What’s in a Name? Branding in a .com World

you’ve dreamed for years of hanging your shingle and have probably envisioned your name on said shingle. You must, however, think beyond the shingle to your digital presence and all that entails. Your business’s name is personal, reflecting not just the product or service but also the culture. A name can be witty and certainly should be catchy – it is, after all, likely the basis for all your branding — but not to the detriment of “being found” on the internet by potential customers or clients.

With an eye toward your web presence, ask yourself the following questions when locking down a name:
• Is it easy to spell?
• Is it relevant to your product or service?
• Is it memorable?
• Is it unique?

Say your last name is McDonald and your business is selling carpets in Munford. The shingle on your physical location may proclaim McDONALD’S but rest assured your web site (or domain name) will not be mcdonalds.com. It may not even be mcdonaldsmunford.com, though it could be mcdonaldscarpetprosinmunford.com but the problem with that is obvious. In this situation you might just let Farmhouse do what Farmhouse does: brainstorm, research and offer alternatives. Be flexible and open, because at the end of the day it’s all about launching and sustaining a successful business.

 

FUN FACT: Some names are perfectly fine in real-world printed usage, but run together in a URL could be unfortunate.

EXAMPLE: American Scrap Metal: Great on a sign, but americanscrapmetal.com … Americans do what with metal? See our point? Is it memorable? Probably, but not in the way you want. At that point, the task is to come up with an alternative URL that still speaks to your brand and ultimately to customers.

Once you’ve settled on a name, a bit of research will be required in order to obtain not just the domain name you hope to own but all those similar enough or applicable to yours. Buying up all those relevant domain names will help ensure that search traffic is funneled to you. They can cost as little as $12 to $20 to procure and keep; Farmhouse will utilize a domain parking service to secure yours until your business and/or web site go live.

What’s in a name? More than you might have realized in this digital world, but Farmhouse is equipped with the know-how to help you set your baby up for success.