Several months ago, I made the big decision to change my photography business name to my married name (I got married last summer, July of 2017). This decision came to fruition a few months ago at the beginning of 2018!

If you’re a woman, and you started your business using your maiden name before getting married, I think it’s a very personal decision whether or not you change it after you get married. I don’t think there’s any right or wrong answer, at all. It came with a lot of thought, prayer, and talking to many different people. I went back and forth for a good 6 months before deciding to change it, and I didn’t decide until a few months after we got married! It just made sense for me, and I felt led to do it.

Around the time we got married, I wrestled with the decision as to whether or not to change it. I went back and forth all the time… most photographers I knew kept their maiden name in their business. But I also LOVED my married name, and I was so excited to take my husband’s last name. Plus, it has a nice ring to it. ;)

My biggest concerns with changing my business name were these two things: 1) What if my past clients or vendors I’ve worked with can’t find me after the change? 2) What if my SEO plummets and I lose what I’ve built over the past 3 years? (At that point, I was on the front page for all keywords related to “ohio wedding photographers,” and it’s how I booked 5-10 weddings every year)

(Good news – a few months into changing my business name, my SEO only went down by a few slots, and the name change went SO SMOOTHLY! Keep reading to see how I did it!)

Alright,  so HOW do you actually do it?! Here are a few things that you’re going to have to do, and things you’re gonna want to do after changing your photography (or creative) business name:

1. Change it legally. This is the first place to start. This will totally change depending on how you formed your business legally and where you live. For myself in Ohio and my business being an LLC, this meant filing an amendment for my LLC to legally change my business name. It was only $25 and took about 15 minutes to do online! When doing this, keep in mind that it can take a few weeks to process!
2. Add redirects from your old URL’s to your new URL’s. You’ll want to forward your old domain to your new one. Doing this will push the majority of the SEO juice from your old domain to your new one. I was SO SCARED to do this. I had no idea what would happen. But you know what? I only dropped about 10 spots in the rankings initially, and since then have climbed back up to the first page. It’s not as scary as it sounds, if you do it right! From what I’ve heard, Google has been shifting more and more to ranking sites that give QUALITY content and have authority on the subject being searched. They aren’t as picky about domains anymore, so as long as you redirect, they’ll pick up on it. They know business names change! Quick tips: after you redirect, make sure to re-index your website with Google Analytics. Also, you’ll want the redirects to direct to any page or blog on your site, or “Wild card” redirects. I also made sure to keep blogging consistently (2-3 times per week) after you change your domain. That helps a lot as well!
3. Announce it everywhere. On your Facebook, Instagram, your blog, Facebook groups, email list… everywhere! Make it a huge deal and announce it ALL OVER, and announce it MULTIPLE times everywhere! I must have mentioned my name change a couple dozen times on my Instagram alone, between posts and stories. You can even create a little hype about it by giving lots of teasers the week beforehand, then doing a big giveaway to celebrate your new name. Require people to tag others to enter your giveaway, spreading the news to more and more people!! Email all of your past clients directly about the name change, give them your new contact information/website, and tell them about the giveaway as well.
4. Change all of your social media handles. Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest… you’ll want to update all of these! Quick tip: If you’re worried about losing tags on your Instagram, you can create an account with your old username to redirect to your new account. See how I did that here: instagram.com/stephaniebrannphoto If you put any information in your bios, you’ll want to update that as well. For example, in my Facebook “About” section, I included a link to my Instagram account… had to update that!  You’ll also need to update your Google Business page if you have one, and any other wedding review websites you have like The Knot!
5. Update your website. Besides your new domain, you’ll also need to update your social media links with your new usernames… I added a small line in my bio, “Formerly known as Stephanie Brann Photography”… and change your logo/branding on your site to reflect your new business name.
6. Update your name on the back end. You now need to sign your contracts with your new business name… your contracts need to say your new business name… your invoices should say your new business name! I use 17Hats to run the back end of things in my business, so I had to update my name in there, update all my contracts, and update all my invoices. Anything like that, you’ll have to go through and update! I also print out wedding guides to give my couples after I book, so I had to order new ones with my new business name! Things like that are good to think about, you’ll need time to sit down and change it all over!
7. Forward your old email address to your new email address. That way, you don’t lose anyone who missed the name change who try to email you!

The biggest reasons I changed my name were because 1) I wanted to honor my husband. This was a big way to do that! 2) I love the way my new name sounds, 3) I knew it’s what God had placed on my heart to do. I didn’t feel at peace not changing my business name, as weird as that sounds! I don’t totally know why yet, but that’s what I know to be true.

My additional reasoning behind it was I was early enough in my business to change it without too many consequences (3 years in), and I talk about my new marriage SO MUCH, I came to find out a lot of people EXPECTED it!!! So many people asked me not if I was changing my legal name, but if I was changing my BUSINESS name in the months after we got married. And that suspicion only grew right before I announced it, when I shared I had a big announcement coming! So I think it really makes sense in my followers’ minds. I set myself up to change it and for everyone to follow along with it very, very easily, because I talk about my personal life on my blog and social media so much. Personal marketing, for the win. :)

I can honestly say that it has gone so smoothly! Since I market personally online, people have loved following my journey and a name change really made sense to my followers. Plus, doing all of the work above before and after the name change has made it seamless. I hope this gives you some guidance if you’re considering changing your name, for any reason at all! You are more than welcome to reach out to me at [email protected] if you have any questions about how I did it! :)