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The 10-second business name creator.

It takes years to create a great brand, but you can have a creative brand name in seconds. Shopify’s free naming brand generator lets you jump from naming your brand to securing the domain name, to starting your small business - all in a few clicks.

Coming up with a business name for your brand

Now that you have the perfect business idea, the next decision you’ll have to make is choosing a business name reflective of your brand or products. We know that coming up with a name for your business isn’t an easy task, especially with the pressure of making it unique, while also developing the rest of your business from scratch. However, in order to keep your finger on the pulse, you’ll want to take all necessary steps in finding the perfect name to match your business idea.

To get you started and moving in the right direction, consider these three important factors before creating a name for your small business:

Your brand: It’s important for your business name to reflect the type of brand, products, or services you’re developing. This will influence how you market and interact with your target audience, and eventually build brand recognition over time.

Your market: Analyze similar products, services, or marketing material within your industry, and think about what makes other brands memorable. Then, use that same lens to think about what will make your brand unique and stand out from the others.

Searchability: A good business name is memorable and easy to find. As a result, you’ll want to set your sights on naming options that are available, through our domain name generator , social media handles, and SEO opportunities to make your business searchable.

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use business name creator, Shopify’s brand naming generator will help you name your business or ecommerce store in 10-seconds, or less. All you have to do is describe your business in one word, enter that keyword into the search bar, and the naming generator will do the rest! There are hundreds of unique business name ideas for you to choose from, so you can compare your favorites and land on a name that resonates most with your business idea.

How to choose a business name

Shopify’s online store name generator is designed with simplicity and creativity in-mind. When using the shop name generator, you’ll be provided with a ton of potential brandable business names and domains, but finding the name that works for your brand is up to you. Knowing what makes the best name isn’t always easy, but as you go down your list of creative business name ideas, here is how to choose the best one for your brand:

Make your name memorable: A customer’s ability to recall your business name has a huge impact on how they view your business. From every inch of the marketing funnel, to attracting new customers, and bringing back loyal ones - it’s all linked to how quickly a potential customer remembers your name.

Branding: Your name will be a blueprint for all the decisions you make when developing your brand down the road. Over time your logo, slogan, and value proposition can be changed, but it’s exceedingly hard to change your name without losing some of the strength of your online brand. Choose a name that can evolve with the long term vision for your brand.

Clarity: A simple, clear, and direct name will be far more catchy and easier for customers to recall. If customers don’t understand your brand initially, they’re less likely to remember it later on. Good brand names don’t require too much explanation. While it should be clear, it should also be adaptable to change. Names that are too topical, or directly reference a specific product could box you in later on. Make sure to evaluate your business name idea for company growth potential and entry into adjacent industries.

Uniqueness: Customers won’t remember a brand name if it isn’t distinct. Catchy branding is all about setting yourself apart from your competition and that starts with a cool, unique business name. A unique brand name that grabs a customer’s attention will be remembered later on.

Availability: Last but not least, you need to make sure your brand name isn’t already taken. Setting aside the legal risks, another brand with your name (or something similar) can be confusing for customers and damaging to your online reputation. This is true of your domain name as well. Your domain name should be as memorable as your business name and easy to associate with your brand. When you’ve selected a name, make sure to check for domain availability and claim a workable domain as soon as possible, with the help of our domain name generator.

Finding the best name for your business doesn’t have to be complicated. With Shopify’s brand name generator, we make it easy to know your creative options, while keeping in mind everything else you need to grow your business. Once you’ve discovered how to choose a business name, you’re one step closer to launching your dream brand online.

Sample business name ideas to inspire you

To give you a deeper look at the kinds of winning results you can get from the online business name generator for your up-and-coming business, we’ve compiled this list of example business names that exhibit the ideal qualities outlined above: unique, searchable, clear, and memorable. Once you’ve settled on a selection of names, you’ll have to determine which ones fit best with your overall brand, if they can be registered for use in your region, and whether or not an appropriate domain name is available.

What makes Shopify merchant names successful?

