for funding, but you don’t have to be the next Google with a revolutionary idea. Any business can be eligible.
It’s common to read about the hot new startup getting all the attention (and money) from wealthy investors - but that doesn’t mean other businesses are excluded. Even the most humble hobby-come-business can be eligible, so it’s worth investigating.
So with that in mind, let’s look at some of the options for your business:
Taking into account the fact that government or private schemes can be applied to by any business, it’s worth investigating. You might have more of a challenge on your hands if you’re starting a small crocheting service than you would if you have already developed a killer app - but it really doesn’t hurt trying.
There is a possibility that the traditional avenues for finding funding aren’t suitable for you. But a good alternative that many people don’t talk about is raising money from individuals. You can approach business associations in your area and get in touch with their members to see if there is anyone interested in investing.
You could approach former employers even, if they are a savvy business and know you personally, it is quite possible they might vouch for you and lend you some money - or give it to you in return for a share of equity.
You could also raise money from family or friends. Lots of people might be put off by this assumption, but the fact is that pitching to a close-friend or family member can be a lot easier than going into a bank. They are more likely to ‘believe’ in your idea and see past any obstacles that might put traditional lenders like banks off.
If you’re still struggling, you can take to that wonderful democratiser - the world wide web - and try to raise some capital. Looking at some of the crowdfunding options like Kickstarter is a good tip for small businesses - you never know, some people might love your idea and take it viral.
Crowdfunding is great because of the following reasons...
If a bank or accelerator turns you down, but you raise money successfully the ‘new’ way, this shows a level of savviness that is appealing to investors further down the line. However, if there are to be any successes, you need to make the initial jump and take a chance with crowdfunding.
Yes, sometimes you just have to start growing your business yourself until you catch the eye of investors. This means implementing your thoroughly vetted business plan and undertaking the process of raising money yourself.
It’s important to keep your business going, even if you can’t secure funding. If you can build incrementally and improve each day then you’re growing as a business - so do this and you’re much more likely to attract funding from other sources down the line.
Company Formation MadeSimple is an approved e-filing partner of Companies House. To date Company Formation MadeSimple have registered over 400,000 UK limited companies and offer a number of online formation services for first-time formers and serial entrepreneurs alike.
By Alex Novakovic at MadeSimple – Follow Alex on Google+
Does a business name need to have a definition? In short, no. Because if your business is successful, your apparently ‘meaningless’ name will gradually start to mean something...
]]>As naming specialists, it’s a big question - one that we get asked all the time.
Our answer is always the same: No. Because if your business is successful, over time your ‘meaningless’ name will come to mean something. It will become synonymous with what you do and the way you do it. It will become a brand name.
But it’s a concept that’s hard to grasp in the early days of a business. It just feels safer somehow to opt for a descriptive name that spells things out, or at least a dictionary word that people are familiar with. It’s what all companies do, isn’t it?
The answer is still No - it’s not what all businesses do.
This list of 10 very successful businesses proves that, when they were at the stage of coming up with business name ideas, they had the confidence and foresight to go for names that might be considered ‘synthetic’, ‘meaningless’, ‘made-up’, or even ‘random’ – knowing that they could develop into great brand names.
Each of these businesses is successful by any measure - and each has a name which might well mean something to the founders, but which started out as ‘meaningless’ to anyone else.
None of these names is literally descriptive of a product or a service. None is a dictionary word. But each one of them is now an important part of the business’s brand.
When you’re writing about ‘made-up’ business names, Häagen-Dazs has to get an honourable mention. In many ways, it is the epitome of its kind and part of branding folklore. Legend has it that the name was invented back in the 60s, by Reuben and Rose Mattus. They wanted their business name to convey an aura tradition and craftsmanship.
Why does it work? Well, it just sounds and looks so strange and awkward, that it must be authentic! And the double-a and the fanciful umlaut give it an exotic, European feel which is just what you want from ice cream. And, of course, it works because - at the time anyway - there wasn’t an ice cream out there with a name anything like it.
Although it’s one of the most profitable businesses in the world, Vitol isn’t exactly a household name. So why is it in a top ten of brand names? It’s here because of what it isn’t.
For a start, the business trades, distributes, refines and stores oil and other commodities, but it doesn’t use the word ‘oil’ in its name - even though it certainly suggests it. And although it’s rooted in delivering energy, it only hints at this with the ‘Vi-‘ element of the name which might well come from the word ‘vitality’. What’s more, it doesn’t copy its peers - its name isn’t an ocean object like Shell, or an acronym like Esso.
