For most customers, reserving the name of your upcoming company before filing for business formation is mostly unnecessary, though if you question whether or not the name you want will be available by the time you intend to apply for formation, maybe because it is trendy or in high demand, then you should absolutely reserve the name in advance.
The case is also true if you are forming a business that will operate in the state of Alabama, which requires name reservation for all LLC formations. Overall, unless you are going to form in Alabama or have a really unique name you must secure before anyone else takes it, it isn’t necessary to reserve the name in advance.