If you’re starting a business, you’ll need to name it, and will probably require a website. That means registering the name as a domain, most likely dot com, though possibly with a country code such as dot com au.

The web has been going for 30 years or more, which means that most of the good names have been taken. However that’s not a cause for despair.

Hundreds of thousands of domain names are for sale on sites such as Atom and GoDaddy. Be prepared to pay a lot for a good one.

Or you can invent a name yourself, then register it.

PAIR KEYWORDS

No, this isn’t a hopeless task. Start by thinking of the keywords associated with your business and write them down. For example, if you’re a graphic designer, likely keywords will be design, image, hue, visual, display, color.

Then think of general words that could pair with these keywords: my, maxi, sure, true, sense, flair, skill, streak, style, vibe.

Pair off a keyword with a general word, eg visualflair dot com, and see if the domain is available on ICANN. Mostly it won’t be.

NEW GROUND

Here’s where the game gets fun. All the easy and obvious combos are registered already, so we need to break new ground.

One good way is to use metaphor, which is something that AI and other naming tools don’t understand. Instead of calling your hairdressing studio SnipSalon, try SnipStreet. It’s not literally correct, but works as a brand.

Or you can abbreviate one or more of the keywords, as Microprocessor Software did very nicely. Or extend a keyword, creating HotterLips from HotLips.

Another method is to misspell slightly. Skilsaw has been doing this for 100 years.

A further technique is pure invention, and I’ll pat Nvidia on the back for that. This name doesn’t really pass the radio or phone test, but the world’s most valuable company isn’t worrying.

LYIN’ AROUND

Once you get into this, you’ll find plenty of names that have slipped the cracks. They’ve been lying around a long time.

Sit on the name, think, and check for any conflicts on the trademark sites such as USPTO. Then go register your very own business name.