How to Conduct a West Virginia Business Entity Search

The West Virginia business search, often called the business entity search or business organization search, is a valuable resource for anyone who needs to look up information about businesses in the state. Whether you’re a curious consumer or a soon-to-be entrepreneur who needs to check name availability before you start to conduct business, the business search is a go-to resource on the state website.

But using the search can feel a little overwhelming, especially if you’ve never used a tool like this before. That’s where this page comes in. We’ve assembled a step-by-step guide to using the business search to help you find the information you need smoothly. We’ll also talk about important state naming guidelines and what you should do after you’ve searched a business name.

Let’s get started.

West Virginia Secretary of State Contact Information

Address: State Capitol Building 13 Kanawha Blvd. W, Suite 201 Charleston, WV 25305	Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Telephone: (304) 558-8000	Website: https://sos.wv.gov/Pages/default.aspx

West Virginia Business Name Guidelines

When you’re starting a business, one of the most important things you’ll do is pick your business name. And like other states, West Virginia has several rules about naming your business. 

First, your name needs to be different from the names of other registered companies in West Virginia, including both domestic and foreign corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited partnerships, and so on. This is one of the simplest but most important naming standards. 

That said, uniqueness isn’t the only naming guideline to adhere to. Here are a few other rules your West Virginia business name should follow: 

• Your business name needs to include a designator. For example, profit corporations need to include the word “corporation,” “incorporated,” “company,” “limited,” or an acceptable abbreviation of one of those words. Meanwhile, LLCs need to include the phrase “limited liability company,” “limited company,” or an acceptable abbreviation of those phrases. 
• Your name can’t state or imply that your business conducts activities that aren’t permitted by law or by your company’s formation documents.

If you’re in a licensed trade or profession, keep in mind that you’ll need to meet any naming rules that your industry has in place, too. If your business name doesn’t meet these requirements, you’ll need to pick a new one.

How to Run a West Virginia Business Organization Search by Business Name

The West Virginia Business Organization Search allows you to look up businesses by their company name or by the name of the registered agent or officer who represents the company. In this section, we’ll discuss how to search by a business name; keep scrolling if you want to search by a person’s name.

Step 1: Set your search filters and type your search terms

To get started, you’ll need to navigate to the Business Organization Search homepage, pictured below.

For many users, this search method is as simple as typing their search terms into the search bar beside “Organization” and clicking “Search.”

That said, you can greatly refine your search if you click on the button labeled “Show Advanced Search Options.” This will give you several filters, such as refining results by record ID number, business type, owner demographic information, business purpose, business status, and more. You can use one or more of these filters to refine your results, which is especially helpful if you don’t know the full business name.

You can also use a percentage symbol (%) as a wild card search if you’re not sure about the entire business name. The “Search Tips” section on the search page shows a good example of how to do this.

Whether or not you add any filters to the business entity search page, type the business name (or partial name) into the search bar and click the “search” button.

Step 2: Review your search results

The search tool will retrieve a list of the business names that match your search terms. At the very top of the results list, you can choose to sort the results by organization name, DBA (doing business as name), name change, or registrations/reservations. For many users, the organization name category is the most helpful, but click on the one that matches your search goals.

For example, here’s what our results list looked like when we searched “Smith.”

Here, you can see the full business name of each existing business entity that matches your search terms. You can also see each organization’s ID number, type, effective date, established date or termination date (if applicable), the termination reason (if applicable), and whether the company is domestic or foreign and profit or non-profit.

If you’d like to see even more information about a company, you can click on its name on the left-hand side of the results list.

On this expanded page, you can see even more information about the company, including its business purpose, principal office address, registered agent information, and even information about its members, managers, officers, or directors. In some cases, you can also review basic information about a corporation’s shares. The exact information displayed on this page will vary depending on the company’s business type and the information it provided to the Secretary of State.

Checking Name Availability with the Business Search

West Virginia doesn’t have a dedicated name availability search tool, but you can use this search as a preliminary check to see if your desired LLC name is available. To do so, simply type in the business name that you’re hoping to use (without a designator) and hit search. This will help check for any exact matches to your name.

