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It should go without saying, but you should Google your prospective website or brand name to see what comes up. It may seem simple, but over the years we’ve seen dozens of individuals and companies invest a significant amount of money and time in a brand or website name. Then they have a quick Google search and it reveals that there is already a well-established, high-authority website that won’t be shifted from the top spot of Google. Consider the top three results, how closely related your brand name is to theirs, where they are located, and how credible their website is. Moz’s domain authority is a great predictor of this, https://moz.com/learn/seo/domain-authority. Consider adjusting or altering your website’s or brand’s name if a website with a high domain authority, a website that is related to or identical to yours, or both appear for those keywords. Alternatively, take into account the time and money needed to outrank their website.

Check the availability of a domain name – Any domain registrar will let you search for available domains. Utilise this to check for available domain names that are suitable. However, you will need to take into consideration that there may not be a free domain or the only one that is available is a “premium” domain that is already registered and costs hundreds of dollars. Aim for a .co.uk domain if your company is located in the UK and does the majority of its business there (this is slightly better for Googles rankings). However, in addition to your country-specific .co.uk name, you should preferably have a top-level .com domain if your business conducts business abroad.

Check to see if the company name is available if you plan to register as a limited company or LLP. You can do this by visiting Company’s House and entering the name you intend to use.

Trademarks: It’s essential to check if the name you intend to use is already protected by a trademark. They are divided up into several industries, such as restaurants, technology, advertising, finance, and so on. Check to see whether the name you intend to use is already protected by a trademark under your relevant category.