10 Steps to Naming Your Dog Daycare Business & Kennel

First and foremost, we gotta give you a hand. You've taken the plunge and you've decided to open your own dog daycare or boarding kennels. Congrats! There's nothing better than being your own boss. So, you've decided to open your own business. Now comes the fun part; naming it!

Naming your dog daycare business can be a daunting task. You want a name that reflects the values of your business, appeals to your target market, and is memorable and unique. You alway want to make sure that it works well for online marketing and doesn't interfere with the names of your competition.

In this blog post, we'll explore the 10 steps you should take when selecting a name for your dog daycare business. Give the post a read before you decide to buy your domain. It'll save you money in the long run to thoroughly think about the name you want to use.

1. Define Your Business's Core Values

Before you start brainstorming names, it's essential to understand the values that define your business. What makes your dog daycare unique? Are you offering services that are going to set you apart from your competition. Is there going to be a puppy pool where the dogs can take a swim? Do some market research as well. What kind of experience do you want to provide for your clients and their dogs? Consider these questions and write down a list of the values that you want your name to reflect.

2. Research both Local and National Competitors

Take a look at your competitors' names and see what works and what doesn't. Identify trends and patterns in the dog daycare industry and think about how you can differentiate your business from others. Just a simple Google search will show you the dog daycares near you. You can use that to see what the other people are calling their business. If someone already has Chicago Dog Daycare, you'll want to choose something else.

3. Consider Your Business's Target Market

Who is your target market? What kind of people are you trying to attract to your dog daycare business? Consider the age, gender, income, and interests of your target market when choosing a name. If you're trying to attract an older, more affluent, crowd, you're probably going to want to use a name that resonates with them. Using youth slang in your name (like that TikTok stuff) won't make sense to that crowd and they might feel your business doesn't have the maturity that they're looking for.

4. Brainstorm Ideas with Family and Friends

Get a piece of paper and a pen, and start brainstorming names. Don't be afraid to write down any ideas that come to mind, no matter how silly they may seem. The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible. You can even make a night out of it. Invite your friends and family over for a pizza dinner and ask them for their help. Everyone can come up with 5-10 names and then you can go around the table and vote on the best ones. This is an analog version of A/B testing and it will give you a good idea of what possible customers find to be the most interesting name.

5. Check for URL and Website Domain Availability

Once you have a list of potential names, check to see if the domain names are available. If a domain name is not available, it might be a good idea to cross that name off your list. You're also going to want to make sure that the domain name is short and sweet. There's nothing worse than trying to type out a long URL. There are more chances for typos and that's not going to help anyone find your business.

6. Make Sure the Name is Easy to Pronounce and Spell

Choose a name that is easy to say and spell. If people have trouble pronouncing or spelling your name, they are less likely to remember it or recommend it to others. It might seem fun to use the word Dawg instead of Dog but when someone goes into google and uses the proper spelling of "dog" they might not find your business and that's exactly what you DO NOT want to happen.

7. Consider SEO

Choose a name that will be easy to search for online. Try to include keywords that are relevant to your business in your name, if possible. I personally believe that adding your city or region's name into your business name can be very helpful (if you're located in a larger city). This way, if your business is called 'Chicago Doggie Palace' and someone searches for 'Chicago dog daycares' there's a good chance that your business will show up. That's the kind of SEO you're looking for.

8. Get Feedback

Once you have a list of potential names, get feedback from friends, family, and colleagues. Ask for their opinions and see which names resonate the most with them. You already did this during the brainstorming session, but once you've whittled down your list of names to less than five, you can think about using your personal Facebook friends. Set up a Facebook poll and take the votes to heart. It might be that you're set on one name but everyone else thinks the other name is better. There might be something to their thoughts, so it's something to consider. Once you choose a name, it's going to become your brand.

9. Choose a Name That Can Grow With Your Business

Think about the future of your dog daycare business. Will your business expand to include other services in the future? Make sure the name you choose can grow and evolve with your business. If we could go back and redo it, we probably would not have named our dog daycare software DoggieDashboard. Having the name 'doggie' in the name makes some people think that our software doesn't work for cat boarders, exotic boarders, etc. However, now that we've been in business for over 7 years, the DoggieDashboard brand has become quite well known, so we're stuck with it.

10. Make Your Final Decision

Once you've followed these 10 steps, it's time to make your final decision. Choose a name that reflects the values of your business, appeals to your target market, and is memorable and unique. Go out there and buy the domain (we like DNSimple), set up your email (we like Google Suite), set up your website and get to work. You're well on your way to getting your business going!

1,149 Page Views since February 22, 2023