How important is a business name?  Does it really matter?  How about a made up name like Squidoo (not really original; there was already a fishing lure named squidoo if I recall, but the site was not named after the lure) or misspelling like Google (a googol is the number 1 followed by 100 zeros…).  How about a descriptive name like Quality Products or a name trying to get a good yellow page placement, AAA Towing?  Does it really matter?

Business names are important but in more ways than you might think.  You want your business name to tell what the business does (The Trophy Shop) or you may want it to be unique, but there are some important guidelines to keep in mind:

1. Try to choose a name that has some connection with your personality.  For example, if you don’t like sports, don’t name your company “The Sports Shop” but choose something you like and can build a brand around.
2. Be careful of generic names such as “Quality Service” or something like that.  I have always heard that if you are the boss, and you have to tell everyone that you are the boss, you really aren’t the boss.  Same thing applies; if I have to tell the world I sell quality products, there may not be a lot of truth in that.  Show people, don’t tell them.
3. The domain needs to be available.  The more people that spend their lives online, the more important your business name matches your URL.  You don’t want your business name to be one thing and your web address something completely different.  The easier you make it for potential customers to find you the better.
4. When choosing a URL (and thus, a business name), pay attention to the combinations of letters, not just the words, in the web address.  For example, when capitalized and spaced, Kids Exchange is fine but when used as a URL, http://kidsexchange.net/ is what you get (if you don’t see it, look at the first word being kid…)  There are others like this one, just make sure your business is not one of them
5. The name should be different from your competition.  If you are not differentiating your business from the competition, you are just noise to the consumer.  Be remarkable and start with the business name

Although not all inclusive, these guidelines should help along the way.  There are business naming companies and services that you can pay to help you, you can get friends and family to give you their suggestions, but in the end, the name of your business has to mean something to you.  It needs to reflect your personality.  So, what are you going to name your business?