How to Conduct a West Virginia Business Search

Why conduct a West Virginia entity search or LLC lookup?

To avoid any hitches in the business registration process, it’s important to do your research ahead of time—and that means conducting a West Virginia SOS business search. Doing so helps to ensure that your desired business entity name is available and isn’t already in use in the state.

According to the WV One Stop Business Portal, a common reason for rejecting business filings is that the name is already in existence or is not distinguishable from existing business entities registered.

Important naming guidelines in West Virginia

During your West Virginia business lookup, you’ll need to keep some state-specific guidelines in mind. Let’s start with the West Virginia business type.

• Names of limited liability companies (LLCs) must include the words “limited liability company” or “limited company.” The abbreviations “LLC,” “LC,” “ltd.,” and “co.” may be used. 
• Corporation names need to include “corporation,” “company,” “incorporated,” or “company.” The abbreviations “corp.,” “co.,” “inc.,” or “ltd.” may be used.
• Other business types follow the same rules, like Limited Partnerships (LP), Professional Limited Liability Companies (PLLC or Professional LLC), and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP).

Furthermore, names of business entities cannot be offensive or misleading. Generally, names that imply associations with government bodies, charities, and certain professional services (like insurance, banking, real estate, healthcare, and so on) will be reviewed with more scrutiny and will likely require proof of licensure or approval from a regulatory body. 

A West Virginia business name must also be distinguishable, or noticeably different, from other existing business entity names in the state. Check the West Virginia Business Name Guidance for specific examples. 

Other naming considerations

Even after a WV business search on the West Virginia Secretary of State’s business entity search page, your prep work still isn’t quite complete. You’ll also want to check the availability of domain names, social media account names, and trademarks.

Check domain name availability

To create consistency with your brand online, it’s important to have a domain name that matches your business name. There are several websites that offer domain name availability searches, like Squarespace, GoDaddy, and Bluehost.

Search the name on social media

Brand recognition doesn’t stop with your domain name—your social media accounts should also reflect your business name. Do a quick search on platforms where you’ll have a social media presence to make sure that your desired account name is available.

Conduct a trademark search

Trademarks protect business names on the state and federal levels. To avoid trademark infringement, conduct a business entity search for statewide trademarks (either by searching the full name or parts of your preferred name) on the West Virginia Secretary of State trademark search portal, then conduct a federal search on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.

If the name is trademarked, you’ll need to start again with another business entity search.