Our survey of Shopify merchants discovered thousands of amazing and unique business names driving the success of online shops around the world. A great name can work hard for your brand, even before customers visit your website.

Names based on common phrases tend to be highly memorable and Monkey’s Uncle is no exception, bringing levity and fun to this graphic t-shirt shop based in Pennsylvania. This phrase is often used to express surprise and delight, which is perfect for a store stocking unique t-shirt designs.

“Motivated by our son Brayden, who was diagnosed with autism at age three, we knew we would need flexibility for doctor visits and therapy appointments,” says owner Derrick Morgan. “We combined our love of sports and all things throwback to start our small business dream. Brayden loves all animated movies, and there is a scene in the movie Madagascar where a monkey and penguin are arguing. The penguin says, ‘well I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!’ which Brayden would crack up at every time. We thought that would make a cute name for a store, and would prompt people to ask more about it.”

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Frequently asked questions

How does the business name generator work.

The free business name generator provides instant suggestions in three simple steps:

Voilà! You now have 100 possibilities to select from or use as inspiration.

How much does the business name generator cost?

The business name generator is free for everyone to use and you can run as many searches as you please. The business name generator is here to inspire you, offering catchy, memorable and creative business names that you can use for your business. Make sure you let others know about the free business name generator offered by Shopify.

How do I come up with a catchy business name?

Catchy business names are original, fresh, and memorable. As you brainstorm a name for your brand, consider employing these methods to inject a little fun into it:

How do I choose a good business name?

A good business name should not be too specific. This is to avoid getting pigeonholed to a category and limiting yourself when expanding to adjacent products or sectors in the future.

It should be easy to pronounce. You don’t want target audience and potential customers fumbling over your store name, or having trouble finding your domain name in search.

Most importantly, make sure it is still available. However catchy your new business name may be, it’s a no-go if it’s already been registered and trademarked.

What should I name my business?

Your business name should encapsulate your brand identity. Here are five things to keep in mind when naming your startup.

What are some cute business names?

Cute business names can trigger powerful emotions. But it may not be appropriate for all types of businesses.

For instance, it’s unlikely that a store selling hardware or office supplies will want to identify themselves as “cute.”

Businesses related to crafts, fashion, babies, toys, and pets, on the other hand, may be able to boost their brand identity with cute names.

Here are some examples of real brands (and their products) that have adopted cute business names:

When coming up with cute business names, try the following:

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Business Name Generator

Generate a short, brandable business name using artificial intelligence, get name ideas.

Namelix generates short, catchy names with a state of the art language model

Filter results

Decide whether you prioritize a shorter name, having a specific keyword or domain extension

Save your names

Our algorithm learns from the names you like, giving you better recommendations over time

Why a branded name?

For new businesses, naming options can seem quite limited. Short domains are very expensive, yet longer multi-word names don’t inspire confidence.

In 2023 many startups are choosing a short, branded name - a name that’s unique, memorable and affordable.

Unique, brandable names

Most business name generators combine dictionary words to make longer names.

Namelix generates short, branded names that are relevant to your business idea. When you save a name, the algorithm learns your preferences and gives you better recommendations over time.

Or try creating that perfect logo with artificial intelligence using Brandmark.io

268 Catchy & Creative Business Name Ideas (Curated, Not Generated!)

Did you know…

My point is, you do NOT need a business name generator to come up with a creative name for your business.

creative business name ideas: indiana bones and the temple of groom

I rest my case.

I know I know, pet businesses are easy for creative names. But creative doesn’t have to mean funny. It just has to have character.

So in this post, I’ll be sharing over 200 business names ideas and examples to help you come up with business names that are catchy, personal, cryptic, thought-provoking, bold, and more.

About this business name ideas list

The examples accompanying each idea are real business names, so use them only as inspiration. See the end of the post for ways to check for business name availability in your state and the U.S.

Here are the categories of business name ideas this post covers:

Creative business name ideas

Unique business name ideas

Catchy business name ideas

And don’t miss my guide on how to come up with a business name —complete with mistakes to avoid, even more ideas, and how to register your name officially.

