How do you come up with a striking store name?

The elements of a good store name

Choosing the right name is crucial to the success of your entrepreneurial adventure. allow your prospects and customers to identify you . A store name is meant to last forever. Of course, it is possible to change it, but this is very costly.

Right from the start so choose wisely . Here are the characteristics of a relevant store name :

It's easy to remember and pronounce

A good store name must be memorable, easy to read and pronounce . It should therefore not be long, with a maximum of 2 syllables. Some opt for bilingual names, others for linguistically neutral names.

To be easy to remember You can also play with phonetics. . It must be pleasant to hear and pronounce. . Take Ikea, for example. It's a name that's easy to remember and phonetically pleasant to pronounce.

It is relevant to your target market

It's all very well to find a name that's fun, captivating, original and memorable. . However, it must be consistent with your business sector. . It's a name that conveys the promise of the boutique.

A good example is Bon Bon Bon. The name itself says it all. It's a store that sells candy and sweets that promise to be good.

It's nique and distinctive

The more original and unique a brand name is, the more it can capture the attention and stay in the memory of prospects . So avoid generalized or clichéd names that have already been used and reused excessively.

Take a leaf out of Etsy's book. It's a word that's meaningless in common parlance, but captivating in its originality. It's also phonetically amusing. So Etsy has all the makings of a good store name.

3 steps to finding a store name

Now that you know more about the characteristics of a good store name, you can get to the heart of the matter: the actual creation. Here are the 3 steps to follow:

Brainstorming

Set up a list of words and expressions that relate to your business sector or the identity you want to give your brand. Be creative, but keep it simple.

There are several tools at your fingertips to help you do just that:

• Dictionary

• Name generators

• Etc.

Then, little by little, start eliminating the words or phrases that seem less relevant.Remember the characteristics of a good store name. The name you ultimately choose must meet all the conditions: easy to pronounce and remember . Forget complicated words that are difficult to spell. short names that your prospects can easily type into Google.

You should also evocative names Take Burger King, for example. The name immediately evokes what the company sells.

Use an online name generator

Not everyone can be creative. It can be hard to come up with a store name that ticks all the boxes on our checklist. Fortunately, it is, a company name generator can help you find the perfect store name .

All you have to do is enter a keyword and the tool automatically generates a list of names suited to your business sector. You can then choose from the tool's suggestions.

Check name availability (domain and social networks)

Your store name must be unique so that your potential customers can easily find you . Each company must benefit from precise and specific identification on the Internet. To avoid any confusion, check that the name you are about to choose is available You must check if the domain name is available. And don't forget to browse the social networks. When you create a page, the platform will alert you if the username is already in use.

If the name is available, remember to reserve it quickly, before another company gets hold of it.

Tools and resources to help you

These days, webpreneurs have a wide range of tools at their disposal to help them with the various aspects of their business. When you're at the stage of creating a store name, here are the tools you can use:

Store name generators

There are many store name generators on the market. Here are 5 of the most popular:

• Shopify . Known as a star platform for e-commerce site creation, Shopify also offers a store name generation function. Simply enter an adjective that you feel best defines your brand identity. The tool then generates over 100 names including this adjective.

• Business Name Generator . Bilingual, this tool allows you to generate the ideal business name using filters by products offered, type of service or industry. As an added bonus, the tool also lets you check if a domain name is available.

• GoDaddy . It is first and foremost a platform dedicated to the reservation and management of domain names. Alongside this main service, GoDaddy also offers a business name generator function. The way it works remains the same: you type in your keywords and the tool generates results. With GoDaddy, you can also find out how much it would cost to buy your domain name.

• WordPress . This CMS needs no introduction. The platform also offers a business name generator interface.

• Generateur.name . This is one of the most popular domain name generators among French entrepreneurs. It generates results from the root of a name you choose.

Domain verification tools

As we've seen, once you've selected a store name, you need to check that the domain name is available When the name generator you've chosen doesn't come with a domain verification feature, you'll need to find a separate one.

This process is fundamental because a domain name must be unique . A domain checker verifies that the chosen domain name is available for purchase.

How do they work? All existing domain names are stored in databases, which are queried by the domain name checker when a user types in the desired domain name. If the name has already been , tools offer alternatives with different options.

Domain name verification tools generally do more than just check the availability of domain names; they also provide information such as :

• Price list

• Call options

• Other domain name alternatives

Some tools even offer web hosting or privacy protection.

Here are 3 of the most popular domain name checkers:

• The Ex2 domain name checker. Ex2 is first and foremost a web host, as well as a domain name generator.

• Hostinger . In addition to simple domain name verification, Hostinger can also offer alternative domains and a hosting service.

• Nom-domaine.fr . This tool checks the availability of your domain name and suggests alternatives when the name is taken.

Testing and feedback with your target audience (if you have one)

Once you have selected a domain name you can test it out and see what your potential customers think. . It's also an effective way of seeing whether the name you've chosen is the right one, or whether you need to keep looking.

Pitfalls to avoid when choosing a name

Here are the pitfalls to avoid if you want your store name to be relevant:

A name that's too complicated or difficult to spell

Your customers should be able to easily so that they can recommend it to their friends and acquaintances .

On the other hand, when your store name is easy to remember , the user will have no trouble typing it in on Google.

Inappropriate cultural or linguistic connotations

A domain name with a cultural or linguistic connotation can certainly appeal to a determined community . However, the rest might feel left out.

So, if you want to keep all your customers interested, choose a neutral domain name.

Ignore trademarks and domain availability

Using a domain name that has already been registered with INPI exposes you to legal sanctions. 3 years' imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 euros.

Domain name verification is therefore not to be neglected.

How Hero helps you with your business once you've found the right name

Once your domain name has been created, your store can be launched. You can finance your first expenses using Hero credit card.

With its deferred payment function, it lets you get started without a large start-up capital. That's right Hero can provide cash advances for your payments . You can then repay after 60 to 90 days .

Our tips for maximizing the impact of your store name

Follow our top tips to maximize the impact of your store name:

Apply effective branding strategies

The store name must be part of a more global branding strategy, to ensure the coherence of all the company's marketing actions.

Here's how to define an effective branding strategy:

• Get to know your target audience and identify their needs.

• Develop your visual identity to stand out from the competition

• Define communication actions adapted to your target audience

• Take customer feedback into account to continuously improve and adapt your branding

• Developing a presence on social networks to build close relationships with your customers

• Rely on a blog to optimize your store's search engine positioning.

• Earning customer trust through transparent communication . A captivating name is not enough to build customer loyalty. You also need to cultivate credibility by delivering on the promises of your offer.

Promotion on social networks

No company today can do without a presence on social networks. They are excellent tools for develop brand awareness, promote products and acquire new customers.

It's all about choosing the right platforms for your target audience, and creating impactful content that's adapted to the specificities of each platform.

SEO optimization

Search engine optimization is the lifeblood of digital marketing . The a set of techniques designed to optimize the positioning of a website on search engines . This is also known as natural referencing, as opposed to SEA, which refers to paid advertising.

SEO is free A well-executed SEO campaign can potentially lead to a top ranking on search engines.

So it's in a company's best interest to focus on SEO. Here's how:

• Producing quality content using relevant keywords adapted to your niche

• Add images

• Avoid duplicate content

• Optimize page load speed on your website

• Update your content

• Focus on the user experience .

In conclusion, find a store name memorable, original and consistent with your brand image is the fruit of a great deal of thought. It's the beginning of a whole series of marketing strategies designed to propel your online store to the top of the search results. Launch your online store with Hero for an even more successful start.