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The name you decide to give your shiny new startup could make or mar your chances of success. Here are 3 things you need to consider when choosing an appropriate name for your online business
For the love of SEO
Do not fall victim of underplaying the importance of SEO when naming your online business. It is very important that you have a name that is unique so that when prospective users Google your startup name, you are more likely to be on top of the search results.
Case in point: Konga and Jumia
Is it spelt exactly as it is pronounced?
You also want to give users a name they can easily remember. A good way to test this: if you told someone over the phone, for the first time, could they Google it on their own and find it? If yes, then you've succeeded in choosing a name that is easy to pronounce, understand and spell. You want to avoid smart-ass names like "Gaol" (pronounced "Jail").
Case in point: iROKO TV and Wakanow
Consider URLs
URLs are something you also have to put into consideration when naming your startup. You want to avoid names that could have multiple spellings. You also want to avoid names that could produce easily misconstrued URLs.
Cases in point: "Campus Shuttle" becoming campusshuttle.com and "Mole Station Nursery" becoming molestationnusery.com
"Campus Shuttle" may be perfectly okay name to give an offline business. But once that business goes online it becomes campusshuttle.com. There at least 4 ways prospective users are bound to mispell this - campushuttle.com, campusshutle.com, campusshutle.com and campus-shuttle.com (it's possible).
Written by Omoruyi Edoigiawerie, a seasoned startup attorney with over a decade of experience. Learn more.
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Also, notice how a perfectly harmless name like "Mole Station Nursery" can be misconstrued as Molestation Nursery once it goes online?
What you do you think? Do you have any other great tips for choosing startup names? Please drop a comment below.
