So you have decided to start your own business? The very first decision has already been made, you have chosen your industry. Each industry is different, the competition is different, the profit margins are different, company marketing styles are different, and the business brands are different. It does not matter which industry you choose to compete in, the second decision but most important decision you must make is to choose your name. When you choose your name, you should consider the type of market that you will be competing in. You want to make your company stand out. The best way to find your name is through brainstorming and patience. There is no bigger mistake a business can make than to create your name, only to change your name later down the road. This can destroy your business' branding progress as well as your financial progress. When you decide to change your name, you are not usually taking everything in to consideration that should be considered.
After you have chosen the most fitting title to represent your business, the third step is to register your name. There are a three places that you need to go to secure your interests.
You need to check to make sure that no other businesses are using what you have chosen. The most important place to search for and register your name is with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office). When you have a registered trademark, you own your name. When you own your name, nobody else can use it in its' trademark sense, without likely breaking trademark laws.
Then you need to register your name with the Secretary of State for the state that you plan to run your business from. Web Your Name® is a registered trademark. We are not registered with the North Carolina Secretary of State, because our business is in limbo while we reorganize our business structure. Deciding on whether your business should be a corporation, S-corporation, sole proprietorship, or limited liability company, should be a decision that you make with a local business attorney and your accountant. Each business structure has different legal and accounting advantages and disadvantages which we will not discuss.
You need to register a domain name through a registrar such as GoDaddy, Network Solutions, or TuCows. You can register a domain for as little as $6.99 through GoDaddy. When you register a domain name, you may also want to register variations. For example, you might want to register writeyourname.com and write-your-name.com so no one else can register the domain variations.
Once you register a name, you need to design your name. Please visit the links to read about name designs. This article focuses on other aspects. Let's go back for a second. The meaning of your name does not always have to reflect the business' products or services, because if you make your name stand out, you will build brand recognition. Branding is ultimately what you want to do, and if you build a name brand, it is okay if people don't get what your name means. Do you even know what Apple computer's name means? No, but you know it is a brand name that dominates the electronic industry. When you pick a name, I would suggest coming up with something more creative than just a fruit. There are plenty of names with meaning that would be suited for your business. Thinking outside the box and brainstorming with friends and family is a great start.
You now have hopefully chosen a name with meaning, you have registered a domain, and designed your name. Now you must move on to the task of getting your brand recognized and thrust before the eye of your target market, so that they will remember your brand name. Internet Marketing is something that takes experience and many years of it. You cannot just create a website and expect to find your company in the TOP 10 Google search results. Google marketing is something that I have been doing for about seven years now, and there is one thing that I have learned, and that is very few people possess the search engine optimization talent that I have. It sounds cocky, but the fact of the matter is it is true.
You are at this website looking for answers, and we don't have any secrets. But you should focus on running your business, and the day to day operations, and hire someone to do your Google marketing. I don't say Internet marketing, because Google is by far the most dominating player in the online marketing industry. So what is the secret to marketing a business? PageRank. Everyone down plays the importance of PageRank and the ability to rank well on Google, but that is because PageRank is like money, everyone wants it, nobody has enough of it, and website owners don't want to share it.
You just spent all of this time choosing, designing, and marketing your name, and now you are considering changing your name? You have to be kidding. There is not a bigger mistake you can make in business than to change your name. You will incur an enormous cost if you change your name. You will lose future potential clients. You will lose brand recognition. If you change your name, you will be back at square one. You should have followed our advice above and brainstormed and thought outside the box before choosing it. There are very few circumstances where a name change is a good decision, but if it must be done, it should be done as soon as possible in the business' career. You must follow the official method outlined by Google to change or relocate your domain, if you want to maintain your TOP 10 Google rankings (assuming you have them).
We hope you enjoyed our 40th article on this website. We are constantly striving to bring you the most relevant and useful content regarding the Internet, advertising, business, Google, and marketing. We hope you appreciate and value the knowledge that we have shared on this site.