Startups: How To Name Your Business

How Contract Web Development Got Its Name

Why did I choose the name "Contract Web Development"? I went back and forth for a long time between this name and many more creative possibilities (Wild Web Tamer anyone? Or Wild Web Wizard?

Creativity Pushed to Its Limits

The problem with the more creative names is that in the midst of the domain name market bubble we are experiencing (and yes, I do think it's a bubble

, the domain names currently still available in the web industry offer slim pickin's at best. But after considering who my audience is (my potential client base), I decided I had to make a choice between an ultra creative name and one that is as straightforward as it gets. As you can see I opted for the latter for the following reasons.

Creative Name - Pros and Cons

The advantages to a creative name are:

• It's catchy and can peak people's interest when they first hear it
• It can be easy to remember (as long as it's not too wacky)
• Both of the above support branding power

However, there are some disadvantages as well:

• It may be more difficult to discern from the name what the business is about (ie. Web Catcher or Web Spinner - are they about the WWW or about spiders and webs?)
• For branding power to be successful it needs to be supported by large budgets capable of promoting the brand
• SEO - MSN and Yahoo pay more attention to keywords in the domain name than does Google; a creative name will have less impact as the keywords don't literally reflect the content

Straightforward Name - Pros and Cons

Here are some advantages of a straightforward name:

• It speaks directly to what your business is and does
• Since it's direct and simply it can also be easy to remember
• It won't be confused with other names or functions
• It doesn't require a large budget to promote
• If the name is a keyphrase with high search popularity it can lead to direct traffic from MSN, Yahoo, and other search engines that take domain name keywords into account (Google does not emphasize domain name keywords).

The disadvantages to a straightforward name:

• The lack of creativity may bore some
• Your name may be more difficult to remember in the long run because of its generic properties
• High-powered branded names will be more recognizable than yours

The bottom line

From my experience working with companies that have names ranging from the ultra-creative (how about ElephantInTheRoom.com?) to ultra straightforward (ContractWebDevelopment.com), both can be very successful in the long run. People have asked me if it's a good idea to start out with a straightforward name and later change it to a creative one as branding budgets expand. My answer would be that this is usually not necessary, and the cost of rebranding your name may well outweigh the benefits reaped from the new, more creative name. Once people get to know you and your company the name will play less of a role. It's especially important in grabbing first-time customers. It's then up to you, not your business name, to turn them into repeat customers.

Post Your Name Ideas

Want some feedback on potential business names? Feel free to post them below and I'll give you my two cents, for what it's worth. Also post any questions or comments you may have.