So it isn’t obvious, and it doesn’t mean anything. It’s not fashionable, contemporary or glitzy. But it feels right for a major player. And it’s memorable and universal. An online search will only produce results relevant to them.
Changing your brand name is a great way to signal change to the world. So when Andersen Consulting separated from Arthur Andersen in 2001, adopting a new name was a smart move.
Deciding to change your business name is one thing. But choosing a new name is quite another. The fact that the new name for the business was suggested by an employee - rather than an expensive branding agency - only adds to the kudos for arriving at a name as good as Accenture. Although at first it sounded a little gimmicky and strange, the name has begun to prove its worth - it has quickly become established and effective as a brand name.
Although the word is a compound of Accent and Future, you don’t need to know it. It feels relatively comfortable to pronounce and spell because the elements of the word are common. And the result of the compounding is a name - a word - that feels authoritative, a bit clever, and positive.
It’s this feel, rather than the etymology, that makes the name successful.
Another classic in the pantheon of ‘synthetic’ brand names. Like many business names that seem entirely ‘random’ to the average consumer in the outside world, the name Xerox actually has a clear etymology. It’s a shortening of the word xerography, with an ‘x’ added for extra techy glitz. Xerography is the technical name for the dry copying process that photocopiers use, which derives from the Greek words xeros - ‘dry’ and graphos - ‘writing’.
Interestingly, the name Xerox started out as XeroX - a product name - which morphed into the company name Xerox over many years. Since the launch of that first product in 1949, this odd name has become comfortable and familiar - so much so that it is sometimes used as a generic verb for the act of photocopying.
Brand names aren’t just for retailers, or consumer-focused businesses. An effective brand name supports the development of any business. Take Hydrock: it’s one of the UK’s most successful civil engineering companies.
The name Hydrock is strong and distinctive. It’s a good, honest kind of name that seems to reflect the nature of the business. It has a well-earned reputation as an excellent employer, being ranked as one of the Best Companies to Work For by the Sunday Times.
It’s the kind of brand name that could well have a meaningful origin to its founders. (They may have Cornish roots, as St. Hydrock was a local saint.) But to an observer, and to Google, the name is theirs.
George Eastman was a clever guy. He not only invented the Kodak camera which did so much to make photography part of everyday life, but he knew a thing or two about branding.
Eastman wanted a business name that was unique, so that it could be trademarked. He also wanted it to be short and simple so that it was easy to say and easy to spell. And he wanted the name to be unlike anything else in the market. (Oh, and he just happened to like the letter K.) After considering a few options, Kodak was the result.
Eastman knew he didn’t want a descriptive name, or a name that simply adopted a familiar word. He might not have used the term, but he wanted to create a brand name. And he certainly succeeded.
If you work in a business that needs to accurately specify a colour - or you are a fan of its stylish home decor accessories and stationery, you’ll be familiar with the Pantone colour system.
You’re probably so familiar with it that you have never considered the origins of the name. This is true of many successful brand names: the ‘meaning’ behind the name is irrelevant when the name has become a brand.
On reflection, the name Pantone probably comes from the combination of the prefix Pan- (meaning ‘all’ or ‘every’) and tone (as in the strength or quality of a colour). But after 30 or more years of working with the brand, it’s not something that I had ever thought about.
The etymology is irrelevant, because the meanings of the word are those attached to the brand name: to some, Pantone means accurate colour specification; to others it means colour.
Sometimes imaginative naming is a result of pragmatism or the solving of challenges. Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo might have been easily understood as Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering in its native Japan, but in the US its challenging name was a bit of a hurdle.
As their business abroad developed during the late 50s, a more easily pronounceable name was needed, and Sony fitted the bill nicely. Not only was it short and sweet, but it suggested the word ‘sonus’ - the Latin for sound - and even alluded to the American slang word for a young lad, Sonny. It sounded friendly.
So the beginnings of a global economy produced one of the first universal brand names - a unique name with no actual meaning, but one with positive associations and allusions.
As with many brand names, it’s hard to imagine life without the name Google. The origins of the name in the misspelling of the word googol, have been covered so often that most people are familiar with it. But this familiarity masks the sheer oddness of the name when it first became prominent.
Before the internet - and search engines - were a part of most people’s lives, discovering Google amongst the plethora of dull, technical names (hello, Microsoft) and metaphors (remember Netscape Navigator, anyone?), had a big impact.
Not only did the product work really well, but the name shouted ‘this is different’. It made something technological feel relevant, engaging and human.
