Research Your Massage Business Name

Take the time, avoid the heartache! Once you decide on your massage business name, it is important to do a few searches to make sure that the name you have chosen is not being used by someone else. How much time you spend on this step depends on the uniqueness of the name you have chosen. For example, if you have chosen ‘Mary R. Richards Massage Therapy’, you probably won’t need to do too much. However, if you choose something like ‘Sunset Massage’, then you may want to take some time to make sure someone else is not already using it.

   Related Article: Name Your Successful Massage Business

Why is it important to research your name?

• Name Availability:  Making sure your name is not being used can save you the time and money of having to re-do everything with a new name.
• Your Business:  Once you decide on your business structure you will need to apply for a DBA or file the paperwork to become an LLC or Corporation. It is important to search your name ahead of time on the sites that you will be filing this paperwork (see below).
• Get Your Domain: It is important for the overall success of your business that you have a presence online with a website and social media. Your prospective customers will find you with your online address – your business domain.

Four Steps To Research Your Massage Business Name

Step 1: Google Search

Your first step is to do a quick Google search for your massage business name. This is fast and can save you the time and trouble of future steps if a competitor shows up with your name. Click here to search Google.

  Tip: What should you look for? The obvious problem would be an exact match for your business name in your town or near you. Time to find another name. Close matches are a tougher call. My advice is that it is not worth the trouble if you find someone with a similar name. Most states (Secretary of State name registration) will reject your name if it is similar. 

Example:

Bad: Tempe Sports Massage and  Tempe Sports Massage Therapy

Okay: Tempe Sports Massage and Mesa Sports Massage

Step 2: Facebook Search

The next step is to do a quick search for your massage business name on Facebook. Go to your Facebook page and type in your business name into the search window at the top of the page. Click on the blue “see all results” link. If anyone has your business name registered on Facebook, it will be listed under the ‘Pages’ heading. If you see your name there, you won’t be able to create a Facebook business page with your name. A good reason to find a different name. Also, check out any other posts that come up in your search to see if your business name is being talked about.  Go to Facebook

  Tip: Once you decode on your name and do the research to make sure it isn’t being used, go back to Facebook and get your business Facebook page. This only takes a couple of minutes and is a very important step for marketing your business in the future. Once you get your page and set your name, your url will read facebook.com/yourmassagebiz.  Make sure you go to settings and set your special URL and then set your page as unpublished. This way no one can see your page until you have finished it.You can go back later and complete everything when you have time.

Step 3: Massage Business Name Registration Search

If you name your business anything other than you personal name, you will need to register it with your secretary of state or county clerk. This is not a difficult process and is known as registering your “Doing Business As” (DBA) name.

  Click here to read more about name registration on the SBA.com website. 

Name Availability

Whether your business will be a ‘sole proprietorship’ , ‘LLC’ or full corporation, it is a good idea to check your name availability ahead of time. This usually only takes a couple of minutes depending on where you live and can save you a lot of trouble later on. Most of the time this can be done online on your ‘Secretary of State’ or ‘Corporation Commission’s’ website.

   Click here to find your State agency. 

Step 4: Search Your Domain Name

The last step is the most fun but also a little nerve-racking.  Getting your domain is very important for several reasons (see below). Take a minute and use the tool below to search your name. It’s a good idea to use .com because search engines tend to give preference to these domains.

  Tip:  After you enter your business name, click the green ‘check availability’ button. You will be taken to a ‘Bluehost page that will let you know if your domain is available. It is not necessary to get your hosting package at this time but when you are ready, come back to this page because you will get a surprise. MyMassageBiz.com has partnered with ‘Bluehost’ to give you special pricing on your hosting package and your domain is free!

Why is your business domain important?

• Your business address online: You need to make it easy for your customers to find you.
• Marketing: You will want to put your website address (domain name) on every piece of marketing material, email and everywhere you are on the web.
• Search Engine Optimization: SEO is very important for the presence of your business online. Your domain name should be your business name and works best when it contains the keywords that your prospective customers will search for.   

Example:

Tempe Sports Massage: This business name has three SEO keywords.  If someone is looking for a ‘sports’ type ‘Massage’ in the city of ‘Tempe’ this business will come up in the results. If all three keywords are used at once then the listing will probably come up number one in the generic and local search results.