When launching your business, one of the most crucial and important steps is coming up with a name. After all, we've seen what happens when companies just don't think it through very carefully.

Today, not only do you have to worry about trademarks, you also have to take domain names and social media information into account. Here's how you can instantly find out what is still available.

Trademark

While a domain name might be available, if the trademark for a company name is already taken, you may need to rethink your business name. Rather than purchase the domain and later find out the name is already registered by someone else, check out Trademarkia.

Search business names and it will let you know if the trademark is available or not. This is probably the best place to start. If the trademark is available, go on to the next services.

Domain

Namemesh offers a quick way to find out if the domain name for your business is still available. You can choose from a variety of domain registrars including GoDaddy, NameCheap, and Bluehost.

In addition to searching a variety of website suffixes, Namemesh also offers up suggestions based on SEO, or by appending additional words or letters to your original search. So if your exact domain name is not available, Namemesh can suggest some ideal alternatives.

Social Media

Namechk is your go to for social media availability. Type in your search, and Namechk will grey out all the services that are already taken. Anything that is still available will be colored green. You'll find all the heavy hitters listed on Namechk, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and Tumblr, as well as some other key sites for new business owners like Etsy, Patreon, and eBay, among many others.

Namechk can also check a variety of domain names for you, but it's nowhere near as comprehensive as Namemesh when it comes to this specific task.

All-in-One

Viable is a new app that combines a lot of these features in one place. Unfortunately, it is currently limited to iOS users, so if you don't have an iOS device, you won't be able to take advantage of its many features. With Viable, you can enter your business name, and it will score that names "viability." The score depends on a variety of information from trademark and domain registration sites, the iOS App Store, Product Hunt, and Angel List.

I would take the viability score with a grain of salt since existing businesses were often marked as "fairly viable." More useful is the ability to check domain availability, existing names on the App Store, Product Hunt, and Angel List, existing trademarks, and definitions, all in one place.

What tips and tricks do you have for someone who is trying to come up with a business name? Share your ideas with us in the comments. 

Image Credit: TZIDO SUN via Shutterstock.com