I'm going to tell you a secret — most bloggers hate their blog name. Not that their blog names are bad, but it's tough to make this permanent and important decision before you have even one blog post under your belt.
As with anything new, there is a lot to learn when it comes to blogging and things probably won't go exactly how you expect. You think you are going to write about one topic but then you really find your stride with something else.
So it's easy to end up with a blog name that doesn't exactly fit your site anymore.
It's my goal today to keep you from wanting to rebrand your site in six months. Let's pick a name that will last a lifetime.
Why is a Blog Name Important?
In most cases, a blog name won’t make or break your blogging success. Helping people through valuable and useful content is how you really grow an audience over time.
However, your blog is your business. And, like any other business, your blog’s name is ultimately tied to brand identity and how your blog is perceived online. Plus, if you spend years working on your blog, you should ideally like the name rather than wincing everytime someone asks you what your website is called.
What Makes a Good Blog Name?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a single solution that works for every blogger and niche.
However, when brainstorming ideas, considering picking a name that:
Describes your niche. Ideally, readers should get a sense of what your blog is about when they see your domain name in search results or on social media.
Intrigues your target audience. If you write for a certain demographic, consider choosing a blog name that captures their attention over something painfully generic.
For example, if you’re starting a blog about extreme wilderness survival for outdoor enthusiasts, a name like “Rugged & Wild” might serve you better than a generic name like “My Outdoor Adventures” or something similar.
Is Easily brandable. While this blog naming tip is up for debate, you should consider how brandable a certain name is. Oftentimes, bloggers get carried away with their SEO and pick a keyword they want to rank for as their blog’s name. If you’re okay with your blog being named “Best Kitchen Sink Faucets,” have at it, but consider the impact this has on brandability.
Matches your tone. You can also consider your writing tone when choosing a blog name just like you’d consider your target audience.
For example, if you’re the kind of writer who goes in-depth and is immensely technical, using words like “authority” or “expert” in your blog name isn’t always a bad idea. In contrast, you wouldn’t want to call yourself an authority if your blogging style is more casual.
Is Broad Enough. This might be one of the most important tips for how to choose a blog name that many beginner bloggers don’t consider. When picking a name, ensure you don’t narrow yourself and limit expansion into future topics.
For example, if you start a baking blog but name it “Decadent Brownies,” you’re likely limiting your creative freedom and it might feel awkward writing about different recipes in the future.
Of course, there are exceptions to these blog naming rules. Plenty of blogs out there have obscure names that don’t identify their niche or audience yet still grow into immensely popular websites.
Take the blog Chasing Foxes. You’d have zero idea what this blog is about, but this multi-niche blog actually attracts thousands of visitors per month.
Ultimately, you need to choose a blog name that gets you excited, matches your blogging vision, and keeps your options open to get creative.
Related: Trouble Ranking? Here's the Part of SEO You're Missing
How to Choose a Blog Name – Ideas to Get Inspired
Alright, get your notepad and computer ready because it’s time to get serious.
If you’re trying to choose a blog name, hopefully, you’ll have the perfect name picked out by the time you’re done reading this post.
1. Try a Name Generator
If you don’t have a creative urge and you want to keep things simple, a business name generator is one tool you can use to find the perfect blog name.
Websites like Nameboy let you type in keywords and view a list of blog names that are available for purchase. WPBeginner also has a name generator that’s similar. You have to enter keywords as a starting point, but if you have a general idea for your blog’s name, these tools can help you expand your search.
Alternatively, you can use Namelix to generate unique, brandable names for your blog.
Namelix asks for a keyword and the approximate length you want for your name. You can also choose a name style if you want to name your blog something that’s brandable, uses real words, rhymes, or several other options.
Once you click generate, Namelix presents dozens of names and how much it costs to register that domain name.
2. Brainstorm and Ask Friends
Another strategy you can use to choose a blog name is to brainstorm a list of ideas you like and to ask your friends for a second opinion.
Ideally, you should ask friends who are brutally honest with you and also be receptive of their feedback. Don’t give them much context either; just show them a list of names and ask them which names stand out to them the most.
Once you get some feedback, you can tell them it’s for a new blog you’re starting and see if they have additional insights into the name ideas.
But keep in mind, your friends aren't blog naming experts (who is really?) and they likely aren't even business owners. So while it's fine to get feedback on a name you are considering, they probably won't have suggestions.
3. Spy on the Competition
If you’re blogging in a particular niche, another trick you can use to find a blog name is to check the top contenders in your niche for naming similarities.
For example, if you’re starting a blog about money and search Google for “the best checking account,” you’ll find websites like:
- Nerd Wallet
- Bank Rate
- Money Sense
- Money Crashers
- Investopedia
As you can see, these top blogs all have a keyword relating to money, or even “money” itself, within their name. If you look at other niches, like golfing, you’ll also find that nearly every top spot on Google contains the word golf…Hardly surprising, but worth keeping in mind.
While you don’t have to copy the competition, it often makes sense to choose a blog name that clearly indicates what your blog is about.
