Finding the right name for your business: How to name your business

Some companies owe their name to a dream of the founders, others are named after the great love of the founders. But not everyone is lucky enough to come up with the right name so quickly. So, we've put together a few tips that we hope will help you find the right name for your business. Because there are a few basic things to consider.

Why is the right company name so important?

From a psychological perspective, brand names elicit a stronger emotional response than other nouns. While we process most words in the right, rational hemisphere, brand names are processed in the left, emotional hemisphere. The effect is quite simple: we react emotionally to the names of our friends and family members, and the same happens with brand names. What do you think of when you hear "Coca-Cola"? To the summer? And what if we say "Tinder"? Probably a few good dates and maybe a few not so good dates. The thing is, we all associate brand names with feelings, images and ideas. And that's exactly why the choice of the company name is so incredibly important.

Choose a memorable name

It's not just pop songs and jingles that can become catchy tunes, really good brand names also make it so that you never forget them. Try to choose a name that is as short and self-explanatory as possible. Ask yourself whether any additions are necessary at all or whether you can omit them. Imagine if «Facebook» called itself «The Facebook» (which almost happened, by the way). The name sounds much better without the addition, doesn't it? So we learn: It is better to omit unnecessary filler words with good brand names.

At best, many people will say your brand name out loud once. In everyday life we constantly ask each other which dating app we use, which bank account our friends have, what the app is called that tells us which song is playing. And everyone knows the answer immediately because the name is on the tip of the tongue. So it's smart to also give some thought to how the name sounds pronounced. Tongue twisters and sequences of letters that sound foreign to your target group are therefore not suitable.

The name should match the goals

Many companies use metaphors in their names that convey the purpose of the company. Culture and history are a treasure trove of business name ideas. Think about your favorite books and movies, your favorite childhood fairy tales, historical events that have stuck in your mind since your school days. Did you know that Nike is the Greek goddess of victory?

Well, the company chose her name as a brand name and why is probably a quick guess. Nike had the vision to be worn by winners. And they chose a name that reflects that.

Check availability

Unfortunately, the most beautiful name is of no use if there are technical obstacles. Therefore, be sure to test whether the domain for your desired brand name is still available. It should also be checked whether the brand name is already being used by a provider from another country - this could lead to problems when advertising the site, because the competition may be much better positioned.

You should also note that the brand name can be used well for SEO. Before visitors get to your website, they will search for it. This process should go as smoothly as possible. Therefore, it is best to choose a company name with the following characteristics:

Short

Memorable

Use only letters and numbers (no special characters, hyphens or punctuation marks)

Unique (we don't want searchers to accidentally end up with the competition)

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Clarify legal issues

Before you decide on a name, you should definitely clarify the legal issues. This means you have to check whether there is already another company registered under this name or whether someone has already registered trademark rights for it. To be on the safe side, it should be checked by an expert in this field. You can also do some research yourself:

Enter the name in search engines

The trademark database (https://database.ipi.ch/database-client/search/query/chmarke ) contains information on active and deleted Swiss trademarks and applications

Internationally registered trademarks can be found at Madrid Monitor

Trademarks registered in the EU at TMview ‍

Companies registered in Switzerland with Zefix

You can find domain names at SWITCH

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