Business name ideas: Before you choose, take these steps
Are you planning to become an entrepreneur and start your own business? How will new customers discover your business and all the products and services you offer? As you consider business name ideas, be sure the matching website domain name is available. You’ll need one in order to launch a business website.
A business name is its brand identity, and it is the way people will remember your business. It will be printed on your business card and you will mention it when you introduce yourself to prospective customers and business partners.
A business website is another important consideration. Today people use a search engine like Google to find information on their mobile phones. When people look for your business online, they will try to remember its name and type that in. Choosing a domain name that matches your business name makes it more likely they’ll land on your website.
India’s love of creative names
India is a country with diverse languages, and for a majority of the population, English is a second or third language. Hence, it is common to see names that use a mix of English and Hindi — Hindi words in the English script.
It’s common to see Indian brand names like ‘Bajaao’ and ‘Dainik Bhaskar’ — the former sells musical instruments online and the latter is a popular Indian newspaper. You will also see a mix of English and Hindi used in brand names as in ‘Big Bazaar,’ a famous retail outlet in India belonging to the Future Group.
As you can see, these names are easy to remember among Indians. They are more likely to remember a name in their first language — even though it is written in the English script.
What is a domain name?
There are two parts to the domain name. For example, the domain name belonging to the aforementioned newspaper is Bhaskar.com. The first part — Bhaskar — is called the Second Level Domain, and this is often a business brand name. You can even register Second Level Domains using Hindi characters — watch this video to learn how.
The second part — .com — is called a Top Level Domain (TLD). The TLD reflects the nature of your business. For example:
- .in is often used by companies that do business in India.
- .com is preferred by businesses that operate globally.
- .net is favored by ISPs but open to any business.
- .org is useful to nonprofit and charity organisations.
The newest TLDs on offer have more than three letters and represent a variety of industries, as in:
These are called gTLDs (generic TLDs) and you can find the complete list of available gTLDs here.
Register your website name
Once you’ve chosen your business name, you will want to apply for a Director Identification Number and submit a Digital Signature Certificate with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The next task is to set up a website to bring in customers.
The website name should reflect the nature of your business, and ideally, it should be the same as the brand name.
Your website name — or domain name — helps people find your website. Domain names are unique and given on a first-come, first-serve basis. Hence it is important to register the chosen domain name as soon as you can.
This can be done through a company like GoDaddy, which offers domain registration services. You can get a domain name here for a modest fee. Of course, that’s a recurring annual charge, so check all the plans on the GoDaddy site. We recommend booking your domain for a longer period of three to five years for best results.
But first, you need to check if the preferred domain name is available and not taken by anyone else. Go to the GoDaddy website, and you will see a search box at the top of the home page. Type in the chosen name of your website.
Business name ideas that aren’t available
So, you searched for the name of your business domain and were surprised to see that it is already ‘taken.’ Is there really another business out there with the same name as your business?
Well, there are people who guess that there is the likelihood of someone starting a business with that name, and they register and ‘park’ the domain name. They then sell it to the business that requests it — for a profit. In fact, this is a good business to get into, and you can read about it here.
But what if the buyer wants top dollar for the domain name that matches your business name? You can still have a great domain name without paying someone a ‘bomb’ for it. The solution is domain auctions.
Find what you want at auction
Domain auction is a process in which prospective domain name buyers can bid or make an offer for a domain name that has already been registered by another owner. It is a regulated and transparent process of trading pre-owned domain names. Domain auctions are like a regular auction in which prospective buyers bid for unique properties — the sale goes to the highest bidder.
On the GoDaddy Auctions site, you will find an alphabetical listing of domain names and their prices. Search for and choose the domain you want using the Search tool.
Once you find the domain you want, check its base price and bid an amount for it. The funds can be safely transferred through escrow agents who facilitate transactions between auction participants. Follow the links and instructions on the site to complete the transaction. You will receive instructions by email on how to access your newly purchased domain.
We hope you will get the domain you want, and we wish you success for your new business!
Download GoDaddy Investor app for iOS
Download GoDaddy Investor app for Android