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  1. #11
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    Ha, very good, may I suggest going over to the adwords keyword tool and look at what people are search for there. You could find some gems!

  2. #12
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    Re: How to choose a name for your detailing business

    Nabisco = National Biscuit Company. Way back in the day, that is what they made. Today a different story, but they've been around too long to change. A couple of the others listed are the names of the people that started their respective companies.


    Quote Originally Posted by OCDetails View Post
    I thought being OCDetails would be obvious to people, but I've been surprised how many people ask what part of Orange County I'm from. lol I get a lot of mail to OC Details because people assume there should be a separation. It make sense when I say it out loud and nobody ever has to ask me how to say it when they look at it on paper, but it isn't as obvious as I would have though. That is why I have as part of my logo the "obsessive compulsive detailing" underneath the OCDetails part. Although clarification about your business name is never a good thing to have to have before people know what you are, I really like the name and figure people can assume what they want. After all, there are plenty of businesses that have names that make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

    Here are some examples that I came up with just by looking around my office and out my window:

    Fudruckers (hamburger restaraunt)
    Just about every auto manufacturer out there (with some exceptions)
    Barnes & Noble
    Target
    Sony
    Apple
    Nabisco
    Oakley
    Breitling
    Swiss Army
    Dispair
    Lenovo
    DELL
    Five Guys
    Kinko's


    The list goes on. None of those business names give you any indication of what they manufacture. So while in one respect it is important to have a business name that explains what it is that you do, it is also not a prerequisite for success.

    However, with all that being said, Mike has inspired me to rethink the domain I put on my business cards. I just registered the domain Index of / and will be finding a way to use it instead of the subdomain to OCDetails.com that I typically use for my pricing information. Thanks for the great article Mike!
    -2005 Mustang GT (a little correction needed)
    -1965 Mustang Fastback (repaint needed)

  3. #13
    Super Member richy's Avatar
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    Is there more than one place to go register a domain name?

  4. #14
    Super Member tw33k2514's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by richy View Post
    Is there more than one place to go register a domain name?
    Thousands of places. I like netfirms personally.

  5. #15
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    ***Bump***


    Just wanted to bump this thread for any of our new members thinking about doing any type of detailing, part-time, full-time, something in-between...


    Think your name through before you start investing time, money and energy.



  6. #16
    Super Member wgilles's Avatar
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    I feel as though I inspired this bump haha!

    Thanks again Mike
    Waxin' Willys Detailing
    Like us on Facebook!

  7. #17
    Newbie Member mattthias's Avatar
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    Thanks, this gives me great information.

  8. #18
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    Havent read thru all of the posts in here so this may already have been posted but your company name and domain name can and should be different. Your domain can give you a head start in the world of SEO. I didn't pick wisely when choosing mine. The name of my comany is SoCal Mobile Auto Detail and that domain was already taken. I then went to look for our tag line which is "The SoCal Way" and it was available and I jumped on it. Only problem is, in Google's world, nothing in my URL says anything about detailing. Needless to say that for the first 2 years times were tough with the domain name of Mobile Auto Detailing San Diego. I have spent a few thousand dollars on SEO/Backlinking to "FINALLY" get this URL to rank on the 1st page of google. Lesson learned. Look for a domain that has some of your key words in it. It want put you on the first page right away, but it will give you a head start over those who use there tag lines as there URL.

  9. #19
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    Quote Originally Posted by Mobile Detailer View Post

    Lesson learned. Look for a domain that has some of your key words in it.

    Some really good tips...


    Thanks for sharing...




  10. #20
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    I'm new to the detailing world but not to domain/website creation. I've made over 100 websites in my time and know a thing or two about them. Currently I've downsized my army to just 10 websites to help me keep my sanity and the grey out of my hair.

    Here are my tips and resources for choosing a domain name and setting up a website:
    1. Brainstorm Keywords
      Sit down with a piece of paper and pen and jot down a bunch of different ideas for your website / business name for at least half an hour. I prefer this method because there is less chance of being distracted.

      If I were to fire up Excel or Word and start adding words at some point I'll look up other sites that then lead to my mind wandering and eventually on youtube where I'll find some cat video to watch.

      So let's take this approach to the exciting world lug nuts!
      The name should contain words related to your service, or what you have to offer, or be a brand like McDonalds. McDonalds is also the most recognizable brand in the world with its golden arches and music jingle. It's a brand name but says nothing about what they do. On the flip side of the coin there's Burger King, which is a both a brand name and says something about their service although no where near the market shareholder that is McDonalds. I recommend to stay away from being too plain in the domain for the simple fact that it may not be available (see the next section for tips on what to do if your name is taken.)

      Off the top of my head I came up with:
      LugNutKing.com
      LuggerNutter.com
      ExoticLugNuts.com
      LugNuteHeaven.com
      ExtremeLugNuts.com
      BestLugNuts.com
      DetailersLugNutes.com
      LugToTheNuts.com
      MuchoLugNuts.com
      IGotYourLugNuts.com

      Notice how the list is all over the place with some that are simple, some that are outrages and a few in between. If I were to choose from this list I would choose LuggerNutter.com because it's different, easy to remember, has the keywords in the domain name and wacky enough to make your customer remember the name.

      Pro-Tip! If you just can't get your creative juices flowing or need a little help try these links:
      Google Keywords Tool
      https://adwords.google.com/
      Feed it a few keywords, hit Search and see what people are looking up. This tool is mainly used to find profitable keywords for Adwords campaigns and organic search engine traffic however you might find something useful.