There are so many ways to be creative with your business name. Here are just a few ideas.

Use (or make up) words associated with your industry

Think about adjectives that describe your customers or how they want to feel as a result of your products or services. For example, “intrepid” means fearless and adventurous—a good name for a travel company!

creative business name ideas: semicolon bookstore

Image source

Use an idiom, adage, or common phrase

We claim to hate cliches, but our brains inherently trust that with which it is familiar, so this isn’t a bad way to go. Plus, not all common phrases are annoying cliches. Try out idioms, famous quotes or lyrics, or just small bits from them.

creative business name ideas: soft as a grape

Go for something epic

There are tons of characters in history and entertainment that signify traits or qualities you may want associated with your business. Here are a few examples:

unique business name ideas jarvis surgical

Then again, Jarvis is also a name that translates to “spear man” which also works… ( Image source)

Catchy business names are easy and fun to say and stick well in peoples’ memories. Here are some ideas on how to come up with a business name that rolls off the tongue and plants itself in the brain.

Combine words

There are ample ways to be clever here. Just make sure that the word combo is actually easy and intuitive to say, and doesn’t just look good written out. For example, ValiDaTEk is clever (validate + technology), but is it “va-LID-a-tek” or “val-i-DAY-tek”? These are micro interruptions that can subconsciously deter someone from referring or even contacting your business. Here are some fun combo business names:

Give it a rhyme

Want to know another copywriting psychology fun fact? The cognitive fluency of a piece of content influences how true or trustworthy the reader perceives it to be. And we all know how fluent rhyming words read (and get remembered).

catchy business name ideas: elemenopillows

The best part of the alphabet.

Try out alliteration

Alliteration is another easy way to come up with a catchy and cognitively fluent business name. Here are some alliterative examples for you:

catchy business name ideas: beet box cafe

Unique business name ideas

“Creative” and “unique” are interchangeable adjectives, but for the sake of this post, I’m allotting this category of business name ideas to those of eccentric nature.

Go for colors, animals, or fresh produce

I’m not even kidding here. It would seem as though any combination of animals, colors, and organic matter is game for a business name—even if the name gives no indication of the business type.

unique business name ideas the orange goat

How to come up with a unique business name: Combine (1) color + (1) animal or plant.

Tap into onomatopoeias

Words that define themselves by their very pronunciation? Prime business name material. Plus, these words usually help indicate what kind of business you are.

RELATED: The Best Small Businesses to Start for Every Type of Motivation

Go for something over the top

This all depends on your industry, brand, and personality. For example, using slang or movie titles isn’t going to fly for an insurance company, law firm, or consulting business.

funny business name ideas: indiana bones temple of groom

Can you even?

Smart business name ideas

These business names may not be as catchy or creative, but they contain words that are meant to reflect the value proposition or core values of the company . Keep in mind though, that this can put your business under extra scrutiny.

Reflect your core values

This could be a good way to keep your core values at the forefront of your employees’ minds. But again, they’ll also be at the forefront of your customers’ minds too—which can raise expectations. Not saying you can’t meet them—but no business can please everyone.

Persistence and stick-to-itness go hand-in-hand with education and career success. ( Image source )

Indicate your value proposition

Similarly, you could go with a name that highlights an element of your value proposition . Just remember that unfortunately, there are people out there just waiting to find a reason to to complain. The second someone has a hard time at your EZ Eyecare business, you’ll be sure to hear it from them.

unique business name ideas five star senior living

Right idea, brave move . (Image source)

Small business name ideas

Most business name ideas can work for any size business, but here are some suggestions geared specifically for small businesses.

Use “people” words

While larger businesses and corporations might end their business name with their product/service (Apex Technologies) or a word with a large connotation (“group,” “corp,” etc.), small businesses can go with more personable “people” words. These often represent the founders or owners of the business.

small business name ideas: the wine guys

The Wine “Company” just wouldn’t have that same small business feel. Image source

Try other languages or synonyms

One way to add a little creativity is to use a family pronoun in another language (if that language is relevant to you personally or your business). You can also use synonyms.

