Unique business name

In addition to the business name as a domain, you could also use an alias domain name, like amycphotography.com and have that automatically redirect to the proper one.

Playing around with a thesaurus I came up with these names for you:

goldenfamilyphoto.com goldentimesphoto.com goldenoccasionsphoto.com

(all of these are available)

You said you wanted to be known for specializing in senior pictures so I was thinking golden-something?

Just a thought. Good luck!

--Jim

Thanks Jim... I meant seniors in high school, my bad. That is why I am being so picky with my name. I also thought that when I get a studio, I will name it Studio ____ for the zip code that it will be in. Not sure yet, since I am waiting on the new Target to be built. That will keep it gender neutral and fresh. the dot coms are open. Does that sound good? I have seen a lot more studio ____ that seem to be doing good and then a search of my zip code should direct to the site right?

the name means far less than the reputation. word of mouth, regardless of the name, IS the name of the game.

. . .

Finding your site in a search engine depends on a lot of things. One of the main things that scores well in Google is having websites link to your site. This means you need to list in as many other websites as possible. Do your local towns have any arts guilds? Ours does and if your a member they will list your business.

Also, if your building a studio then your pretty serious and it might be worth it to advertise on Google. With Google, I think you only pay for the advertisment if someone clicks the link on the ad. They would be able to help you target to certain key word searches (like zip code or town and state names).

Also, make sure you have somewhere on your main page in text the zip code, city and state name. Thats opposed to having it in a graphic that obviously wouldn't get picked up by search engines.

Whoever you hire to do your website should be able to help you with the business aspect of getting traffic to your website.

Good luck! Jim

You're about 10 years too late for a good photo business name. I'd agree that Cuppphotography.com is going to be a problem with the "ppp" string.

If I thought of a great name for a photography business website, I'd register it myself!

You might try using some of the online name generators like http://www.nameboy.com/ but you'll need luck to find a good .com name that's not been registered.

amycupp.com appears to be available. I'd grab that one. I'd also get amycup.com and just point it to amycupp.com for those who can't spell your name!

You're getting yourself into a business area that needs some planning on your part. Research 'fictitious business name' and 'DBA' (Doing Business As) to find out the requirements in your state and county for establishing and advertising the name of your business. The city I live in is sensitive to this process and collects local business taxes once they know you exist. This is an implication of following the proper business licensing procedures here. You can't simply grab up or create a clever name 'on the sly' without running the risk that if you become known for it you will be charged back taxes and fined for not establishing yourself correctly in the first place. It makes sense to put off catchy names until you get big enough and have enough of a revenue stream to be able to afford the costs of establishing yourself properly.

As a CPA, I've helped new businesses with a variety of situations. As you've realized, choosing your name is one of your most important decisions. If you plan to stay in the same area for the life of your business, Studio(ZIP Code) could be a good choice. If, however, you eventually want to move your business or open additional locations, you have an awkward situation in that your business name refers to an area that is different from your actual location.

Joel Berry, CPA - Sugar Land, Texas

Thanks for the feedback. It is not really expensive here to set up a ficticious name. Thank you for all of your input. I know that your rep is the most important, but it takes a while for a rep to build and for your name to get out there, so I wanted something catchy to grab attention.

I suggest putting a word or phrase into your domain name which will be part of the search string potential visitors to your site will search for.

Google and other search engines give improved ranking to sites who's domain has the search string. That's just one of hundreds of factors...though it is an important one.

Thanks for all of your ideas. I registered amycupp.com and also thought of something that I think is fresh and new. I see a lot of sayings like "i heart ____" so I registered iheartpix.com I like the sound of it anyway. So I think I will have my main website at iheartpix.com photography by amy cupp and have the other 2 sites point to it. I also like the idea of registering amycup.com also. Of course, I may change my mind by tomorrow : )

Sounds good - best wishes!

You might also consider registering the other forms of those names, such as .info, .net, etc., in case you want to use them later or in case someone who is less well intentioned decides to use those names.