Guides

Brand naming, trademark & company registration guides for India.

Everything we've learned helping founders, agencies and IP attorneys check brand names, turned into long-form playbooks. Free, no signup needed.

/01AI Visibility12 min read

What is generative engine optimisation (GEO)? The 2026 guide

How ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini decide which brands to name in an answer, why GEO is not SEO, and the twelve things that actually move a brand into the recommendation.

/02AI Visibility7 min read

How to check what AI says about your brand (the right way)

A practical way to check whether ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini recommend your brand: the prompts to ask, what to record, and how to fix what you find.

/03AI Visibility8 min read

GEO vs SEO: what changes, what transfers, and where to spend in 2026

SEO wins a ranked link. GEO wins a named mention in ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Gemini answers. What transfers, what does not, and where budgets go in 2026.

/04AI Visibility7 min read

AEO vs GEO: the honest difference (and where SEO fits)

AEO and GEO mostly name the same work: getting your brand into AI answers. Where each term came from, how they actually differ, and which one to use when.

/05AI Visibility13 min read

How to get ChatGPT to recommend your brand (2026 playbook)

A step-by-step playbook: how each engine retrieves, what to fix first, the outreach that gets you into the pages they read, and a 90-day plan for Indian brands.

/06AI Visibility11 min read

Answer engine optimisation (AEO) vs SEO: the practical guide

AEO is optimising to be the answer, not a link to the answer. The page structures that get extracted, the schema that matters, and how to restructure content you already have.

/07Trademark12 min read

Trademark search in India: the complete 2026 guide

How to use the IP India Public Search, why phonetic searches matter, what Nice classes to check, and how to read examination reports - without paying ₹15,000 for an attorney to do it.

/08Trademark11 min read

How to register a trademark in India (step-by-step, 2026)

Forms, fees, timelines, opposition windows. Everything you need from filing TM-A to receiving your registration certificate - and the most common reasons applications get refused.

/09Trademark11 min read

Nice classification (NCL 12) for India: all 45 classes with examples

Complete guide to the 45 Nice classes used by IP India. What each class covers, real Indian brand examples, and how to pick the right class for your filing.

/10Company9 min read

MCA company name check: making sure your Pvt Ltd name is available

How MCA's name approval works, the SPICe+ Part A process, what gets your name rejected, and how to check across MCA + state-level company registries before paying the ₹1,000 reservation fee.

/11Company13 min read

How to start a company in India (Pvt Ltd, LLP, OPC step-by-step)

The complete checklist to incorporate a company in India: choose entity type, name approval, DIN, DSC, MOA/AOA, capital, post-incorporation compliance. With state-by-state cost ranges.

/12Company8 min read

DPIIT startup recognition: the ₹4,500 vs ₹9,000 trademark hack

How to get DPIIT recognition under the Startup India initiative - eligibility, application, and benefits including 50% off trademark fees, IT exemptions, and easier compliance.

/13Naming14 min read

How to come up with a brand name (12 frameworks + AI)

A founder's playbook: 12 naming frameworks (descriptive, suggestive, abstract, coined, acronym, compound, evocative, foreign…), how to test them, and how AI fits in.

/14Naming9 min read

11 brand naming mistakes that get founders sued, refused, or rebranded

The most common - and most expensive - mistakes founders make when naming a brand in India. From phonetic conflicts to descriptive marks, GIs, missed Nice classes.

/15Tools10 min read

The best AI brand name generators of 2026 (compared)

We tested 8 AI brand name generators (Namelix, Shopify, Looka, NameSnack, Brandcrowd, BrandAuditor, ChatGPT, Claude) on the same brief. Here's what each gets right and misses.

/16Tools9 min read

Best brand naming tools in 2026: AI generators, trademark search, domain check

A working playbook of the brand naming tools we actually use at NOW Media - name generators, trademark search platforms, domain availability checkers, and audit tools.

Looking for tools, forms, or external links?

Visit the resources hub

Curated official sources (IP India, MCA, DPIIT), brand naming tools, and templates, all in one page.

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FAQ

Before you run your first check.

What the checks measure, what is free, what the reports can and cannot tell you, and what to do with a conflict when one turns up.