The friction test: how fast can a stranger use your name? The easiest heuristic for a working name is friction: how much effort does it take a stranger to say it, type it, remember it, and locate you? Two rules of thumb reduce friction from the start:

• Keep it tight. Short, memorable names “with less than nine letters and three or less syllables” are easier to pronounce, share, and recall; plenty of familiar brands meet this bar—Habitat, Asda, Comet, Yo! Sushi, Kwik‑Fit, Pepsi, HUG .
• Think in lists. Names live in alphabetical directories too. If you’ll be discovered in lists or marketplaces, being chronically buried near the bottom (and easily misheard or misspelled) is avoidable—consider alphabet placement and phonetic clarity early, not after launch .

Clarity: your name as a category locator Great names help people file you mentally without a TED Talk. That doesn’t mean you must be literal; it means you should reduce misclassification risk.

• If you skew abstract, pair the brand with a precise descriptor everywhere your name appears (site title, social bios, proposals). That’s not just brand hygiene; it increases search relevance. On the web, page titles and meta descriptions that pair your brand with category language improve discoverability and comprehension in a single glance .
• Choose words customers actually use. The workbook’s guidance on prioritising keywords—by traffic potential, intent, buying stage, and likelihood to convert—applies directly to the language around your name. If your market searches “web design prices,” titling a page with your brand plus that phrase meets them where they are; “creating a usable website” is less intent‑rich for buyers at the pricing stage .

Credibility: sound like something people can trust A name earns belief when the first search for it returns substance, not silence.

• Make the SERP your first impression. Prospects won’t just see your domain; they’ll see what surrounds it. Useful, fresh content builds confidence that you’re a serious operator and positions you as an expert—so the name they just heard is backed by proof when they look you up .
• Align tone with audience. Brand elements should “communicate who [the] audience is.” A playful, offbeat name might delight consumers but jar in B2B or regulated contexts; start from your customer profile to avoid tonal mismatch that erodes trust before a conversation begins .

Findability: own your “address” in every channel Names fail not because they’re bad, but because they’re hard to locate. Make yours easy to find in three places people actually look:

1. Search engines

• Design for discovery early. Make your site indexable and ensure the keywords people would use to find you appear in the body copy of your home page and in meaningful page titles. Think of this as choosing a good high‑street location for your shop; obscurity kills footfall .
• Use search plumbing well. Title and description meta tags are simple levers that pair your brand name with clear category terms—exactly what shows on results pages. Brainstorm the phrases customers use, then place them in your title and description so the snippet sells the click with plain language, not internal jargon .
• Prioritise the right words. “Traffic potential,” “prospect’s intention,” “stage in the buying process,” and “likelihood to convert” form a practical scorecard to rank the terms around your name. Use that short list in titles, headings, and navigation to increase qualified discovery .

2. Directories and lists If part of your path to market runs through directories, marketplaces, or partner portals, the “list reality” matters:

• Alphabet sensitivity: if plausible, avoid names that default you to the last page. You can preserve a distinctive brand while selecting a letter that doesn’t doom your placement. The author’s own experience—strong name, weak alphabetical position—illustrates how this oversight compounds over time .
• Phone and “spell‑back” tests: say the name aloud in a noisy room; ask a neutral listener to spell it. If they can’t get it right on the first try, friction is high.

3. The URL and the inbox

• Secure the domain early. Registration is inexpensive and unlocks a professional email identity immediately (anything@yourdomain.com), even if your full site comes later. .com often costs more than .co.uk, but either is fine if it’s consistent and short. Providers and costs are straightforward; the point is to lock the address while you test the brand in the wild .

The protectability paradox: descriptive vs. defensible There’s a line between clear and unprotectable. A name that’s just a description may be easy to understand but hard (or impossible) to trademark. The workbook’s example is blunt: “WebCritique” was refused on the grounds of being “too descriptive.” You need enough distinctiveness to qualify for trademark protection, which is why searching the Patent Office database before you fall in love with a name saves pain and cost (applications are paid even if refused) .

Name architecture that balances search and ownership Solve the paradox with a two‑layer approach:

• Distinctive core name: ownable and protectable (easier to trademark and build equity around).
• Descriptive companion line: the category‑clear phrase that travels with the name in titles, bios, and proposals for clarity and search. This is also what you feed to meta titles and descriptions so your brand plus category language wins scans and clicks .

Due diligence you can complete this week

• Knockout checks: Search Companies House for conflicting UK entities; remember you “cannot use an existing UK name,” even if a similar US name is available. Then search the Patent Office for trademark conflicts and apply only when you’re confident; UK applications cost money whether or not they’re granted .
• Domain and social: Register the domain and obvious variants now; even if you’re not live, you’ve reserved your address and professional email identity. Don’t leave this to chance—register before announcing your shortlist .
• Keyword sanity check: Use simple tools and lists of popular search terms to see how your audience actually spells and searches for the category. This will inform the descriptors that ride alongside your brand name for better visibility and conversion .

Guidelines for a strong shortlist

• Short, sayable, spellable: aim for that sub‑nine‑letters, sub‑three‑syllables discipline; it improves recall and reduces mishearing on the phone .
• Category‑adjacent, not generic: be understandable without being merely descriptive (protectability risk). If the Patent Office would call it dictionary‑obvious, it’s likely too literal to defend .
• Alphabet and typography aware: not every channel is a search bar; some are lists and signage. Avoid “confusables” (e.g., l/1 or O/0 issues) and letter shapes that degrade in small type; this is where your phone‑and‑card tests earn their keep.
• SERP rehearsal: Google the candidate plus your category. If unrelated heavyweights own the results, plan an SEO/PR push—or pick a name you can more easily surround with your own content. Remember, “75% of users don’t go beyond the second page,” so your snippet needs to compete convincingly .

Launch the name like a product

• Ship the metadata: Update site titles and descriptions with Brand + Category phrasing, not just the name. This is what people will see in results pages and link previews; treat those 5–15 words like prime retail space .
• Build links that last: Relevant inbound links both drive qualified traffic and strengthen rankings—longer‑lived than one‑off posts or ads. A simple reciprocal linking strategy with complementary sites still pays off and increases brand/address awareness over time .
• Submit, then monitor: Register on major directories (e.g., DMOZ had historic importance) and search engines, and expect indexing to take weeks. Meanwhile, continue to tune copy so your category terms appear on the home page and in headings—findability compounds from many small signals .

The deeper insight: your name is only as strong as what appears after it People don’t just hear a name—they investigate it. The fastest way to make a name feel credible is to ensure that what appears next (titles, snippets, early content) answers a buyer’s most basic questions with practical, plain language they use themselves. When your brand name is consistently paired with that language—in page titles, directory entries, and early search results—you get all three outcomes that matter: clarity on first sight, credibility on first scan, and findability anywhere people look .

Do this well, and your name stops being a label and becomes a working asset—easy to say, easy to trust, and easy to find.