Naming Your New Business - Marketing Optimization

A custom name or a memorable description? Maybe both? 

In a previous article we discussed naming your businesses from the perspective of trademark optimization. In this article, we will discuss your business name from the perspective of marketing optimization. 

The Story

My father was an entrepreneur, so I guess it's no surprise that I am as well. I grew up in a home where dinner table discussions were largely centered around whether or not my dad "got a sale" that day. A sale meant a payday was coming, and maybe a new bicycle or family vacation was in my near future. 

All of my dad's businesses were famously given very long names. One of them was called, "One Good Idea". Another was called, "Income Plans and Family Foundations of America". In the late 90s when websites and emails became imperative for all businesses to have, we would tease my dad saying, "Should we email you at dad@incomeplansandfamilyfoundationsofamerica.com?" Kids can be mean sometimes. 

In the 60s, 70s and 80s the yellow pages were the #1 place that people would find businesses to contact. (And talk about a descriptive business name. "The Yellow Pages" were books with yellow pages - not to be confused with "The White Pages", the white-paged sister company. But that's another story.) The yellow pages were large books of alphabetized business listings by city or region. During their rise in popularity, the US saw a large increase in businesses that started with the letter A so they would be listed first in the yellow pages. AAA Plumbing. AAA Chinese Food. AAA Heating and Air. 

My father and all of these AAA companies were employing a descriptive naming strategy. Instead of focusing on names that could likely be successfully trademarked, they focused on being found. And there is wisdom in that strategy.

The Lesson

Instead of The Yellow Pages, today we turn to Google and smart devices to find businesses and services. Being found on the first page of Google or immediately by AI for important key words will be a critical part of your marketing strategy if you intend to sell or, at the very least, be found online. 

A brilliant marketer that I worked with first in 2007 and then again in 2013 was a senior marketer at Intel. Alan helped to develop the "Intel Inside" campaign that lifted Intel to the #1 microchip processor in America. He said to me once, "Do you know where the government stores its most classified digital information?" "Where?" I asked. "On the 2nd page of Google." In other words, nobody goes to page 2 of Google. It's first page or nothing. 

When Google is scanning the worldwide web to determine how to populate its first page for billions (trillions?) of search terms, the greatest weight is placed on the business name. Then it scans menus, header texts, backlinks, etc. etc. etc. 

A car business named, "Fast Cars" has a greater likelihood of showing up on the first page of Google when people search for the term "Fast Cars" than another car company named, "John Doe Auto". Even if John Doe Auto has a menu called "Fast Cars" and content on their site under the heading of "Fast Cars", the business with the name "Fast Cars" has a big advantage for that search team. 

So, if your strategy is to rank for a certain key word that your believe your customers are searching for, then using a descriptive name for your business may make sense. 

What does that mean if I want to trademark my business in the future? 

Generally speaking, descriptive terms cannot be trademarked which means that the risk of competition is inevitable. If you start growing your "Fast Cars" business, someone else may open "Really Fast Cars" and then, "Super Fast Cars" and you won't have much recourse. Most sophisticated business entrepreneurs wouldn't do that because it dilutes the term "Fast Cars" which is bad for them and you. But it can be done and it's something to be aware of. 

8 Steps to Securing Your Descriptive Business Name: (This is similar to the 7 steps to secure a trademark optimized business name, with a couple of exceptions.) 

1. Visit Google Trends and type in the descriptive name that you are considering. Look at the historical 12 month, 5 year and lifetime trend of the term you are considering. Is the trend increasing or decreasing and is the volume of searches substantive? If so, you may have found a great descriptive business name, but you still need to validate that it's available and has not been trademarked.  
2. Visit a URL reservation company. NameCheap has low prices. Godaddy is another. Register.com is another and there are many more. Is your URL already taken in any format including .com, .org, .co, .net, etc.? If so, come up with a new name and keep looking until the URL of your name is available. 
3. Google the name that you want. Do you see other business with that name already? Do you see large businesses that already rank organically (non promoted) for that term? If your answer is no to both of those questions, Then move on to another name. When you pass the Google test, move to step #4. If you answered yes, you may need to return to step #1. 
4. Go to Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X (previously Twitter), TikTok and any other social media platform that you can and look for accounts that have your business name. Do they exist? If so, go back to step #1. If not, proceed to step #5. 
5. Go to your state's business registry and search for businesses that already have the name that you want. Do you see any that have your name? If so, go back to step #1. If not, proceed to step #6. (You could look at all 50 states if you choose, but the next step will confirm at a federal level.) 
6. Just to be safe and to double check that your descriptive term is not trademarked, visit the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and do a trademark search for your name. Do you see anything like your name already in use? Even if there are slight spelling variations, if there is an active registration similar to your name that is "likely to create confusion in commerce", then go back to step #1. Why isn't this the first step? Since the majority of small businesses don't register trademarks with the USPTO, steps 1-5 will help to minimize the likelihood that you are not infringing on someone's common law rights. 
7. It's time to buy your URL. Prices start at under $10/yr and even if you don't think that you will sell via e-commerce, it's smart to lock up your URL just to keep would-be competitors from buying it. Make sure it's the .com version. No need to buy all the other versions unless you want them all, but .com is the most valuable in for-profit businesses. 
8. Secure your business name in every social media platform. Set up a Facebook page, Instagram account, YouTube, TikTok, any social media site even if you never intend to use social media. Secure those accounts just so nobody else can. (Make sure you keep a file of passwords for each so you never forget.) 

Following the steps above will help you maximize the utility of your descriptive business and hopefully climb the ranks of google and other search engines faster than your competitors. Nothing is certain, of course, but moving forward wisely and methodically will help you each step of the way. It's easy to change your business name today. It's difficult when you're 10 years old and have signs, labels, products, emails, customers and more. So take some time, spend a few hours on research and make a smart first decision. Who knows? Perhaps you will discover a brand new term that is seemingly descriptive but unique enough to be trademarked? 

Of course, our team can assist with name development and procurement. We can provide up to 5 name options that follow the steps above. If you would like to manage the steps above yourself and simply need a quick consultation about the name you are choosing, we can help you there as well. 

Most importantly - enjoy the journey!

Paul Fulton