Aegis is another word for the protection, backing, or support of a person or organization. (Image source)

Go for small words

Embrace the smallness of your business! Use words to emphasize small things, or better yet, small things with big power.

small business name ideas: tiny rebellion

Make it known that you’re a small business with big impact. ( Image source)

Add local language

Local businesses tend to be more authentic and personable, and consumers are generally inclined to support them. Feel free to amp up your business appeal by using local language in your business name.

Bonus: 149 is this restaurant’s street address number. ( Image source)

Now we’re going to head into some company names for specific industries, including marketing, media, consulting, technologies, and security.

Marketing company names

Marketing company names tend to contain words associated with growth, visibility, and attention.

Empiric means verifiable through observation. (Image source)

Media company names

I learned upon writing this post that media company names are the most eclectic ones out there. There isn’t really a common theme other than the fact that they’re all kinda quirky and fun.

Because media company.

Consulting company names

Consulting company names tend to contain words associated with foundation, authority, collaboration, impact, achievement, and reward.

consulting business name ideas: incrementa unconsulting

Incrementa uses “unconsulting” as a term to indicate that the client is the real hero. (Image source)

Technologies company names

Technology company names contain words associated with intelligence, forward thinking, agility, the ether (air and space), and connectivity.

technologies business name ideas: quisitive

After all, as Francis Kingdom Ward puts it, “Questions are creative acts of intelligence.” (Image source)

A plexus is a network of nerves and vessels in the body. (Image source)

Security company names

Security company names use words associated with vision, strength, speed, readiness, and instinct.

Doesn’t get much stronger’nat. (Image source)

security company names: scorpion protection

A venomous sting operation? I’ll take it. (Image source)

Super catchy, rhymes, and uses alliteration! (Image source)

And remember, as mentioned above, these are real business names, so stay away from infringement by checking your business name idea with the US Trademark Checker as well as entity name availablity in your state.

Have any cool business names to add to this list for inspiration? Let us know in the comments!

Meet The Author

Kristen mccormick.

Kristen is the Senior Managing Editor at WordStream, where she helps businesses to make sense of their online marketing and advertising. She specializes in SEO and copywriting and finds life to be exponentially more delightful on a bicycle.

See other posts by Kristen McCormick

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How to Name Your Business

Last Updated: June 30, 2021 Approved

This article was co-authored by Sarah Harkleroad . Sarah Harkleroad is a Marketing & Branding Expert and a Co-Founder and Brand Manager at Daor Design. With over 15 years of experience, she specializes in brand strategy, logo design, website design, and marketing for small businesses. Sarah holds a BA in Graphic Design, a BA in Fine & Studio Arts, and a Minor in Business Administration & Management - all from Cedarville University. To date, she and her team at Daor Design have helped over 450 small businesses across the country build their brands. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 152,820 times.

Choosing the name of your business can have a big impact on its success. When choosing your name, you should pick something that stands out to your customers while representing the unique qualities of your business. So how do you pick a name that captures the essence of your business while captivating your customers? Read on to find out.

Brainstorming

Once you have a firm sense of what your business will be like and what it will do, you'll be better able to find the perfect word or phrase to define it.

Get creative. You can make up a name, like "Acura," that captures the essence of your product without being a real word.

Watch out for names that limit the potential scope of your current and future business. If you call your coffee shop, "Mary's Coffee Shack," you may limit it to selling other items.

You should also ask a professional agency to make sure that the name is not taken.

Just make sure that you're testing the names on people who might actually make up your customer base. Different names resonate with different types of people.

Community Q&A

About This Article

To name your business, try brainstorming 10 adjectives that describe your business and 10 things that will make it stand out. Then, use your list to come up with a great name! You can also look in dictionaries, books, magazines, and catalogues to find words or phrases that capture your sense of your business. As you start generating ideas, challenge yourself to come up with 100 names. Then, eliminate the ones that are too complicated. When you limit your list to 5 names, say them out loud, search them on the internet, and try them out with friends to see if one fits. To learn how to find out if a potential name is trademarked, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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LLC name with or without comma?

