Your tech startup needs a name that’s as innovating and exciting as your ideas. You’re creating products that make the world a better place, allowing people to connect to community and services more easily, and so your name can’t be an afterthought. It needs to capture the very essence of your ambitious goals.
That’s a lot to ask from a name, but thankfully NameStormers is here for help with expert tips for finding your tech company name. Follow these essential steps if you want to search for the right technology business names and take your brand in the right direction.
Don’t Get Your Heart Set on Three or Four Letters
Many tech startups want a company name that’s short, snappy, cool, and memorable, but this becomes more of a challenge every single day. Most three and four-letter words, even made-up ones, are trademarked. The shorter you go, the more likely it is that the name will already be taken. The technology naming process requires you to be open-minded and willing to be flexible, rather than getting stuck on the first thing that you like the sound of.
Years ago, tech company Nvidia needed a name for a new high performance line of processors. They liked the name “Neo,” but even then, those short names were getting snatched up quickly, and Neo wasn’t available. So NameStormers came up with the name Tegra, which was succinct and intriguing, and also brought to mind words like “integrity” and “integral.” Tegra is still in use for Nvidia products to this day.
That’s why it’s important to work with an experienced naming company like NameStormers instead of relying on a generator, which might get you hooked on a short name that won’t pass muster. A generator might be able to give you random ideas but a creative team with experience can come up with company name ideas that actually say something about your company and its values.
Work with Multiple Ideas
If naming a technology brand was easy, you could simply pick one name and be good to go. But it’s very unlikely that you will be able to settle on a single name right away. It makes much more sense to have multiple options that can be pored over, assessed, and tested. Creating a list of candidates should be one of the first things that happen, and from this point, you can start to narrow down which name could really work for your technology business.
Before just listing random names, it’s important to start from an informed place by knowing your target market and your competitors in the technology space. You can then start to create ideas that are on point and relevant so that you can name your brand.
Think Global
United States-based customers and investors might be your top priority, which makes sense for a fledgling technology company. Still, you want to choose a name that’s flexible and leaves room for expansion into international markets (see our thought process behind Cirrus Logic’s “Maverick”). You never know what opportunities might arise, and if you have a business name that limits your reach—or even worse, is offensive or silly in another language—it could cost you some of those opportunities.
You don’t have to look far to find examples of brands that have changed their company names to appeal to a global audience. Although rebranding later is an option, it’s much better to start off with a name for your tech brand that works in all of the markets that you want to take it to. For a tech company, it’s usually even more important to have a name that works everywhere. Various consumer brands have different names in different countries, such as Burger King and its Australian name Hungry Jacks or Lay’s being named Walkers in the UK. However, technology companies may not want to separate their sales in different markets in such a way. It would make much less sense for Google or Apple to have multiple names in different countries. Your software company should have a name that’s recognizable everywhere to help with brand name visibility and make marketing simpler.
For this reason, you may want to take advantage of NameStormers’ optional linguistic screening service. A name that works perfectly for English-speaking customers might not appeal to other demographics, which could make a global launch difficult. Anyone can do an easy online translation, but we dig deeper, looking at words that sound similar to the name in question as well as alternate spellings that an automatic translator wouldn’t catch. No name will be able to carry its meaning and significance into every language, but NameStormers can at least ensure that the name doesn’t raise any international eyebrows. Creating tech company names that can work around the world is challenging, so make sure you have an experienced team on your side.
Excitement Is Key
No company name should be boring, but if there’s any industry that demands an exciting name, it’s tech. Your name should feel revolutionary rather than static and uninspiring. Even some established tech companies have to learn this lesson through trial and error.
For example, technology company CABC came to NameStormers for help with a renaming project. The name failed to stick with customers in a meaningful way, so we came up with Ignite, which is much more dynamic and memorable. It also matches the brand personality more than the previous name, and lends itself to vibrant colors that have helped define further branding efforts.
Trying to choose exciting tech company name ideas without help can quickly end in frustration. You may struggle to think of anything that’s not too similar to an existing brand name and anything that you do consider can end up sounding either too dry or a bit out of touch. In your attempts to add excitement and relevance to your business names, you can do exactly the opposite.
When you work with NameStormers, you can ensure you get an eye grabbing name that embodies your technology company and appeals to your audience. Your tech company name is a huge part of your brand identity, and it needs to convey your brand personality while connecting with your potential customers.
Don’t Get Caught Out By Trademarks
The last thing you need is to spend months formulating technology company names and picking the right one, only to find that it’s not even available. You don’t want to get caught out by trademarks or either identical or similar names that will create market confusion. Making sure a name isn’t already in use is a vital part of the naming process and it takes thorough research to check that you’re in the clear.
Not only do you need to check that your business name ideas aren’t in use, but you also require a matching domain name for your website. Your domain will often be an exact match for your brand name but can also be another relevant word or phrase that is relevant for your brand. This might be something you think about when you name your tech company, especially if your company specializes in a specific niche. However, it might become more relevant when you have grown your brand recognition, rather than when you are first thinking of technology names.
NameStormers checks trademarks and domains by screening for those already in use. Naming businesses is already difficult without having to rename your brand after discovering your chosen name is taken. Let us help you with preliminary checks on all potential names.
Test Names in the Real World
It’s one thing to settle on a name that you want to use in theory, but it’s another to understand how that name will be perceived in reality. When you’re formulating name ideas for your business, it’s best not to wait until you launch your company to find out what people think of it. Thinking of catchy names in isolation won’t give you a clear idea of how they are going to be perceived.
Testing software business names is a vital part of your search for the perfect name. Whether you are looking for a name for a new business, renaming an existing technology business or even launching a related business that branches out from an existing one, gathering opinions and reactions is a must.
NameStormers uses a range of methods to find the right techy names for your technology company. We employ customer validation surveys, open-ended questions, memorability tests and implicit reaction studies to gather research on how technology and software names are perceived.
Want to Name a Technology Company? Work with NameStormers!
Some of these essential steps may seem easier said than done, and that’s true. Good technology names don’t arrive in a sudden moment of inspiration. Naming takes a little elbow grease and experience. Luckily, NameStormers is here to put our expertise to work for you. Our process is proven and thorough, and it takes all of the guesswork out of naming technology products, services and software.
If you’re ready to search for and find scintillating ideas to name a technology product or company, contact us today to find out more about our services.