The first steps in setting up a business include choosing a name and a domain name, and creating a logo that reflects the company’s identity. These two elements can be crucial to your company’s reputation, so we recommend a step-by-step guide to what to look out for during the process.
A good company name is often easy to come up with, but sometimes it takes some time to find the perfect name. When this happens, you need to buy the domain immediately, as well as those that are similar or might be confused with it, to avoid problems with your competitors. If the domain is not available, do not panic: with Rackhost’s domain catcher service, you will receive a notification about domains that contain your keywords and are about to expire.
As well as being able to identify your company by its domain name, it should be short so that customers can remember it easily. Avoid special characters, and, if you plan to enter foreign markets, register your domain name in the most popular international TLDs (.com, .net, etc.). If you have serious intentions, register your domain for 3-5 years instead of one; Google also prefers domains with longer registration periods.
The next step in designing your company’s online presence is to create a logo – yes, before you create your website. The reason is simple: it is much easier and more practical to design the website with a logo that reflects the company’s values and services. You need to pay attention to the colours, shapes, typography and other graphic elements you choose, because they will all play an important role in every aspect of your business: your shop, company merchandise, website, social media, newsletters and other marketing materials, etc.
That’s why we recommend you don’t skimp on a graphic designer! Do not outsource this job to a friend of a friend who is supposedly very good at using the free version of Canva. Hire a professional and be sure to explain in detail in your email or in a face-to-face meeting what your company stands for and the image you want to project.
Once you’re happy with the logo and the graphic designer, coordinate with them on other graphic elements (such as templates for Instagram stories), business cards or a unique website design. All of this should be handled by one person to ensure a consistent identity for your company.
It’s important to ask the graphic designer for a design manual, as this will help the web developers create a design that matches the logo. You should also provide the developers with the graphic designer’s contact details so that they can consult with each other.
Pro tip: also ask the graphic designer to create a Facebook cover image. This platform is also a very important part of creating an online presence.