By Matt Horwitz

Updated September 5, 2022

Need to save time?

Hire a company to form your LLC: Northwest ($39 + state fee) LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)

Your LLC’s Legal Name

Banking & Checks for Your LLC

Should you put a comma in your LLC name or leave it out? It’s personal preference. Both are acceptable in all 50 states.

None of the 50 states have rules/restrictions about whether or not you have to use a comma.

Which do you think looks better?

ABC Widgets, LLC or ABC Widgets LLC ?

Again, it’s totally up to you.

Need to save time? Hire a company to form your LLC: Northwest ($39 + state fee) or LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)

(check out Northwest vs LegalZoom )

The more traditional and commonly seen is the comma (ABC Widgets, LLC). And by more commonly seen, I mean with-the-comma LLCs encompass over 80% of registered LLCs in most states.

I’ve seen countless arguments for both cases.

An Illinois tax professional mentioned, “Your LLC’s name looks better with the comma.”

Then I heard another expert say, “The more contemporary way is to not use a comma.”

Ahhh man, who cares. Do whatever the hell you want! ;-)

One thing to make note of though…

Whether you use a comma or not in your LLC name, it doesn’t matter.

What does matter though is that you stay consistent. If you choose a comma, then make sure to use it on all paperwork and contracts for your business.

The way in which your Secretary of State accepts/approves the LLC becomes its official legal name and you’ll need to stick with it.

Banking & Checks for Your LLC

As an FYI, if your company (ABC Widgets, LLC) gets checks, the bank will accept all iterations:

The bank is more laid back. They just want that money ;)

For more information on what makes an LLC name unique and distinguishable: Choosing your LLC name .

22 comments on “LLC name with or without comma?”

Disclaimer: Nothing on this page shall be interpreted as legal or tax advice. Rules and regulations vary by location. They also change over time and are specific to your situation. Furthermore, this comment section is provided so people can share their thoughts and experience. Please consult a licensed professional if you have legal or tax questions.

I have a A question relating to this thread…on documents/contracts when the company’s name is repeated multiple times…can I type LLC in a smaller font?

Hi Taryn, I apologize for our slow reply. Yes, you can do that. We recommend making sure it’s not obfuscated or hard to see though.

Hi Matt, My LLC was formed in all capitals when filing in Delaware due to normalization, I would like to do business with the first letters of each word capitalized e.g. CompanyName LLC and not COMPANYNAME LLC. Do I need a DBA for this or is capitalization irrelevant as long as I am consistent? Thank you.

Hi Steven, no, you don’t need a DBA for this. You can use your LLC name as Company Name LLC or COMPANY NAME LLC. Hope that helps :)

Thank you Matt!

I know you don’t control Northwest but just so you know they are committing something close to fraud they claim a fee plus the state fee $39 plus the state fee but when Calif site the fee is $70 plus $39 would be $109 Northwest is adding in an additional fee of $20 claiming its a state fee making the total $129. Since I am an Inventright student I think I will tell my fellow students to check with the state first

Hi Eugene, we’ve been in touch with Northwest for an explanation. We’ll follow up here as soon as we hear back.

Hi Eugene, we’ve spoken with Northwest Registered Agent. The extra $20 is for the California LLC Statement of Information . Northwest files this for you if you hire them. The first LLC Statement of Information is due within 90 days of the LLC being approved. They are due every 2 years after that. Hope that helps :)

When documenting a loan should we use the entity name filed with the SOS or the Operating Agreement? For Example Business Registry and Articles of Organization shows ABC LLC (no comma) however Operating Agreement shows ABC, LLC (with comma). Thank you

Hi WD, it’s usually immaterial, however, the Articles of Organization is technically more accurate. Hope that helps.

Hi..I recently found out there is another company with my company’s exact name..what should I do about it.?

Hi Bernard, is the company located in the same state as your LLC? Is your LLC already formed? Feel free to provide more details if you’d like. Thanks.

When I file my LLC in my state does that mean people in other states can’t use the same LLC as me too? Or does it only apply to my state?

