How to Choose the Perfect Name for an Online Store

What is in a name? Why do you have to choose the perfect name for an online store? For one, business names give a brand its identity, and it is also not unusual for people to judge your business based on your name alone.

Your potential customers must be able to tell your business personality, and your business name is one of the factors that allow them to do so.

But where do you even start?

Today, I will guide you on how to choose the perfect name for your store. I will also recommend some business name generators that you can use in case you are stumped about where to start.

Why is a perfect name for an online store important?

Let us dig down and understand why a good business name is important. Once we are done with this section, you will have adequate information as to how customers perceive your brand based solely on your store name, and how it affects their perception.

Here are the reasons why choosing the perfect business name is mission-critical:

It creates identity
It makes your brand memorable
It motivates people to buy
It is easier to spread

1. It creates identity

Your business name carries value. Not all businesses are in the same industry, so their names are carefully crafted to appeal to the target consumers. The identity is crucial, as it tells people what your company is about.

If you think of Shopify, the first thing that comes to your mind is shopping. If you have been around and know things about web-building, then you fully understand that as far as building online stores go, Shopify is one of the leading companies that offer a software solution.

Because Shopify created a unique name that later on became a dominant brand, a lot of other companies started using the suffix “—ify” on their names, such as Printify, Spotify, and so much more.

Shopify carved itself a niche in the market not only because of its top-quality software but also because of its name.

The same thing goes with WooCommerce, a store-building platform. People in the marketing and web-building industry know that WooCommerce is all about e-commerce apps and software. If you think of WordPress, you also immediately know that it is a free platform to build a store or a blog.

2. It makes your brand memorable

In relation to point number one, a good business name makes your store memorable. Sometimes, we pass by stores that we have never even seen before, but because the name is unique and appealing, we remember the store even if we haven’t bought anything from it.

Here are some examples of memorable business names:

Dubbix
SnapCrowd
Traveleme
Mountain Gear
Blazing Drones

Great business names stick to a person’s memory. And if this happens, you have fulfilled at least one of your branding goals.

Business names like Big Fat Joe’s, Dominoes, and other similar brands are mentally sticky. And if your business name is memorable, the same name will pop up someday in a person’s mind. In this case, a person may be tempted to look for your store or ask his friends about it.

No matter what the customer does, what’s important is that he takes action. Because of a good business name, you can expect this same person to get his foot in the door of your sales funnel.

3. It motivates people to buy

If your business is good enough and it tells people what you sell, expect your customers to get motivated to try your products.

This is why a lot of business owners append something below their brand names. For example, the complete name of Shakey’s is Shakey’s Pizza Parlor. While the name Shakey’s, if taken on its own, has nothing to do with pizza, the words “pizza parlor” motivate people to buy.

Another store that has a great business name is Chewy. While it does not seem obvious what the product is, you know that it is about something that you can chew. After finding out that it is a pet food store, would you not be motivated to try its products if you had a pet?

4. It is easier to spread

Brand recall is an important aspect of a business name. Word-of-mouth marketing is still one of the best things that can happen to any business.

If a person bought a clothing item from you and your business name is memorable, like SheIn, it’ll be easy to tell her friends where she bought it, or what the brand name is.

A good business name is easy to share. If you use complicated names, there is a possibility that the customer who already bought the product may not even remember the name of your store.

And if this happens, there is a wasted opportunity where this very customer could have shared your business name with her friends.

5. It is easier to search

A potential lead may remember your business name one day and will attempt to search for your website online. A good business name should make it easy for the customer to find your website, as opposed to long and complicated names.

Some dropshippers and e-commerce entrepreneurs fall into a trap—the trap of wanting to be unique. Because of this, they create a concoction of words that are not easy to search for. Some are too long, and some are difficult to spell.

The result? Your potential customer will get frustrated. Instead of searching for your website, she is more likely just going to type the keywords for the product she is looking for.

Tips to Choose the Perfect Name for an Online Store

Now that we know why business names are important, let me give you some tips on how to choose the perfect name for an online store.

1. Make it short and keep it simple

From Shopify to Apple to Samsung—one thing you will notice is that these names have only one word and two syllables.

I know that this is a little difficult—what with all the expensive domains, right? The trick here is that for as long as you cannot find a website that already uses your name, you can modify the website later on.

Be careful not to use a patented name. If you do and you just altered it a little bit, the owners of that name can shut you down.

I am not saying that you should only use one name. At most, you can use three words. Anything more than that will be hard to remember.

To do this effectively, you can combine words and see what it sounds like. For example, how about a Snack Attack for a food store? Combine two short words that embody your business. If you are selling drones, how about Daredevil Drones?

You can also make up a word if you want. Just make sure that the catchy online shop names you make meet the goals we discussed earlier.

If you want, you can use your name. However, this is going to be a tough sell unless you are a known person in your industry. Usually, people only use their names as a brand if they offer a service, like what I do in my writing services.

2. Dare to be different

Creativity knows no bounds. Do not be afraid to try new names that sound weird. Just make sure that you create an online shop name list—tweak the name with several variants and list them down. Sleep through it and then decide which one resonates best with you.

If possible, avoid using the same words that your competitors use. In the electronics industry, a lot of entrepreneurs append the word “electronics” to their business names. If you do this, you will not have a memorable name. Instead, you will just become another “me too” electronics shop.

3. Check if the domain is available

Always make it a habit to check if the domain name is still available. It does not make sense to have a business name called Daredevil Drones, and yet your domain name is https://JimDrones.com.

Ideally, the business name and domain names must be an exact match. If not, check if you can change it a little bit but still retain the essence of it.

You can go to Bluehost to check for domain names. Checking domains is free.

A custom domain name that fits your exact business name is critical. It tells a lot about your company’s professionalism. In addition to this, you have to scout online marketplaces to find out if your business name is already being used.

If it is, scratch it and start over again. The last thing you want is to get a letter from the owner asking you to pull your site down.

In some cases, the only thing that keeps you from using the domain is that the top-level domain is expensive—for example, the cost of a .COM domain is $1,000, but the .NET is cheaper at only $10 a year.

It is all right to go with the .NET domain name. While some people say that Google does not like low-level domains, there really is nothing that can stop you if you do the right things to rank your online store up in the search engine results pages.

Business Name Generators

As promised, here are the top online shop name generator sites that can help you find the perfect name for your online store.

Shopify
Business Name Generator
Oberlo
Nameflix
Squadhelp

Summary

Business names matter. A business name is the beginning of a brand. Sometimes, you may have the best product and service, but if your name is bad, it will not stick in the minds of the public. You need to sit down and carefully think about what name to use.

Do not rush this process. Once you have purchased your domain name, it is going to stick on your website forever.

No, do not even think about redirections and all that. Do not put yourself in an electronic nightmare. Take your time, think of the best name for an online store, and only buy a domain once you are 100% sure.

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