Say you've narrowed it down to three names with available domains. How do you choose without just asking friends which one they like? I've had a few decent suggestions from Nametastic and can compare the domain prices on Namecheap. What I'm less sure about is how to check whether the name makes sense to someone hearing it for the first time. Would you show people just the name and ask what they think the business does, or explain the idea first? Curious what has actually helped you decide
It's a much, much bigger question than that. Consider the demographics of your customer - socioeconomic, cultural, educational, even language. You can go highbrow and witty with one customer group but not with another. We worried that our family business name was a bit naff, but our customers love it. If we'd stuck with what we thought was cool, we might have alienated our customer base. A friend was marketing a new variety of apple into China; it took 6 weeks with translators to get the marketing key phrase sorted because what we say in NZ means something completely different there. Your business name will face the same scrutiny.
Definitely neutral and promising to be effective is name of human, animal, city, region or even planet. You can also invent some abbreviation or ask AI to mix letters randomly to get nice domain. It mustn't have any sense. It should be rather funny and kind.
I'd show people just the name with no context first, because that's how most customers will meet it. Ask two questions: "What do you think this business does?" and "How would you spell it?", then a day later ask if they can remember it. To test spelling properly, say the name out loud to someone and have them type it, since a name that gets misspelled or confused when heard will cost you word of mouth. Try to get answers from 10 or more people who match your actual customers rather than friends, and a cheap way to do that is a quick poll or survey in a group where your target audience hangs out. Whichever name is guessed most accurately and spelled right most often is usually the safer pick, even if it isn't everyone's favourite.
I'd separate 'can they remember it?' from 'can they guess the business category?' A distinctive name can fail the second test and still work well once a short tagline explains the offer. To make the test less leading, show each person just one of the three names with the same one-line description. Ask them to read it aloud, then type the name after you hide it. Record hesitations and misspellings rather than asking whether they like it. If everyone sees all three, rotate their order so the first one doesn't get a free advantage. Also check how the name looks in an email address and as a spoken domain. A clever pun that needs a five-minute explanation has quietly become a sales presentation.
Maybe so with some businesses, but most of us will discover a business from an ad or a personal recommendation. Later on, they'll be thinking "I need that widget, what was it called again?" and then the brand recognition follows. It might be that the name was catchy, relevant, or ridiculous. My favourite example was (decades ago) hearing about a last-minute hotel booking site. I spent half an hour searching for "what if" before giving up. It took months before I discovered "wotif".
I'd try putting each name on a sample invoice. Some names sound great until you picture sending one to a customer and asking them to pay you.
I'd do a quick "radio test": say each name out loud to a few strangers and ask them to write it down and tell you what they think the business does. If they misspell it or guess the wrong industry, that's a sign you'll be explaining it forever. Show the name alone first, and only then explain the idea, because the first reaction is the useful part. Also search each name plus a few variations to check for similar brands or awkward meanings before you pick.
I'd add one more real-world test to the ones already mentioned: use the name in a sentence the way someone would recommend you. For example, "I got it from [name]" or "Check out [name] for that." If people ask you to spell it, or they look unsure, that's useful information — even if the name passed the memory test. I also like asking people who don't know the business what they'd expect it to sell, and roughly what they'd expect to pay, just from the name. If their guess is a long way from what you actually do, the name might be working against you. And before you get attached to a favourite, do a quick check for the same name in use on social media and a basic trademark search — it's a lot easier to change your mind at this stage than after you've bought the domain and printed anything.