Choosing a name and building the brand

The name goes on the sign, the Google profile, the website, the insurance directories and every review a patient ever writes. Changing it later is possible but expensive, so it is worth a few weeks of thought before anything is printed.

What makes a good practice name

• Easy to say, spell and search. Read it out loud over the phone. If people ask you to spell it, or a search for it brings up a dozen other businesses, keep looking.
• Not too location-locked. A neighborhood or city in the name can help patients place you, but a street name or a building name becomes a problem if you move or open a second location.
• Room to grow. A name built around one service or one dentist can feel narrow if you add associates or services later.
• Distinct from nearby practices. A name close to a competitor’s confuses patients, splits reviews and invites disputes.

Your real practice name is also your Google Business Profile name. Google’s guidelines don’t allow adding keywords or a city to the listing name unless they are part of the real name on your signage, so choose a name you are happy to use exactly as it is. See name, categories and services.

Check availability before you commit

• Search Google and Google Maps for the name in your area and in your state.
• Check that a matching domain is available, ideally the name itself with no hyphens or odd spellings.
• Check your state’s business entity records for the name.
• Check your state dental board’s rules. Some boards regulate practice and trade names, for example whether the owner dentist’s name must appear or be disclosed. See the compliance hub.
• Take trademark questions, such as whether you can use the name or protect it, to a trademark attorney.

Logo, domain, phone number and accounts

• Logo: simple enough to work in one color, on a sign at a distance and as a tiny icon on a phone.
• Domain: register it in the practice’s name, on an account the practice controls, with auto-renewal on.
• Phone number: pick a local number you will keep for as long as the practice exists. It becomes part of your listings everywhere, and changing it later causes inconsistencies.
• Accounts: email, Google, social media and the website host should all belong to the practice, with vendors added as users. A designer or agency that owns your domain can hold the practice hostage later.