Dear Bill

I'm getting ready to open my practice and trying to come up with a name. Should I name it after myself, my town or something else? Which is best?

There are three or four strategies here. The best one depends upon your long-term objectives and a few other considerations. That said, the name you choose will mean far more to you than anyone else.

Here are some points to keep in mind:

1. When referring, patients generally cite the doctor's name, not a clinic name. The exception might be a branded entity such as The Joint or similar enterprises. Thus, from a referral perspective, Smith Chiropractic is probably more helpful than Family Chiropractic.

2. If you're thinking of selling your practice (or getting married and changing your name) in the near future you might not want to use your name in your practice name. Selling a practice by the name of Family Chiropractic might be easier than Smith Chiropractic.

3. Naming your practice after the town you're in can communicate a leadership position in your community.

4. Avoid a cutesy name or play on words that lay people are unlikely to appreciate. No need to add further weirdness to chiropractic and you may come to regret it later. Do use a name that reflects your philosophy, practice tone or approach to chiropractic care. This is especially crucial in your decision to call yourself an office, a center (centre) or a clinic.

5. Is the domain available for your chosen name? It's helpful, but not essential, that your online branding match your real world branding. It used to be that having the word chiropractic or chiro along with the city name in your domain gave you a boost in the search rankings. These days the advantage appears negligible.

Interestingly, practice naming is a frequent request. So we've collected 1,500 chiropractic practice names we've seen used over the years. They include the traditional to the bizarre and everything in between. Some are registered trademarks so be sure to have your legal team research your choice before printing business cards and buying expensive signage!

Thanks for the question!

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