When starting a business, you must concentrate on getting essential elements such as a good understanding of the niche you are going into, a business strategy that works, giving your business a great location, appealing layout design, and perhaps most importantly, finding the brand strategy that works best with your business and target audience. 

Your customers want to know that the product and services they are about to pay for are as good as they expect. This assurance is what draws customers to your business, and giving your business a catchy name is an excellent way to trigger positive emotions and expectations.

And while there are numerous approaches any entrepreneur could take to choose a decent name for a company or product, the naming problems they encounter and that we’ve observed all follow a similar pattern.

And if you’re in search of a good brand name, knowing these naming errors would help you better avoid them.

Let’s look at some of these common damaging mistakes.

1. Names That Are Unclear or Easily Confused for Something Else

Businesses that share similar social, cultural, health, and environmental views with their core clients are certainly going to see increased sales. It is commonly known that the average customer cares deeply about these sensitive problems and is more inclined to support a company that does as well.

If your company decides to focus on these issues, whether through messaging, branding or advertisements like Gillette did, you’ll ultimately end up excluding a sizable portion of your customers because individuals who don’t agree with the causes you promote are always less motivated to purchase your goods or use your services.

Recently, when some Starbucks locations chose to go cashless, they were threatened with boycotts. And this reaction erupted because the majority of Starbucks consumers disagreed with the cashless policy. 

Recognize that the greatest way to represent and shape customers’ perception of your company is by using a catchy name. So, it makes sense for your clients to shun your brand and think poorly of your business if its name is unpleasant and repulsive. Not a lot of customers would want to eat in a restaurant called Hitler’s Chicken.

2. Brand Names That are Extremely Long

Avoid names that are extremely long and confusing if you’re starting a business since these words are needlessly tough for consumers to pronounce or recall when searching online.

Top companies like Walmart, Apple, Tesla, and Burger King have short, catchy names. The reason for this is that short, simple names usually catch your clients’ attention better than long, difficult ones.

Many of your consumers will struggle to remember your company’s name, much less recommend it to their friends and family, if you fail to come up with interesting business name ideas that are short and memorable. If you must use a lengthy name, try abbreviating it, as MAC and IBM have done.

Now, because 80% of buyers forget about branded goods after three days, it should be your top responsibility to come up with a snappy, distinctive, and memorable name for your business. 

Remember that your brand name needs to be memorable, sound appealing when spoken out loud, and simple to say in order for customers to recall it quickly. Even the most complex name cannot equal the welcoming aura produced by using a simple and wonderful name.

Unfortunately, many firms have ignored the value of choosing a catchy company name, failing to realize how brands like Google, Apple, and Amazon successfully positioned themselves in the minds of consumers using their appealing and memorable business names.

For example, the move that sparked the growth of Instagram was its rebranding from Burbn, which is obviously a weaker name than Instagram.

That said, you need names that sound good and flow easily off the tongue if you want your brand name to linger in the minds of your customers. 

Even today, the majority of clients from all over the world have trouble pronouncing the names of certain well-known businesses like Brand like Volkswagen, pronounced ‘Vo-ks var-gun,’ Huawei, pronounced ‘wah-way,’ Chevrolet, pronounced ‘shev-ro-lay’, and Hermes, pronounced ‘air-mez’ are just a few examples of business names that are difficult for most customers to pronounce correctly.

Never forget that the main purpose of naming your company is to come up with a name that people will instantly recognize. And choosing a name that is short, simple, and sweet is the best method to achieve this aim.

3. Names With Negative Translations

Having a well-known online presence for your business has the benefit of allowing customers from all over the world to interact with it. However, having a worldwide identity has its disadvantages as well. One of them is exposing your business name to people in different parts of the world that may find it offensive or unpleasant due to their different cultures and languages.

If your company’s name is unpleasant to them, potential customers will be hesitant to use your services. We saw this when Spanish-speaking clients rejected two well-known products, Mazda’s Laputa and Nokia’s Lumia because both of their names could be translated as “prostitute” in Spanish. And just like the Laputa and Lumia, not many English-speaking customers would be willing to try Pee Cola, a beloved soft drink in Ghana. 

Sadly, many companies—both major brands and growing ones—make the mistake of not performing linguistic tests on their business name even when they’re aware of how fast information flows around the market. 

Other companies, such as Ford, were quick to recognize and fix the name of their popular car, the Pinto, when they noticed that customers in Brazil were rejecting the vehicle because its name  was a slang word in Brazil for the ‘male parts.’

If a company wants to find the ideal business name and premium domain name, it shouldn’t limit its linguistic inquiry to just one language. Ensure that you only select a brand name after carefully researching the most popular languages in both the market you’re seeking to target and the most commonly spoken languages around the globe. 

By taking this route, you can make sure that your selected name will be appreciated by clients all across the world.

4. Deciding on a Business Name Based on Your Emotions

We’ve all felt the emotional investment that comes with creating anything, whether it’s an idea, an item, or a service. 

And, just like every parent takes particular care to pick the best name for their child, you invest your energy, time, and resources to develop an appealing business name that will give your startup the best advantage of market success.

However, don’t let emotions affect your judgment call. Choosing a name based on your own personal tastes rather than what your clients want is a terrible mistake. A business name based solely on your feelings about it instead of proper research will restrict the growth of your firm.

For instance, Backrub sounded like a wonderful business name to Larry Page and Sergey Brin. But considering how inadequately the word corresponds with their powerful search engine, it’s undeniable that Google was the superior choice.

And, just as Sergey and Larry chose the word “Google” because it fits their business objective, you should be sure to compare your chosen name with the ideals of your business as well as the preference of your target market. 

Your ultimate focus when naming should be on customers. So, test your name with a small portion of your audience, and if they like it, go forward with it. However, if they don’t like it, go back over and choose a name that they like.

The Effects of Choosing the Wrong Name

Since its early days, social media has been a game-changer for businesses. It doesn’t just aid in the growth of businesses by raising consumer awareness of their brands; it also enables customers to provide them with direct feedback.

A lousy brand name will hurt your reputation and trigger unfavorable reactions since branding is all about how your target market regards your business. 

Choosing the wrong name could lead to: 

• Primary stakeholders and investors pulling their support.
• Hiring top talent becomes increasingly challenging.
• Destruction of your brand identity and reputation.
• Market underperformance.
• Protests and boycotts

One difficult aspect of branding is that mistakes—no matter how small—can quickly identify and characterize your entire organization to clients. As a result, when looking for the perfect name, every entrepreneur should make every possible effort to avoid the disastrous pitfalls listed above.

Prioritize Your Customers

This could sound obvious, but many business owners become so focused on the profit of their company that they lose sight of the reality that their primary aim is to serve their target market. As a result, your business must make every effort to prioritize your customers’ wants and preferences. 

Customers quickly lose interest in firms that emphasize profitability over their needs since no one wants to do business with businesses that appear uninterested in developing innovative and creative answers to their demands.

Choosing a name that has been thoroughly researched, has good connotations in your major languages, and is easy to speak and find online is the ideal way to position your brand. Moreover, it can save you from having to rebrand your company after a few years.

Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.