Before Changing Your Practice’s Name
There are a number of reasons to consider changing your practice’s name. The most common are:
- Distancing your practice from a negative event
- Clarifying a confusing or non-descriptive name
- Updating your brand to better represent the products or services you offer
Before you go out and order new stationery, there are a few key points you should consider.
Cost
There is no getting around it – changing your name is expensive. You will have to invest in new:
Potential Benefits
Before changing your name, it is important to look at what you will be losing by leaving your old name behind. How long have you been using your current name? Does your current name have goodwill that you would lose? Would the change confuse or alienate existing customers? Would the change cause you to lose any revenue as a result?
SEO Impact
While this is not a reason to not change your name, it is important to note that the older your domain name is, the better it ranks. If your company has been around for many years, there are a lot of backlinks that you will have to go through and redirect to your new site. We also recommend adding some SEO keywords into your name. Instead of just “Mark’s,” try naming your company “Mark’s Lava Lamp Emporium.” While this may seem simple, always check to make the domain you want is available before officially changing your name.
Deciding to change your practice’s name is a decision that should not be taken lightly. That being said, there are many companies that have taken the risk and have never looked back. Amazon was originally Cadabra, Nissan used to be Datsun and Blackberry was started as Research in Motion, just to name a new.