How to Brainstorm a Business and/or Domain Name

Some domain name creator sites charge up to $250 to come up with a name for you. This article will provide brainstorming ideas for business names and domain names. Once you've come up with a name, you can go to GoDaddy.com to verify if the domain is available. You'll want your business name and your domain name to be the same if at all possible.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer or paper
• Microsoft Word or a pen
• Thesaurus
• Help from family and friends.

1. A good business name should be clear. It should accurately reflect what you do. What words describe your business? Let's say guitar lessons are your service. Related words are guitar, tab, riff, amp, pick, fret, strum, music, tune, hammer-on, play, teach, school, etc.
2. Next, take those words and find synonyms for them. Such as six string for guitar, and coach for teach. Come up with as many words as possible. Enlist the help of friends and family for words. They may surprise you!
3. Once you have as many words as you can think of, you can begin pairing them up, like "Strumming School". You can combine words, omitting letters as needed, such as "Guitariff" and "Pickatune". If you have words that rhyme, try putting them together for a clever, rememberable name. "Fab Tabs" is a little lame, but you get my point. :o)
4. Next, check out the names of similar businesses in your area. Use them as a guideline. You want to set yourself apart from the competition.
5. You can always use your name: John Smith's Six String Academy; Smith's Guitar Lessons; Guitar Lessons by John; Smith Guitar Academy; Smith's Strumming School, etc.
6. Next, see if the business name is available in your area. You can go to www.uspto.com to conduct a patent and trademark search. Then, check the domain name. You should not be paying more than $10 a year for a registered domain name. Aim for getting a .com as your main domain. They will usually give you similar domains that you can pay for as well, such as businessname.net and businessname.org.
7. If you feel strongly that your business name or idea needs protected, you can purchase a U.S. trademark for $325.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to keep the name short
• Make the name easily pronounceable
• Create a tag line to go along with your name
• Be careful of using a location in your business name. You never know what may happen. If you change locations it could cause a big problem.
• Don't use generic names like "Guitar School" or "Plumbing Company"
• Be sure your business name could in no way infringe on copyrights of other businesses.