Finding the perfect name for your virtual assistant business isn’t easy. It has to be catchy, memorable, give a mental picture of what your brand is about and not be too lengthy. Now after all the stress you might find out the name is already taken.
Seriously, you may be overwhelmed by the process because you may think of something as weird as satanthedevil and you’d realize that it is taken!
Who would think of this? You might even question the privacy of your thoughts.
It is worse when you have a common name like ‘Rose’. Just think about it and it is taken. Even people with names like ‘Rose-jargon’ will stick with ‘Rose’ and I’m like what do you expect me that is simply ‘Rose’ to do?
Isn’t that covetous? If it isn’t, then I don’t know what is.
In this post, I will share some basic tips to consider when choosing a business name which would serve as a guide in your name search because not every name is right for your virtual assistant business.
Read Also: Use these steps to start your virtual assistant business
13 Tips To Consider When Choosing A Name For Your Virtual Assistant Business
1.) Use keywords
Using your keywords in your business name together with good content and other factors is a great idea. Bear in mind that finding a business name with your keyword is highly unlikely. Get creative. The simple formula is: Your keyword + complementary word= your business name.
For example, Virtual + Buddy = Virtual Buddy
Or Virtual Admin + Buddy = Virtual Admin Buddy
With a business name like virtual buddy, the first thing that comes to a visitor’s mind is that you are a virtual business. The visitor already knows what your business is about so it would help you attract your target audience (i.e people interested in a virtual service).
Adding your keyword to your business name is a very wise decision although this isn’t wise if you aren’t satisfied with your chosen niche and might change it in time.
2.) Consider future expansions
I knew pretty early that I didn’t want to go with a business name that had “virtual” or a particular niche because I wasn’t sure if I was ready to stay virtual forever or remain in that niche.
It might sound like a great idea to name your virtual assistant business based on your niche but what happens if you expand and even specialize in something else.
For example, you might start out as an admin VA and fall in love with tech. It might be confusing with a name like Virtual Admin Fairy when you are offering website development services.
So think about the future.
Choosing a name for your virtual assistant business with a particular niche embedded is good practice but not if you hope to change your niche in future or talk about other things.
3.) Keep it short (but not at all cost)
Keep it as short as possible. One word is great, two words are perfect, and three words are good. Stay away from too lengthy, and difficult to spell. On the high side, 30 letters are enough.
While most short business names are easy to remember, some are not so easy.
Some short names are quite honestly obscure. Using an acronym that isn’t easy to spell or pronounce is bad
For example; using YVAB is not as memorable as using Your Virtual Admin Buddy.
Long and short is, go for a short name only if it is meaningful but do not close up the possibility of longer names. The bad thing about longer names is that it is a chore typing all those letters whenever you want to search something. Plus it will hardly fit into the title bar on your website.
4.) Check for domain name availability
This is a no brainer. Use a free domain name checker like instant domain search to check if the domain name is available. This is important to avoid choosing a business name whose website url is already in use or is available for purchase at a ridiculously high price.
5.) Do not hyphenate your website url
Ever seen with website urls like example-of-a-name.com? It is bad for business. Normal humans would easily search for exampleofaname.com because it is easier to memorise and the normal thing to do. And if that is your competitor’s domain name and your would-be visitor likes what your competition has to offer, you’d surely lose that client.
6.) Avoid legal action
As a Nigerian virtual assistant, you must check if your preferred name for your VA business is already registered. Search public records and reserve your business name if it is available all on CAC website before going all in.
Make sure your domain name is legal by running it through domain checkers such as http://www.copyright.gov/records/ and http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/.
7.) Check for uniformity across social media.
Some of the names I have liked in the past were already taken on social media and I had to drop them. Let’s assume your business name is example one and @exampleone is taken on Instagram and twitter so you opt for @example_one on Instagram, @officialexampleone on twitter and @therealexampleone on tiktok. That is bad for business because no one has the time to memorise your different names on different platforms.
8.) Pay attention to phonetics
Phonetics can be a pain in the ass when it comes to domain names. You don’t want your readers wondering if your business name is spelt “Cain” “Kain” “Cane” or “Kaine”. I think you should try to avoid using phonetics that sound the same. Like k and c.
9.) Use a popular top level domain (TLD) name for your website
The name to the left of the dot is called the second level domain name. The second level domain name of this website is “therosepreneur” while the top level domain name (TLD) is “.com”. Other examples of TLDs are .org, .net, .co, .tech, .blog, .me, .online, .bike, .biz etc.
However, the top 3 are .com, .org and .net. It may be tempting to come up with clever TLD names but do not be carried away. I say this NOT because Google favours .com more than other TLDs. In fact, Google doesn’t so there is really no need to use a TLD like .blog if your name is for a blog.
You would agree with me that .com is the most memorable. Have you also noticed that most smart keyboards have .com?
Additionally, a lot of people have a default habit of typing .com after the second level domain name. .com is the most popular form to use and the go-to format for everyone. People normally tryout .com before they settle for .org and .net
Note: if you have a regional target audience, a country level TLD will help you rank well in your country’s search engines.
For example, “com.ng” domains are more likely to do better on google.com.ng
But if your business can benefit from an international audience then pick other options. I personally prefer .com for obvious reasons but if you decide to go for another TLD, I recommend you put effort into promoting it with the TLD you choose. E.g yourvabusinessname.net just so people don’t assume it is yourvabusinessname.com
Read Also: 12 Things Every Virtual Assistant Website Must Have
10.) Does your virtual assistant business name pass the phone test?
Pick up your phone and call a friend. Tell them your business name and ask them to say it back to you. If they have difficulty in spelling, pronouncing or understanding what you mean then you should probably drop it.
11.) Avoid misspellings
I understand the frustration when your business name is already taken and you decide to go from hello boss virtual services to hello bozz virtual services or from king slayer virtual services to king slaya virtual services. Most people will spell it correctly which will lead to bringing more traffic for your competition.
12.) Lose the childishness.
Avoid names like Itz Ur Gal Barbie. It makes you look unserious and no one will remember it except your clique of high school friends.
13.) Drop “the” and “my”
You might want a business name and find out it is already taken. The domain registrar or virtual assistant business name generator will suggest other forms of the name.
Example: if vabusinessname.com isn’t available they’d suggest thevabusinessname.com or myvabusinessname.com. While this looks like a good deal because you’d still get the name you want, you should know that you might just help your competition get all the traffic.
One time I stumbled upon a very awesome website. It had all the answers to my questions and everything so I took a mental note of its domain name. It was a memorable name so I felt there was no need to write it down. I cleared my browsing history and life went on. Several days later, I remembered something I should have checked and simply entered the website url in my browser. A different website came up and I got confused. I spent time digging the website trying to find the post I had seen earlier, all to no avail. After several minutes of a futile search I gave up.
Some days later, I stumbled on the website again and realized I missed “the”. Just one adjective and I spent time on the wrong site.
After this happened I realised the importance of even a single part of speech attached to a business name. If you still want to go with “the” or “my” then you’d have to promote your business A LOT with the full format; thevabusinessname.com or myvabusinessname.com and make sure people get it.
Conclusion
Now that you know all the qualities of a good virtual assistant business name, I recommend you check out these 1,001 virtual assistant business name ideas to help you make a decision.
Choosing a good business name is important and I do not like the idea of having to switch to a new one later so I recommend you put all the effort needed at once.
Did you find this post helpful, did I miss an important point you considered when choosing your virtual assistant business name and think people should know about it or you have questions? Join the conversation in the comment section below and share your thoughts.
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