Domain & Business Names - Any Suggestions?

Hey,

Im hoping soon I can open up my new home inspector business and website.
I have 2 major problems, I don’t know what to name the Business or the Domain name. Im having a hard time coming up with either one, everything I come up with is already taken. Please Help with suggestions,

Thanks,
Brian Allen

Welcome to the world of owning your own business. There is always a decision to be made, and you are the one to make it. And what to name it is just the first, and also a very hard one. It took me quite a long time to come up with my business name, but when I got it, I knew it. And luckily, no one else had it. It might help if you gave us a list of what youve come up with. Also I think that NACHI design department can help with that. As far as a domain name goes, you want what you do and where you are located for SEO purposes. Like Tennesseehomeinspector.com, or whatever. You can always have something easier to remember, and have it point to that domain like I do. Truemeasurehomeinspections.com points to the even longer one that serves for SEO. Hope this helps.

http://www.nachi.org/namesearch.htm

You only have to have a name that isn’t trademarked or unique to your state. Corporation names are filed at the state level.

full time home inspection

Does that mean I could use another name from someone else as long as the name is not registered to my Home State?

… or federally trademarked… correct.

Do most inspectors use the same Business Name as Domain Name?
Both being the same?
Or is it best to use something different for Domain Name because of SEO?

Also Im looking at TriCitiesHomeInspectors.com for Domain

The problem is there’s a TriCitiesHomeInspections.com in my area

Would this be to much of a confusion with people looking for home inspector?

The problem with something like tricities is there are numerous tri-cities all around the country. It would create much confusion.

And yes, for best results, your domain name and business name should match.

I started with what was available as a domain, and worked my way from from there.

yes it is confusing

Bear Claw Home Inspection. The Nachi staff could make a great logo with that.

And not brandable.

Now that’s brandable. Good one Frank.

Why should business name and url necessarily match?
A guy in my area uses homeinspectionsedmonton.ca as the domain name for his web site, his business has a different name, I wish I had thought of it first because home inspections edmonton is a search term that people in my city use, which I know from tracking google searches.
Regardless, I would use an easy to remember phrase with home inspection in it. Also why not have more than one url?, something else I have been considering.

Agree!
A business name should not necessarily match a domain name. They serve two entirely different purposes.
I have two inspection names serving two different business segments… Critical Eye Property Inspections and JRJ Consultants. How many potential clients do you feel would be typing those names into a search engine to locate me? Exactly nobody!

Domain name SEO is the terms/keywords that somebody uses to find you… such as “home inspector Owatonna Minnesota” or “commercial property inspections Minnesota”.

Chose your business name that reflects YOU and WHO you are. If you can include what you do, even better!

Choose your domain name to make it simpler for people to locate you, thus the city/state and service descriptors.

Example:** Critical Eye Property Inspections** —> www.OwatonnaHomeInspector.com

I also have multiple (10) domain names, with most pointing/forwarding to my fewer (2) websites. You need to understand in the world of SEO, that only the primary domain name carries any weight with SEO. Any secondary domain names that are pointing or forwarding to the primary site do not move up the ladder in SEO, so use your best domain names as your primary!

I used my company name as a domain name, but I let it lapse because it wasn’t great seo. I was contacted shortly after letting it go by someone wanting to sell it to me. I politely declined.

It’s ideal to match, but not 100% necessary.

You want to people to remember you, not remember your company, and then have to remember a 2nd name for your website. But it’s up to you to decide.

If you have more than one, then you have to promote more than one.

Too many people have bought up domain names for no other reason to hold on to hold on to them and sell, that search engines no longer bring up a up domain simply for existing.

I own 4 domains names, but I don’t get 4x the search results from it.

Whether or not I published on a domain name that matched my company name, I certainly would want to control the domains mycompanyname**.com**, .org and .net. I would not want someone else to be able to publish or establish email using those domains.