First impressions count - customers may infer a lot from your business name.

While it may be tempting to try to stamp your individual personality on your business name, there are many other issues to consider. Being objective and choosing a name that reflects your business strategy can be more valuable, especially as your business develops.

This guide shows you how to create the right impression, display your business name, consider whether your business name will be your brand and get your name on the web. It also outlines the specific rules that you must follow when choosing a company name for a limited company, limited liability partnership, sole trader or partnership.

Your business name will be the cornerstone of your brand. When choosing a name for your business, you should think about the following points:

Do you want the name to reflect what your business does - moving, cleaning, building? Or would something more abstract be suitable?

Would it be a good idea to include your own name?

Do you want a traditional-sounding name, conveying durability and old-fashioned values, or a modern name, suggesting a fresh, innovative approach?

Think about the future - avoid words or phrases that are likely to date quickly.

If you're likely to be trading overseas, check that the name doesn't mean anything inappropriate in the relevant languages

Think about callers and customers - avoid very long names, strange wordings and unusual spelling. If you're planning to advertise in directories such as the Yellow Pages, think about using a name that appears near the beginning of the listings for your type of business.

If you're focusing on the local market for your product or service, think about using the name of the city or town in the business name

Keep your trading name creative, but your corporate name bland. This will give you the flexibility to develop other brands and trading names in the future.

If you have decided to form a limited company or limited liability partnership (LLP), you must register your name and other details with Companies House.

Company and LLP names - the rules

To make sure the name you choose is acceptable, ensure that your name:

ends with 'limited' (or Ltd), 'public limited company' (or plc)

ends with 'limited liability partnership' a or LLP (if you have a limited liability partnership)

isn't offensive

isn't the same as one already on the index of company names

doesn't include any sensitive words or expressions (unless you have obtained permission to use them)

You should ensure your proposed name is not the same or very similar to a registered trade mark.

You can make a complaint about a company or LLP name to Companies House if:

the name is too similar to an existing company or LLP name

within five years of registration, it is found that misleading information was given at the time of registration

within five years of registration any conditions attached to the registration have not been fulfilled - eg the provision of support documentation for a sensitive name

the name is misleading and as a result may cause harm to the public

You can also make a complaint about a company or LLP name to the Company Names Tribunal at the Intellectual Property Office if you believe the name has been chosen for opportunistic reasons.

People operating as sole traders or in general partnerships can trade under their own names, or choose a different business name.

If you decide to use a business name, it must not:

be offensive

include the terms public limited company (plc), limited (ltd), limited liability partnership (LLP)

contain prescribed or sensitive words and expressions, unless you have obtained permission to use them

If you register a limited partnership you must include either 'Limited Partnership' or 'LP' at the end of your business name.

Before using your chosen name, check that it isn't already being used.

If a sole trader at the other end of the country is using it, there may not be a problem. However, if another local business, company or national firm is using it, you should choose a different name.

You should do the following checks:

check local phone books, business directories and the internet

make sure that your proposed name - or something similar - hasn't been registered by a company

Make sure that the name isn't too similar to a word or expression that has been registered as a trade mark.

These are words that might give a false impression about your business.

The rules about sensitive words apply to all types of businesses and fall into five main groups:

words that suggest your business is of national importance or status - eg British, National, International, European

words that suggest a special status - eg Association, Authority, Chartered, Council, Institute, Society

words that suggest a particular function - eg Charity, Insurance, Register, Trust

words that suggest a specialized activity - eg Health Center

words that suggest connections with government or royalty Parliament - eg Government, Royal, Queen, Prince

Every business must display its business name - and other details - to inform customers and suppliers who they are dealing with. You should not print your stationery until you're certain your proposed name is acceptable.

You must display a sign with your company or LLP name:

in a place where visitors can easily and clearly see it at any time and not just during business hours

continuously

You must also include your company's or LLP's registered name on all hard copy and electronic business correspondence including:

letters, notices and other official publications

emails

bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements and order forms

cheques signed by or on behalf of the company

orders for money, goods or services signed by or on behalf of the company

bills of parcels, invoices and other demands for payment, receipts and letters of credit

your website - you do not need to include the company name on every page but it must be displayed so it can be easily read

You do not have to state directors' names on business letters unless you want to do so. However, if you do decide to include directors' names, then you must state all the directors' names.

If you are an LLP with more than 20 members, you don't need to display the members' names. However, you must keep a list of members at your principal place of business and state that the list is available for inspection.

Displaying a name online

If your business has a website, you must display:

general information about your business - including business name, address, email address, VAT registration number (if applicable)

details of any relevant professional body that you belong to or any authorisation scheme to which your service is subject

Even if you are not intending to create a website for your business immediately, you'll probably be using email and want to have a presence on the web at some point in the future.

Choosing a domain name

The website address - for example, my-new-business.co.uk - is known as a domain name. For most businesses based in the UK, a name ending with .co.uk is suitable. Your email address will normally include this name - for example, enquiries@my-new-business.co.uk.

Businesses and individuals that meet certain criteria can apply for the .eu domain extension - for example, www.my-new-business.eu.

If your business is active in other European Union countries, the .eu domain name can help you market your company as a pan-European business.

To reserve a domain name for your business, you need to register it through an agent, who will charge a small annual fee. You should do this as soon as possible - even if you're not going to use your domain name straight away.

Registering your domain name

Decide on a suitable domain name for your website - You can use numbers as well as letters. Hyphens can be used to separate words but not spaces, full stops or other punctuation. It's a good idea to have a few alternative names in case your first choice has already been taken.

Check whether the name is available on the official registry for UK domain names, Nominee

Register the name - you can do this online with any registration agent. There are hundreds of registration agents to choose from - a good starting point is nominated.