Hi Chris, it only applies to the state where you are forming your LLC. If you want national protection on your business’s brand name, that would be a federal trademark or a federal service mark. Hope that helps.

Can you use a web address with the dots as an LLC name? For example: pickleballdepot.us, LLC?

Hi Javier, yes, you can use periods and commas in an LLC name (including web addresses) when filing with the state. Just a heads up though, the the IRS doesn’t allow periods when granting an EIN Number for your LLC . You’ll need to enter the name as “pickleballdepot dot us LLC” for the IRS. Also notice there is no comma in that name. The IRS strips out commas to “normalize” their data. However, this doesn’t affect the LLC’s legal name as you filed it with the state (and how you’d use it in business). Hope that helps.

Hello, suppose I have a company with (name). Keeping mind of the period and another company opens and files for the same name without a period, will they be allowed because there’s does not have a period like mine? Thank you.

Hi Tim, the state will consider that LLC name not distinguishable and they will reject the filing. Check out our LLC filing instructions page and select your state. Then click on the “Name Search” lesson to learn more about LLC names and distinguishability. Hope that helps!

Regarding consistency with the name and “comma’s”, does the LLC need to be included in the logo and letterhead? For instance, if I want to market the business, do I need to include the LLC in the logo? What about website, etc? Does that fall under “consistency”? Thank you.

Hi Monica, you don’t have to place “LLC” in the logo. Most logos don’t include corporate designators, however, on the website, yes; you’d want to let people know the site it owned by your LLC. Hope that helps.

Hi. We are primarily forming an LLC for asset protection as we start our RE Investing business however our current home is under our name. Would we be able to protect that asset if we obtain a Trust rather than or if we are unable to transfer title to our LLC?

Hi Mia, a Trust does not offer personal liability protection. Instead, it can offer privacy and is beneficial for probate and inheritance tax reasons.

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What's the proper style to write a company's name followed by Inc?

Facebook, Inc. Google Inc. Twitter, Inc. Apple Inc.

This is what I read on Wikipedia about Facebook , Google , Twitter and Apple . Note that the first and third has comma before Inc. . The second and fourth has no comma again.

The question -

Which one is the correct style to write a company's name followed by Inc.? Is comma necessary to put after company's name and before Inc. ?

I think there should be a strict rule as it deals with company's registration where punctuation marks do play an essential role.

Can a check put in the name of Twitter, Inc. get declined if it's registered as Twitter Inc.

Your view please.

abbreviations

A name is simply whatever it is. Some names have "the", some don't. Some names have commas, some don't. Some names have odd capitalization, some don't. Oddly, Facebook sometimes uses a comma and sometimes doesn't , so they may not have actually decided what their name is.

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Business Name Ideas for Freelance Writers

You’re there –

You’ve decided to start a freelance writing business, and it’s for real.

This is it!

Business Name Ideas for Freelance Writers

Okay, but right after that thrilling and decisive moment, a new thought might pop up. What do I name my business?

Finding business name ideas is a challenge for many new freelance writers.

You might have the perfect name, only to find out that it’s already taken. Bummer!

A big chunk of the emails I receive is about finding the right business name idea. I hear from new writers that it has to be a catchy business name or a strong name.

You want your name to reflect who you are and what you do, but at the same time not niche you down should you decide to diversify your income and try something new.

I get it! My idea for a business name was Innovative Ink.

Looking back, I actually think this was the wrong move (and I’ll tell you why I think that in a bit). I think that is partly why a year later I moved my blog to here – Elna Cain.

I wanted to try again…

I was new, and I wanted to find that name that encompassed my entire business. So, how do you come up with the right name for your freelance writing service?

Get My Free Course on Getting Paid to Write Online

This name is not only your website name (the URL you type in the browser), but this name will be used in your invoices, on business cards, and your freelance proposals.

So, you have to get it right the first time – but really, you don’t have to have it perfect (like me), and in the end, it really has to do with your ability to market yourself most effectively to land clients, than anything else!

How I Came Up With My Catchy Business Name

I was in the middle of changing my twins after feeding them lunch when I firmly decided I wanted to work at home.

