You don’t get to choose your name when you’re born, but you do get to choose the name of your company or brand. So why go for something limp and uninspiring when you could have anything you want?
Sure, there’s conventional wisdom in naming your company after the service you provide, but let’s face it, no one remembers a name like “The Fence Company”.
As humans, we’re hardwired in our attraction to new things in life — it’s a leftover and primal instinct, but it works when it comes to marketing because we love the dopamine hit.
A name is just the beginning. It’s an important piece to the puzzle of setting yourself apart in a crowded place, and so any name needs to be backed by your marketing efforts. The following are just a few of the things people ask about when looking for a name.
Should my name include the service?
Where your customers know the service they need, a user online might search “fence installation company”. But because search engines will serve all the sites for companies who have optimised for that term in your area, you’d be lost in a sea of lookalikes if you called your company Fence Installation Co.
And what if someone is verbally told your company name? Will they know who to look for - or even remember the name - if it’s Fence Installation Co. and a bunch of similar names come up in the search results?
Or are they more likely to remember and find a more unique, interest-piquing name, like Trellus or Out Of Bounds? For one thing, few if any other fencing companies will appear if they search this name directly. Meanwhile, if they search “fencing installation” and your name appears, it’s easier to match to a recommendation.
Ultimately, your brand name can be whatever you want; it doesn’t have to include the service name. Let the way your website is optimised and the keywords being targeted bring the people to you.
Do I need a location in my name?
People prefer local companies according to Metro Bank’s survey from 2024 (Shoppers happiest when they keep it local). But does that mean you should shoehorn your location into your brand name?
While it’s definitely going to be seen as a boost for your SEO to consistently name-drop the location, you should get that from a good SEO copywriter anyway. Did I mention we’ve got a few of those?
And again, if your company name is just Garage Doors [Location], within a sea of bland company names that include the location you’re in, how does that help you stand out from the crowd?
What about your website URL?
While a clean, memorable URL is important, how many direct website URLs do you type into the search bar of your web browser these days? The answer is probably not many, maybe even zero. More often than not, people will search for a name or a service using a search engine.
A lot of URLs are expensive or already taken, but there’s usually a way around it, whether that’s shortening the name for the URL or adding something to it.
The important thing is to not get too bogged down on this point - good website optimisation will do that part of the job, making you appear for both your company name and your service+location.
What are the popular brand naming trends?
If you’re swerving the crowd, you need a name that doesn’t follow everyone else.
But sometimes there are tried and trusted styles out there people like to fall back on. You’ll likely recognise some of these popular trends from the last decade:
- The ampersand duo - Combining two words or names (perhaps even made up) with a “&” to give a company a more classic, traditional feel, like Marks & Spencer.
- The misspelling and disemvowelment - Using a common word but giving it a tweak, like Lyft or Tumblr to help the company stand out with a unique spelling.
- The one-word minimalist - Apple is probably the biggest example of using a minimalist word not conventionally related to the product for a memorable name.
- The wordsmash - A tried and trusted way to create a brand new word is to combine two words for a quirky and fun result, such as Outershade or Delawonder.
There are plenty of other avenues to go down beside these, and we use lots of them in our naming process at Adtrak.
Some trends take more hutzpah than others, but it can really pay off. Even in the most abstract names, you can tie back your reasoning in your company’s profile.
Take Apple, for example.
It’s a simple, non-threatening name that at first glance has nothing to do with computers and technology. But relate it back to Newton’s apple, a symbol of knowledge and enlightenment, and you get a whole different feel for the brand, where the apple is the symbol for complex thoughts being laid bare — sort of like how their products made new technology feel applicable and open to the masses, no?
Is a short or long brand name better?
The truth is, there are pros and cons to both tactics, the key is to not get put off a name because you’re trying too hard to copy what everyone else does.
Are short names more memorable? Not always; it’s about the words you choose and how they play off each other. The more you try to stick to one word, the more trouble you’ll have finding something unique.
Does a long name stop you from getting a good URL? No, your URL can be shortened.
Compare The Market, Not On The High Street, We Buy Any Car, Octopus Energy. All these names are more than one word and they’ve all done pretty well so far.
So yes, a one-word name might be “punchy” but it gives you a lot less to work with and a lot more to do in that one word.
Should I rename my company?
Renaming a company is a lot harder than coming up with a brand new name, because of the legacy. Your name is currency both in people’s minds and online, so a sudden switch should not be taken lightly.
Consider these questions:
- Is your current name confusing people? Maybe it’s an initialism that people get mixed up because it isn’t unique.
- Do you clash with another company that has trademarked the name long before you?
- Are you looking to completely reform your company from top to bottom?
- Are you willing to put the hard work into marketing a new name?
- Are you willing to rebuild the domain authority of your website? (Sometimes, if this is low in the first place, it’s not as important)
If you answered yes to some or all of these, only then you can begin to consider taking this route. Don’t think that simply changing your name is a way to shake off the bad impression people have of your company… (here’s looking at you, Evri).
Need help naming your company or brand?
We get it. Sometimes new, creative names can be hard to come up with. That’s why we provide a brand naming service at Adtrak. We’ve already helped many companies, including:
- Delawonder
- Outershade
- Pickl
- Zest Recycle
- and others ready to launch soon…
Don’t throw away the chance to use creative edge to put yourself ahead of the competition. We’ll help you find a name - if you’re willing to embrace all the opportunities - using our process developed here at Adtrak, regardless of whether you’re a B2B or B2C brand.
No one wants to be forgotten, so pick a name people want to remember — talk to us about naming your company or brand today.
