You decided to start your own blog – well done, you. Blogging is an excellent way to make money online and while it’s a LOT of work, I love it and I hope you’ll love it too. Now you’re about to buy a domain and you’re wondering how to choose a blog name.
Hard task, I know!Â
How do you actually pick a blog name that is related to your industry, that is catchy and that people can remember?
Bonus: if you can find one that is SEO optimized!
(Lost here?! SEO specialist here – did you know that your domain can be optimized for search engines? See for yourself – Nomad Life 101 is optimized for nomad life, and nomad life 101. It makes it pretty clear to Google what this website is about. Bonus: there are people searching for the query “nomad life” and “nomad life 101”. Bingo! ) *Sorry for the prolonged interruption.
There are lots of things to keep in mind before buying a domain. Keep reading to get our advice so you can pick the PERFECT blog name.
Disclaimer: All the domains listed as examples are made up – I do apologize if some of them actually exist.
Want to watch the summary instead? Watch this video.
Short and catchy
We all love catchy names! And especially when they’re short. I mean can you really remember something like:
Thelonguestdomaineverwashere.com?
Well, I have to say – it is catchy, but it’s too long.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself to help you brainstorm ideas:
- Will it be a personal brand blog? (Yourfirstname.com)
- Will it be an informational website? (Allthethingshiking.com)
- Will it be about a specific topic or destination? (Cakewizard.com / Explorethiscountry.com)
- Will it be a platform to sell the products you created? (Teathatmakesyoudie.com)
- Will it be a platform to sell your services? (Anotherlifecoach.com)
- Will it be for an app? (Face-tok.com)
Your blog name (or website name) should be related to your industry or it should be catchy.
Here are some brands that we all know and that were created from “scratch”.
- PinterestÂ
- Slack
- Trello
- Tailwind
- Pepsi
- 7-up
- Nike
Easy to spell
A great blog name should be easy to spell (and say).Â
Imagine this…
Your imaginary friend: Hey, what’s the name of your blog again?
You: Thegr8webnitch.com
Your imaginary friend: The Great web niche?
Hell no.
If you’re feeling creative, keep it simple. If people can’t spell it properly, you won’t get the traffic. Always pick simple over clever.
Not too narrowed
My main website is too narrowed – A Broken Backpack. Well – I don’t always backpack now that I’m in my thirties.Â
Think about how you may evolve as a person, as a blogger, as a human.
Here are some examples of what I mean by evolution:
Thetwentysomethinglunatic.com may struggle to sell in her thirties.
Theminamalistentrepreneur.com may struggle the day she makes millions.
Theskinnyinstagrammer.com may struggle at month #8 fully pregnant with triplets.
While you evolve, your readers will evolve too.Â
Here’s a real-life example:
On my main website, I used to write mostly about extreme budget travel. Well, in my thirties, my financial situation is sorted out and I do appreciate a good hotel with a pool and I do not stay in hostels anymore. My readers may be younger or older than me – but now, my website is speaking to everyone from the early twenties to older folks. My website evolved. And it’s all about long-term travel regardless of their budget.
Although – it was harder to make the switch because of the domain I picked.
So – you – future blogger could learn from this mistake and think further than I did when I first started blogging.
And this brings me to the next point…
Who’s the target audience?
Who is your ideal reader? What language are they using? What words could they be searching for on Google to find your blog?
If you’re solving a problem with your blog, your ideal reader should resonate/relate to your domain.
Your cat blog should not be called Cutepuppies.com.
Your entrepreneurship blog should not be called Anotherfailure.com
If your ideal readers are young – speak their language.Â
If your ideal readers are newbies – speak their language.
Have you ever heard of the curse of knowledge? When you know too much about a topic, it’s harder to dumb it down. If your ideal reader doesn’t know about the proper vocabulary to use regarding your niche – do not use it in your domain.
Here’s an example:
If I have a blog about psychology targeting people who have no knowledge about therapy, do not call your blog cognitivebehaviors.com.
If you speak their language, you would pick something they could relate to such as helpseekers.com.
Be better than your competitors
I imagine you already picked your blog niche – so who are your biggest competitors?
How can you make your domain more interesting? Catchier?
If your competitors are:
- Pierecipes.com
- Piefreak.com
- Piemaker.com
Think outside the box and see how you can stand out.
There are a few things you can do during your brainstorming session:
- Look for synonyms
- Look for an unexpected combination of words
- Look for the expected outcome
So you could come up with…
- Pastryadventures.com
- Anotherpieceofpie.com
- Bakebetterpies.com
- Yummypiebakers.com
- Heavenfromtheoven.com
- Happypies.com
What’s the tone of your blog?
While your domain should match your audience, it should also match your tone (brand’s voice).
A domain like Theflashymillenial.com won’t be a great fit for my grandma.
Your blog name should fit your brand’s values. If you haven’t thought of this yet, I’d suggest you add this at the top of your brainstorming document.
When you think of Nomad Life 101 – you quickly understand that my audience is at a beginner stage. (You’re here, am I right?)
One of the main value/mission of this blog is to help new nomads and entrepreneurs make money online. Nomad Life 101 suggests you will get help.
Like I said at the beginning of this article – when you can – opt for an option that makes sense for Google.
Nomad Life 101 targets the nomad lifestyle and includes keywords I knew I could rank for (Nomad Life).
A Broken Backpack targets backpackers and adventurers. But, sadly, I also rank for “how to fix a broken backpack” which is not really related to my content. (Lesson learned.)
If you already know about SEO, I’d suggest you do a quick keyword research to see if you can add a keyword in your domain somehow.Â
Is your blog name available?
This step is the most important. When brainstorming – make sure to use a domain provider to see if your domain is actually available.
While you’re at it – check if the name is available on the main social media platforms too. Think of Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Lost here?Â
Check if your domain is available on NameCheap or Bluehost (I personally use both). You can then sign up for a hosting plan after purchasing your domain.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a domain and a blog name is a serious task. Many bloggers regret their choices quickly after buying a domain (and I’ve been there too).
Take your time. Don’t rush the decision. Run the idea with a friend (or even me) to get their feedback.
If you’re going to treat your blog as a business, and especially if you’re thinking of monetizing your blog – you should take this step seriously.
