Ohio LLC Name Search

Nailing down a great name for your Ohio LLC can be a challenge. 

You want the name to be unique and easy to remember while being legally acceptable and conveying what your business does. You also want it to be SEO-friendly so that it can easily be found on Google. That’s a lot of boxes to check. 

And even if you’ve already found the perfect business name, you need to make sure it’s available. That takes several steps, as detailed in this handy guide.

Ohio LLC Entity Search 

The most important consideration when choosing an LLC name in Ohio is to make sure it’s available and legally acceptable. Here’s how to confirm you can use your preferred business name. 

1. Check for availability in Ohio

Go to the Secretary of State’s website and enter your business name. 

You should also search for similar business names, as you don’t want a name that can be easily confused with other businesses in Ohio.

2. Check Ohio’s LLC name regulations

In Ohio, your LLC name must include the phrase “limited liability company” or one of its abbreviations (LLC or L.L.C.).

It also cannot have words that could confuse your LLC with a government agency, profanity, or words or phrases that are generally considered a slur against an ethnic group, religion, gender, or heritage.

3. Check Trademarks

Check with the US Patent and Trademark Office to ensure the name has not been trademarked and thus is available nationally. 

4. Check domain name availability

You’ll want to make sure the domain name is available. You can check at a site like GoDaddy.com and use .com or .org extensions, as those give your business more credibility.

5. Google it

Do a Google search to ensure the name is not being used in the U.S. or internationally. This is particularly important if you plan to have a strong online presence for your business.  

Once you’ve confirmed these, it’s a good idea to reserve the name with the state. 

How to file an Ohio LLC Name Reservation

To reserve an LLC name in Ohio, start by visiting the Secretary of State’s website, create an account, then head to the name reservation form to complete the online application.

Enter all the required information, enter your electronic signature, and move on to payment. Alternatively, you can complete and mail a paper form. 

Doing Business As (DBA)

Even after all this work, you may want to do business under a name other than your LLC. First, you’ll need to register a “doing business as” or DBA name. There are two main reasons you might want to use a DBA.

• Suppose you want to add new product lines. For example, if your business name is “JJ’s Waffles,” you want to expand and offer “JJ’s Muffins.”  You can have multiple DBAs under the umbrella of your single LLC. 
• When you have a DBA, you can have a business bank account under that name. So if you add “JJ’s Muffins,” customers can pay “JJ’s Muffins,” and you can deposit those payments into the bank account with that name.

In Ohio, a DBA is a trade name. To register a DBA in Ohio, go to the Secretary of State’s website and log in to the account you created. Then, choose trade name registration and fill out the form. The fee is $39.

In Closing

Choosing a business name is crucial to entrepreneurial success, so if you’ve found a good one, don’t let somebody else get it. Instead, just take the steps detailed above to ensure it’s available and legally acceptable before designing a logo and printing signs. 

You don’t want to run into an issue later that could impact the success of your business.