You should also run a keyword search against your name’s main keywords to check for any names that would be confusingly similar to your name. Not only does your name need to pass West Virginia’s distinguishability standards, but it also needs to be unique.

If your searches don’t yield any exact matches or too-similar names, then there’s a good chance that the name is available for you to use.

How to Search WV Businesses by Agent or Officer Name

West Virginia also allows you to look up a business by the name of an affiliated individual or organization. This could include a company’s registered agent (an individual person or a company providing registered agent services), a corporation’s officers or incorporators, an LLC’s members or managers, and so on.

Thankfully, it’s pretty simple. All you have to do is navigate to the search homepage and then type the name into the search field labeled “Agent/Officer/Name,” and then click “Search.”

As before, the search tool will generate a list of the businesses that are represented by an officer or agent whose name matches that of the one entered in the previous step. You’ll also see the company’s ID number, entity type, and more.

If you want to learn more about a particular company, click on its name. The subsequent page will show you all of that company’s information that’s available to the public.

How to Run a Business Entity Search

If you search “West Virginia business search” in a search engine, you might see two different search possibilities: the one we’ve just covered (the business organization search) and the business entity search.

Both tools are legitimate resources on state government sites. And both will allow you to review information about registered companies in the state. But this second search, the business entity search, is a bit more limited. It displays an error message and asks you to add more words to your search if yours yields more than 50 results. Additionally, there are no advanced search filters you can use.

Generally, the main search tool we covered above should be used if you’re checking a business name’s availability or if you don’t know the full name of the company you’re searching.

So why might you use the business entity search? This particular search allows you to order a Certificate of Good Standing for the business you search. Thankfully, using it is pretty similar to the name search process we discussed above. Simply type in the name of your business and hit “Search.” Then, find your business in the results list. From there, you can review your company information and request a certificate.

What to Do After Searching Business Names in West Virginia

After you’ve come up with a name and searched it, you’re probably feeling like you’ve done a lot of legwork. You’d hate for that hard work to go to waste, right? Here are some steps you can take to protect your West Virginia business name and make the most of it. 

Reserve your West Virginia business name (optional)

If you’ve picked the perfect business name but you’re not quite ready to file your business formation paperwork, West Virginia allows you to reserve a business name.

You can get a name reservation by filing an Application for Name Reservation form with the West Virginia Secretary of State. There’s currently a $15 filing fee for this reservation.

After your paperwork is filed and approved, your name reservation will be valid for 120 days; renewals aren’t permitted. This step is optional, and you should only pursue it if you’ve picked a name but aren’t ready to file your formation paperwork yet.

Form an LLC or register your business

One of the best ways to protect your business name is to register your business. After you register a business under your chosen name, no one else in West Virginia will be able to register their own company with the same name. 

Registering a West Virginia business is an important legal process. Learn more about starting a West Virginia LLC. 

Get a domain name that matches

You want it to be easy for your customers to find your business website. That means you need a domain name that matches your business name as closely as possible. A matching domain will help your brand maintain consistency both in person and online.

If you’re struggling to come up with a domain name (or the one that matches your name is already taken), try using a domain name generator. A generator can help you come up with a domain that matches your brand image. 

Set up your business online

Today, you can’t run a business without a good digital footprint. A good business website is a decent starting point. But don’t stop there; set up social media accounts like a Facebook page, a TikTok profile, and an Instagram account. Make sure your business name is included on each account so your brand is consistent across your online presence.

Last but not least, set up a Google Business Profile for your business (or claim it if it already exists). This profile will help you direct customers to your website or your store location. Plus, it’ll help you respond to customer reviews and build a good brand reputation in the Mountain State.

Trademark your business name (optional)

If you want the most robust protections for your business name, you could pursue trademark registration. Trademarks can be registered at the state or federal level (with federal protections being the strongest). 

Getting a trademark can be pretty complicated and time-consuming. If you go this route, it’s highly recommended to work with a trademark attorney.