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Business Entity Name Search for all 50 States in the USA

Giving a name to your business is one of the most challenging things to do when forming an LLC. Ultimately, this name would be your public identity, and it would stay with you for many years and you need to make sure that it has not been used by performing an entity name search. In addition to this, you need to be creative while you brainstorm to get the name that would appeal to your clients and customers, represent your services and products and that would be memorable enough for it to stand out in a crowd.

As mentioned above, the name cannot be already registered with the government. Hence, you would need to use the entity name search to make sure that you do not violate the copyright law and follow the legal laws. To make this process easy for you, here are some guidelines that would help you name your LLC. You would also learn about how to conduct the entity name search to make sure that your LLC name is not used by someone else and is available for you to use.

Create a List of Name ideas for Your LLC

If you are searching for the basics of starting a business, the first thing that you need to do is select the business name. And for deciding on your business name, you need to ask yourself these questions:

  • What product or service are you selling?
  • Who are your audience?
  • How would your potential customers find you?

As a matter of fact, any LLC name that is hard to spell, whose length is long, skew too young or too old or spelled “creatively” can make your business hard to find or unrelatable. Another thing that you must avoid is naming your business like “New York Sign Shop” where you add your city before the company name.

Even though this can be great for the SEO (search engine optimization), it is not good for branding the company. In case your sales increase tremendously and you want to open branches all in different parts of the world or country, this name can limit your business potential. This means that, it is not just the availability of a name using the entity name search that matters, it’s what the name represents whether it’s the best.

As soon as you have selected some specific names that you like the most, take suggestions and reviews from your family and friends about the name options. Ask them about the one that they feel is the best. Also, consider what suits your business image the best, and if the name is the right one for your services or products.

Let’s take a look at how Amazon was named. The initial name for Amazon was Cadabra, which was not bad, but it was not that great either. The owner Jeff Bezos, chose the name Cadabra from the word abracadabra by shortening it.

But then when the company got into the market, he found out that people had a tough time spelling it and also weren’t aware of where the name came from. That is when he decided to change it to Amazon, after a lot of research and brainstorming. Obviously, at that time the entity name search option wasn’t there, but you have the choice now to see if the name you have in mind is available or not.

Moreover, the example above tells us why it is vital to not just think about something that is highly clever, but you need to ensure that the word is understandable by your audience and fits into the digital world as well. This is because your customers would look for your business by typing and searching for it, and it has to be something that can be spelled easily and understood as well.

So, when you are preparing the list of potential names for your business, keep these points in mind so that you do not have to change the name again after the business gets into the market since it would have a negative impact, and not every company can become Amazon in just a few days.

Use the Entity Name Search for Your LLC Name

Now, from the list that you have prepared, do not just select the best name after taking the suggestions from your family and friends. You would need to do an LLC entity name search to make sure that the name is not being used on somewhere else as well and does not infringes someone else’s copyright. In case a person has a slightly similar name just like the one you like, it is better to consider another option.

Let us understand this point a bit better with an example: in case a local business or a competitor has the name “Willson’s Shop,” it is better to avoid calling yours “Willson’s Wholesale Shop.” Other than the legal violation, you would also not want people to confuse your business with your competitors business, right? Moreover, do you want to blacken your reputation and eventually brand by copycatting another existing company?

But that is not all. It is also vital to conduct an entity name search online before choosing the right name since you would not like to have a domain name that is almost the same as another company’s. With about 500 million registered dot-com domain names during just the first quarter of 2018 and the numbers increasing, the chances of obtaining the exact domain name is very slim.

Hence, your business should not have to be dependent on precisely the same dot-com domain name. Instead, you can become creative with the selected name using the entity name search to check its availability.

You can choose a slogan that can be used as the domain name, a short form, or even what you are best known for. Moreover, the options do not end here; you can pick up a saying that can be used as a hashtag later on with your services or products.

Whatever you choose to use, ensure that it is clear and short for people to remember as it would be used (the URL) to visit your website and avail your business services or products. Moreover, ensure that it related to what you offer.

Not Sure Where to Begin the Entity Name Search

The very first thing that you need to do is type the potential name in the search field of a famous search engine like Google. After that, to see if any local business uses the name, check out the local YellowPages.com. The next step involves checking if any company in the entire state has the same name or not.

With the information and links shared below, you can easily contact your Secretary of State or any related government department to find out about your state’s business entity name search.

The list below is in the reverse-alphabetical order for the names of each state in the US. The link would take you to the respective Secretary of State website.

Now that you have selected the name and checked its availability, it is time to register your business. Inc Paradise can help you in incorporating your business and registering it. Check our service packages to choose from & start your dream business today!