4. Use Literary Devices
Alright, time to take a trip back to highschool English class!
It doesn’t matter if you’re starting a brick and mortar business or a blog; literary devices are a simple way to create a business name that’s catchy and memorable.
There are numerous types of literary tricks you can try, including:
Alliterations. When a series of words all begin with the same letter. For example, Wendy’s Wealth of Wisdom.
Abbreviations. If you have a lengthy blog name you’re in love with, it might be better to abbreviate it for your domain name rather than sticking with the full version. Abbreviations are easy to remember, and shorter domain names are also easier to type and decipher.
Portmanteau. A portmanteau is a word that is constructed of a blend of words. For example, “brunch” is the combination of “breakfast” and “lunch.” Food companies excel at this, with companies like Manwich and Cinnabon using portmanteau’s as their names.
If you’re stuck on choosing a blog name, try combining two names that relate to your niche and create your own portmanteau.
Rhyming. Rhymes are popular yet memorable, so don’t be afraid to keep your blog name simple with a basic rhyme.
Ultimately, you don’t have to rely on literary devices when choosing a blog name. However, they can make the naming process much easier if you’re stuck.
5. Use Your Own Name
Another option you can consider for picking a name is to simply blog under your own name.
There are several advantages to this strategy. For starters, if you have a fairly unique name, you can probably register that domain for a fairly cheap amount. If your exact name is taken, you can always append “blog” or a keyword relating to your niche to the end of your domain name.
Additionally, if you want to make money with freelancing or selling services, using your own name helps with branding your freelance business.
For example, RyRob.com, a blog by Ryan Robinson, helps people start their own online business. However, it also has a “work with me” section where you can hire Ryan as a consultant. Overall, when you visit the blog the first time, you immediately understand that it’s a professional blog and that Ryan is the guy in charge.
The main downside to this blog naming strategy is that your niche isn’t immediately apparent to readers. Plus, if your last name is difficult to spell, you might want to consider another type of name.
Related: How to Make Money Freelance Blogging
6. Combine Your Niche Plus One Word
This is one of my favorite strategies for choosing a blog name because it’s simple yet incredibly brandable and memorable. The idea here is to choose a blog name that includes your primary niche and either a noun or adjective.
For example, if your niche was soccer, you could choose blog names like:
- Soccer Stardom
- Soccer Radar
- Soccer Monkey
This is also a nice opportunity to mix in other ideas, such as literary devices, into your naming structure. Or even show off your personality a bit. The name Soccer Monkey could make for a fun and memorable logo.
Blog Naming Mistakes to Avoid
There are several sneaky mistakes new bloggers sometimes make when choosing their blog name, so double-check you haven’t committed the same errors!
1. Embarrassing Names
Sometimes, separate words can become a lot more embarrassing when you combine them in a domain name without any spaces.
This list from Bored Panda shows some of the funniest, albeit embarrassing, domain names that have been registered.
Examples include “IT Scrap” and “Speed of Art” – normally great names, but not quite right when you combine them into a domain name!
2. Competing With Existing Brands
Another naming mistake that can make life more difficult is choosing a blog name that competes with an existing brand or product.
When you choose a blog name, Google that name and look through a few pages of results to see if any companies or products share a name. If you find companies with different domain names but your exact blog name as their company or product, you might be asking for potential legal trouble down the line if they have a trademark.
If you’re deadset on your name, you can search for trademarks through the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the World Intellectual Property Organization’s trademark database.
I once had a site where a common misspelling of the URL went to a porn site. Obviously, not something I had intended when I chose the name!
3. Using A Spammy TLD
According to Techopedia, a top-level domain, or TLD, is “the last segment of a domain name, or the part that follows immediately after the “dot” symbol.”
The most popular TLDs include .com, .org, .net, .gov, and .edu. Chances are, most of the websites you visit end with .com or one of these TLDs.
However, there are plenty of other TLDs out there, including ones like:
- .co
- .xyz
- .io
- .review
- .link
If you choose a blog name but find that the popular TLDs are taken, you might be tempted to use a less popular TLD so you can keep the name.
However, according to SEMRush, this can have a negative impact on your website because certain TLDs are associated with spammy websites and may discourage savvy readers from clicking on your blog in search results. Overtime, this can hurt your SEO efforts and result in less traffic to your blog.
Google states that their systems treat TLDs the same and that keywords don’t impact SEO. However, it’s still better safe than sorry, and sticking with .com is your best bet unless you only write about content in a specific country outside the United States.
Plus if you go with something other than .com you'll constantly have to remind people that it's not a .com.
That said, I do appreciate a different TLD when it's something clever. For example, I love Brain.fm — which plays music for your brain. So clever!
Conclusion
Starting your own blog is undoubtedly a passion project. After all, no one could stay up late, hammering away at their next blog post, without having a love for the topic they're writing about.
Considering how deeply attached you can become with your blog over time, it’s important to choose a blog name that you’re proud to tell people about.
Just remember, paralysis by analysis is a real threat here. Take time to brainstorm blog names and pick carefully, but don’t let the decision-making process prevent you from ever hitting publish.