While I loved playing with my twins every day – all day – there’s only so much baa-baa black sheep I could take! I needed to nurture my creativity and to clean up spilled milk wasn’t cutting it for me.

And the thought of staying home and finding a way to make money was born.

I soon learned I wanted to focus on writing or blogging. I love writing, and even though I’m not the best writer, I felt I could make a go out of being a freelance writer.

The next step I did was come up with my wonderful business name – Innovative Ink.

I was trying for those catchy business name ideas (can you tell?)!

I like alliteration so once I landed on Innovative , Ink naturally followed. It was perfect!

Innovative – new – modern – fresh! That’s what I can do!

Ink – writing – writer! That’s me!

My business name was born. Little did I know at that time this business name wasn’t the best for me.

5 Things Your Business Name Needs

I’m no business expert here! I’m a mom to twins who decided to stay home and become a freelance writer 🙂

These suggestions are only that – guidelines to help you find the right name for your freelance writing business. They are not set in stone.

1. Use a Simple and Short Name

Whether you’re a blogger or virtual assistant or freelance writer, when you start an online business, your name needs to be:

That’s the perfect recipe for a business name or blog name! So a name like: kaicanwritealldayandallnight.com doesn’t fit that bill!

But the name: kaicanwrite.com does!

This is where you don’t want to have a catchy business name idea as I did. I have alliteration thinking that was catchy. Other writers may use play-on words like rightwriter.com

As I stated, this is just my personal opinion, but using these catchy elements in a business name isn’t going to help you land more freelance writing work. Businesses that hire writers deal with a lot of people.

They may have a social media marketer, content marketer, sales funnel adviser, Facebook ads manager etc… This business owner has to remember all of these people’s names and business names.

So, making your business name simple and easy to say and spell, will help you stick in the brain of prospects.

2. Use an Identifier in Your Name

One thing that I think can help grow your business is if you use an identifier in your business name. For us, it’s typically freelance writer, writer, freelancing, etc.

When you include that in your business name and domain name, prospects immediately know who you are and what you do.

And doing this can help with increasing your visibility in search results when prospects are Googling for a freelance writer. But make sure not to limit yourself by adding a location as an identifier for your business name.

The fact that we are online freelance writers means we can market ourselves to everyone around the globe!

So, having a business name idea like HoustonFreelanceWriter.com might end up limiting you to just work locally, not globally.

This can also apply to your domain name. I teach in my freelance writing course to try to grab a .com domain address rather than a country-specific or other lesser known domain name like .xyz

I didn’t know this at the time and registered for a .ca domain for Innovative Ink (another reason why I moved my blog to ElnaCain .com ). While this hasn’t hurt me with finding clients from all over the world, I feel it may have hindered some prospects in hiring me.

Finally, when figuring out your business name, you don’t want that identifier to be too specific. For example, PressReleaseWriting.com. While you may enjoy writing only press releases, you never know what the future holds.

Your business can evolve to include white paper writing, case studies and interviews, blog writing and more. So limiting yourself to the type of writing you do, may backfire over time.

3. Be Less Generic, More Memorable

Look – you’ll have many business name ideas to choose from! Make it easy to spell with an identifier and be memorable!

Remember though, new freelance writers are popping up every day. So, it’s in the best interest for you, to make your freelance writing business name stand out and memorable.

I’m pretty sure the common phrases and identifiers with writing have already been done:

Try to avoid using these words (I didn’t follow this advice!) and find identifiers that are fresher and not as generic. While I do like the idea of having “writing” or “writer” in your business name, I don’t consider this generic if you add more descriptive words to your business name.

4. Consider Using Your Name

If your name is easy to spell and is available as a domain name, why not use your name for your freelance writing business? (Again, yet another reason why I started a new blog – ElnaCain.com).

Branding your name is a great option if:

I personally love the idea of using your name as the brand for your business. People remember names much easier than a business name like Innovative Ink!

5. Check Social Media

One of the things you want to consider before solidifying your business name is if the social media profiles are available. This is something I didn’t do and have different profile names for social media.