Business names can come from anywhere. From a flash of inspiration, hard graft and brainstorming, or from straightforward pragmatism. The origins of brand names don’t really matter. But they do sometimes pique the curiosity of branding people and journalists. So a ‘reason’ for a name is often concocted to deliver the required rationale.
When he set about naming his new furniture business, Ingvar Kamprad almost certainly started with his initials. But whether he added the E and the A to represent the nearby villages of Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd seems unlikely to me; it feels a bit like a handy explanation of the inexplicable. ‘It just sounded good’ sometimes isn’t enough.
Whatever the origins, Ikea was - at the time - meaningless. Now it is synonymous with well-designed, affordable flat-packed furniture.
These 10 businesses prove that it’s more important that a business name is distinctive, ownable and memorable than rational, descriptive or explicable. They've demonstrated the power of fun business names, and the importance of thinking outside the box.
Whatever its etymology, a business name means nothing until it becomes a brand name.
Are there other examples of successful businesses with apparently meaningless names that are great brand names? If so, let us know and we’ll include them in another compilation.
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Deciding to run your own blog is an exciting prospect, but the tricky task of deciding on a name can get in the way of going live. Here are some tips to help you choose the right name for your blog.
]]>There can also be a commercial edge to blogging - if you’re lucky enough to get good levels of traffic, your site can be valuable real estate for advertisers. Needless to say, this is a line that should be approached with care. Intrusive advertising can detract readers as quickly as the content attracted them.
For anyone who has a great idea for a blog, one of the first hurdles to overcome is, “What shall I call it?”.
In theory, this should be easy - you know what you want to share and write about, and have a good idea of who your readers will be. Surely the obvious, natural name will present itself automatically? The problem almost everyone faces in this situation, is that the obvious name - the name that this blog absolutely should be called because it makes so much sense - has been registered as a .com domain by someone else.
This is where budding bloggers discover what they suspected already - that there are countless millions of blogs already (some active, most not), plus many millions more non-blog websites. This means that virtually every obvious name, and domain name, has been taken. and this is what drives bloggers to devise clever, sometimes witty names that give readers a clue about the content.
As a branding guy, it seems to me that, generally speaking, bloggers seem to have an instinctive understanding of branding – far more so than their commercial business-world counterparts. Names that cleverly allude to the content and style of the blog are commonplace, as are names with wit and sideways references. Perhaps this is because people ‘loosen up’ when they’re creating a blog, and play it far too safe and cautious when naming a business.
This means there are thousands of excellent blogs with great names (and lots of crummy blogs with great names too!). here some example os blogs with great names:
…and of course everyone has their own favourites. Great bloggers with excellent names set a very high benchmark.
But if you are looking to create a name for your own new blog, where do you start?
The right blog name will meet your readers’ expectations. If you’re a source of irreverent opinion, your name ought to have a certain edginess. If you’re a genuine thought-leader in your sector, your name should reflect this gravitas. If your blog is all about fun and celebration, its name should aim to raise a smile.
Men? Women? Or both? Kids? Tech-heads? Fun-loving travellers? Retro style fanatics? Photography nuts? Well-heeled foodies? The more targeted you are with your blog’s name (and your content of course), the better chance that people will recognise themselves in it. Know your audience!
Only a knitter would recognise what a blog called KnotStitch.com was about. Certain printers, graphic designers or ephemera collectors would understand that HalfCanadian.com was a blog related to printing. A fitness fanatic would instinctively know that a blog called IntervalRepeat.com was for them. Consider terminology and phrases that your audience, and only your audience, will get. This is branding at its most targeted.
Conventionally, blog names tend to describe - or at least allude to - the content of the blog. You should not, however, use common keywords, as this will make your name hard to remember, and even harder to find online. But using non-obvious descriptive words isn’t the only way. It’s also perfectly OK to create a name that just SOUNDS like the kind of name you’d expect. For example, Farthingale.com is a name steeped in tradition, and could set the perfect tone for a blog about history. Synadia.com sounds like an imagined place, and could make an evocative name for a travel blog. Don't make hard-and-fast decisions at the outset, and be open to left-field ideas.
There are several tried-and-tested methods for creating interesting names, so try the following:
Like it or not, the .com domain is still king. And by default your blog exists only on the internet - so if you’re serious about your blog, you really should have the .com - and without any compromises like hyphens. This objective will make finding a name for your blog even harder, as many of your best ideas will be registered by someone who got there first. On the plus side, this hurdle will push you to identifying a name that has originality, rarity, and possibly even uniqueness.
However you get there, deciding on the right name for your blog is important, and it could play a major part in its success. And re-naming your blog later would be a real pain, so take your time, enjoy the process …and then get writing!
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