      Nameboy
      Domain Search - Domain Name Search - New Domain Search - Find Domain
      Nameboy allows you to enter up to two keywords and then generates a list of possible domain names by adding suffix and/or prefixes. Also let's you check the availability and order from the results page.

      Randomainer
      Domain Name Ideas. Create Available Website Names
      Similar to Nameboy but with more Web 2.0-ish type of results. This is my personal favorite although for more strategic domains I have used all three and compared results. Also sends your domain name to a registrar for immediate ordering.

    2. Check Availability and Register
      So you've spent some time on deciding your perfect domain and you're ready to bite the bullet and order the name. Now what?

      You would go to a registrar, make an account and order your domain name. Popular registrars include:

      GoDaddy
      Go Daddy Mobile - Domain Search, Go Daddy Commercials
      Arguably the biggest registrar is GoDaddy but in my opinion, far from the best with their annoying reminders, hard upsells, lenghty order form and unfriendly domain manager. It sounds really bad only because I live off of websites and register a few each year. if you're going to register just one domain then by all means try them out. Yes, I used them for a long time but have since moved on to...

      Namecheap
      Cheap Domain Names Registration, Domain Transfer, SSL Certificates, Free DNS, Privacy Protection • Namecheap.com
      Nothing special here. I like their easy backend and they don't overwhelm you with expiration notices. Customer support is pretty darn good too.

      There are tons of other registrars out there but a word of caution. Some of these registrar sites will post your searches to their sites or sell the search data to others. Meaning, if you searched for a domain yesterday and it was available it may just not be available today! There are domain snipers who sit back and wait for good domains to appear just to snatch them up and try to resell them for hundreds of dollars more. Stick with registrars that don't do this (like GoDaddy, Namecheap, Network Solutions< etc.) to avoid this headache. Been there, done that and was very pissed.

      What if my domain name is taken?
      Ahhh all that hard work and your domain name is taken! What do you do? You have a few options.
      1. Add Hyphens
        Not my preferred method but if you must have this name then by all means do it.
        Ex. LuggerNutter.com becomes Lugger-Nutter.com.
        Be aware that your customer may not remember to add the hyphen and you will lose traffic especially if they only briefly see it on the side of a van.
      2. Add Your City/Location
        I like this option better. You keep the keywords and add the City.
        Ex. LuggerNutter.com becomes LuggerNutterMiami.com.
      3. Make it Plural
        Just add an S!
        Ex. LuggerNutter.com becomes LuggerNutters.com
      4. Start Over
        When in doubt just start all over especially if its a brand name. If Lugger Nutter where my brand and LuggerNutter.com where taken I would just start all over with a different domain name and possibly rebrand my website altogether or...
      5. Try a different extension
        Maybe the .COM is taken but the .NET is available. Go for it! Just remember that a .COM is king for your customers as their brain immediately defaults to .COM. It's just that much easier to remember
      6. Check if the domain is for sale
        That's right. Sometimes the domain was registered previously and a domaineer or domain sniper grabbed it after it expired. Visit the domain and look for a message similar to "This domain is for sale" or "Buy this domain now". Just note that the owner of the domain now has you by the balls. You want their domain and they know it. Expect to pay over $100 for the domain plus any fees associated with the exchange. I have seen people pay over $1000 for just the domain name.


    3. Hosting and Site Building!
      Congrats on your domain name purchase, now on to hosting!
      Wait, you thought all you had to do was order a domain name? Silly detailer, you have much to learn.

      Registering a domain name is only the part of the puzzle. A domain name is similar to a houses address. When the domain name is entered into a web browser, it finds a route to the place on the internet where the website is stored. The hosting would be the house. Sure you can have a domain name point to nothing on the internet just like there are addresses to empty lots.

      Domain names are to hosting as street address are to houses.

      DIY vs WYSIWYG
      Now if you're reading this post and don't know what HTML, CSS or RSS stand for then you either need someone to build your site or use a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor and hosting plan. These are very easy solutions to building websites. They also limit you since the elements to create the web pages are watered down and basic. It reminds me a lot of using the Paint program found in the Windows operating system.

      The other option would be to build the site using a popular platform like Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, etc. and reskin using a template. This is what I do, however this is not for everyone. You need at minimum basic knowledge of HTML and CSS to make your templates look professional.

      What I actually recommend to first timers is to let someone else build your website - Seriously, learning HTML and it's surrounding technologies takes time, patience and a desire to stare at a screen for hours on end especially when it comes time to fix cross-browser issues (IE7 and IE8 behave differently, so imagine having to code for at least 4 different browsers!) Your time is valuable so don't waste it trying to build a site. No offense, but your end result will look poor and scare off your potential customers. Check out sitepoint.com for available web designers. Also check out elance.com where you can post a job and get offers or contact web designers directly.

      Popular Hosting Services:
      Hostgator
      Web Hosting Services, Reseller Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Servers by HostGator
      This is where I host all my websites. Get the Hatcling plan for just one domain. If you decide for whatever reason to add more websites and domains you can always upgrade. I believe they also offer two WYSIWYG type of site builders.

      Homestead
      Homestead | Make a FREE Website - Create a Website in Mins - Build Your Own Website Today
      This is where I started many many ago making basic websites. This is a true and simple WYSIWYG and the documentation here is excellent.

      Weebly
      Weebly - Create a free website and a free blog
      I haven't tried them but have heard good reviews of it's simplicity. Another true WYSIWYG.


    If you have any questions please post them below and I'll try to help where ever I can.

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