If possible, see if you can grab a Facebook page, Twitter account, and LinkedIn account in your business name. This will make marketing your business much easier in the long run!

The Reason Why I Don’t Like My Business Name

My business name is Innovative Ink and I really thought this was the perfect name for my freelance writing business.

And, really, it hasn’t hurt me make money as a writer ! But, here’s the thing – I personally feel that Innovative Ink is too vague and almost reads like it’s a content agency.

And I do know that some new freelance writers want to brand themselves as a collective “we” or agency when they really are just one person.

From the years of doing business, the thing to remember is that brands and businesses want to hire people, not agencies . So, I feel that when a cold prospect sees my business name, they may think I’m an agency, which I’m not.

And then there is the referral business.

Let’s say a client of yours has a business friend that knows you hire writers. They ask, “Who wrote this post on Facebook ads?” The client says your name – Elna Cain.

That business friend may then go to Google and Google your name. And if you branded yourself as the SpunkyCopywriter.com that prospect may never find you!

When Googling my name, my business name is #6! But luckily I have this blog, and my social media profiles use my name too! I have branded my name with freelance writing and blogging.

So, if a prospect Google’s my name, it’s apparent I’m a freelance writer for hire!

Business Name Ideas For New Writers

Okay. So considering some qualities to picking that right name for your freelance writing business, let’s go through the process of creating a list of business name ideas and narrowing that down.

1. Create a List of Potential Names for Your Business

In the beginning, keep a list of possible business names. When I started, I had a notebook and jotted down words I liked:

I would play around with these words and make word combinations and let them sit. I wanted to see if I connected with these names.

2. Run a Quick Check to See if Available

You can just check on Google if your business name is available as a .com. You can also do this step when you are starting your business blog .

I also suggest you do this pretty soon to registering your domain name (as your business name). Every day new sites are born, and your name may be there today and gone tomorrow!

If you run into this problem, you can add an identifier like, “the, hub, biz, etc.”

3. Use a Business Name Generator

Sometimes using a tool like a business name generator or blog name generator can help you figure out that right name for your service. Here are my top picks.

Bust a Name

Bust A Name gives you more filters to find your perfect freelance writing business name. You can check to see if the domain is available, which comes in handy when the name you want is already taken!

This tool also lets you use a list of descriptive words to generate more business name ideas for you.

Business Name Generator From Shopify

The Shopify Business Name Generator is straight-forward. You simply plug in a descriptive word or two and out comes ideas to jumpstart your process.

I like this tool over others since it’s clean and streamlined. Also, the names suggested aren’t that bad!

Business Name Generator

Business Name Generator gives you thousands of name ideas for your freelance writing business. You may want to start here before using another name tool.

In any event, using these tools to find a business name can inspire you to find your perfect business name!

4. Get Feedback

Once you have narrowed down your list of potential business names, go ahead and share this with friends and family.

They may offer some advice or spur more ideas to help you fine-tune your business name.

You can also head into Facebook and ask what others feel about your name either by creating a poll or just asking!

5. Register Your Domain Name

Once you figured out the perfect name for your freelance writing service and even checked to see if it’s available, now you can register that as a domain name.

Ideally, you want your business name also to be your domain name for cohesiveness and brand building, so don’t leave registering your domain to the last minute!

When starting your website with Bluehost , you’ll be prompted to enter your chosen domain name:

And, there you go! You officially have a business name for your freelance writing!

Questions About Your Freelance Writing Business Name

You might have specific questions about your business name. Here are the most popular.

1. Use Your Maiden Name or Your Married Name?

What happens when you’re getting married in the future, but you want to start freelance writing now? Should you begin under your maiden name and then switch?

Or just use your married name?

Most writers in my freelance writing course agree to market yourself with your married name.

Yes, this happened to me! When I built my website in the beginning I used my married name as my freelance persona. (Even though I wasn’t getting married until November.) It was a bit of a pain, but worth it since now I’ve already established myself with my married name.

If you decide to brand your name, brand your married name to make the transition easier!