SitesPlacedUniversity

Lesson 3 of 6 4 min

Pick a name and a look you can keep

Choose a name that is free on Instagram and as a domain, then settle one colour, one font and one kind of photo.

A name is a handle people type, say and search. The best test is not whether it sounds clever; it is whether a customer who heard it once can find you the next day.

The name

  1. 1Shortlist three names. Easy to spell, easy to say in Hindi or your language, under about twelve letters.
  2. 2Check Instagram for each — the exact handle, and whether a big account already has the name with a slightly different spelling.
  3. 3Check the domain. Search yourname.in and yourname.com on any registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Hostinger, BigRock). You do not have to buy today; you only need to know it is free.
  4. 4Check your free SitesPlaced address — your store will live at yourname.sitesplaced.site until you connect a domain, so it is worth getting the same word there. See Your free address.
  5. 5Say the name on the phone to a friend and ask them to type it. If they get it wrong, it is wrong.

Trademarks

You do not need a trademark to start. If the name is doing well after a year, a search on the IP India website shows whether someone already registered it in your category, and a trademark attorney can file one for you. Avoid names that copy a known brand from day one — that is the only mistake here that is expensive to undo.

The look — three decisions, then stop

You do not need a brand book. You need consistency, because consistency is what makes a small shop look like a real one:

  • One accent colour you use on buttons, stickers and your Instagram highlights. Pick it once; every store template on SitesPlaced lets you set it in Branding.
  • One font, or let the template choose. Fancy fonts are the fastest way to look amateur.
  • One kind of photo. Same background, same light, same angle for every product. A plain wall by a window beats a studio you cannot afford. Customers compare products side by side; if the photos do not match, the products look like they came from different shops.

A logo can be your name in that font. Spend the evening on photos instead — photos sell, logos do not.

Write down

Name: ______. Instagram handle: ______. Domain to buy later: ______. Accent colour: ______.

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