Business question: Your name vs. company name

[Lupaz]

I noticed many here have their websites with their personal name as the domain name instead of a fantasy name.

I was wondering since I started on my own what is better looking for a potential client: your name (and that obviously you're just one) or a company name (and that you have "large" "resources" being a company).

Any insights on this are very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Edit: So the question is:
If your company name is your own name: How frequently do you get inquiries?
If your company has a fantasy name (and the website looks impersonal): How frequently do you get inquiries?

[glorybound]

Ideally you would have what you do in your company name and you would buy that domain. It's best to have your keyword in your URL.

ACME Renderings
www.acmerenderings.com

I use my name because it's more intimate and I think clients like that. They are working with Bobby Parker and not Acme.

[Lupaz]

I use my name because it's more intimate and I think clients like that. They are working with Bobby Parker and not Acme.

Right. Now... How do you know that it's not better to have your name on your domain, precisely because people believe it's more intimate, or even cheaper, than a company, even if it's not.

I understand that a keyword on the domain may be better for SEO. But is it better for business?

[glorybound]

If nobody can find you on-line then what's the point. Now, if you just work local it probably wouldn't matter. I don't think people think its cheaper to go with a single person; they might even be willing to pay more. They expect personalized service, one contact, and they hire you for your style, which should be predictable.

[glorybound]

I guess it also depends on your client demographcs. I am going for the lone architect who is still on paper or using AutoCAD, which is most of them (sadly but true).

[Lupaz]

I am going for the lone architect who is still on paper or using AutoCAD, which is most of them (sadly but true).

Really? I keep finding that those architects have no money to outsource renderings.

[glorybound]

Often, it's a service that they offer their clients.

[DesignConnected]

Interesting topic. In my opinion, you should start by researching what is your current situation online. Run few searches for your name and check the results. Consider if there is enough information about you on the first page of Google. Ideally, you would like to own the whole SERP with relevant information about yourself and your services.

See if there is info that can hurt your credibility and is out of your control (forgotten accounts, shared private blogs) - very old projects, drunk night pics, etc. If you can't remove the harmful content, maybe it's better to start with a brand new name/brand.

I know how it sounds, but think what are your plans for the future - if at some point you will grow and form a team, but still offer the same services, it's better to start with a company. Otherwise, you may have to re-brand in the future and this is a hard process.

Ideally you would have what you do in your company name and you would buy that domain. It's best to have your keyword in your URL.

Fair point, but Google recently decreased the importance of the keyword in the domain name, so I suggest to think about the user. The best recommendations come from conversations and imagine how a current customer is saying "Check his portfolio. The website is... www... khan... yes, K and then H... hypen... vizual... yes, with Z... hypen... oh, screw it, I'm gonna text you." Try to go for something short and catchy.

Also, I suggest testing how much traffic and business you can get from Google search before start worrying about SEO. Run a small search campaign with AdWords (there are tons of articles and videos how to do that) for your main keywords. Depending of your services there is a good chance that very few people search on Google with the intent to hire someone.

From my experience, it's important to own the search results for your name or brand in the beginning and then popularize your services by participating in relevant websites and communities. In this niche the content is mainly visual, so networks like Instagram, Pinterest, Behance and YouTube can give you good results.

Hope that my thoughts will help you

p.s.: This post is by Plamen, the main marketing guy at DC.

[Lupaz]

See if there is info that can hurt your credibility and is out of your control (forgotten accounts, shared private blogs) - very old projects, drunk night pics, etc. If you can't remove the harmful content, maybe it's better to start with a brand new name/brand.

Good point.

if at some point you will grow and form a team, but still offer the same services, it's better to start with a company

I'm not sure I agree with this.
A company which name is a person's name can get to a 1000 employees. It hapens all the time with architectural firms.
Or for example, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, etc.

In my case, I'm not planing on growing much. I enjoy being a one person company, with a few collaborators, and hence the original question.
Would a potential client be turned off by a company name?
It's probably too hard to know, I'm aware.

[DesignConnected]

A company which name is a person's name can get to a 1000 employees. It hapens all the time with architectural firms.
Or for example, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, etc.

Valid point, but it kinda depends of the structure of the company. If you are the owner and an established name, the rest of the team will be glad to work under that. If you have partners which are on the same level as you, they will probably want to be part of it. Take for example, The Boundary - they are all great artists working together under one brand.

I don't think that the company name is THE deciding factor. My advice is to pick one option and stick with it. If a potential client is turned down just by how your company name sounds, you probably don't want to deal with him, anyway.

p.s.: Ralph Lauren is not the real name of the designer