In this post you will learn how to choose a name for your blog, get inspiration for a list of blog name ideas, and avoid making a mistake that is hard to reverse.
You may not believe me, but I have good news about getting your blog on the map. Good news, and even better news.
We have all struggled to create our first blog or even increase traffic. And every guru has loads of smarts to offer.
There are tips, howtos, and tutorials that will help you create your blog, but there is one thing you must do before you do anything else.
Come up with a creative or inspiring name for your blog.
Sounds easy? Not if you want to do it right.
Without the right approach, name selection can be overwhelming, frustrating and exhausting. And coming up with blog name ideas can be extremely challenging.
I know, naming your blog sounds simple, but coming up with the “ideal” name is hard. In fact, it takes careful planning and preparation.
You can easily screw it up, hurting your chances for success. But, if you do it right, your blog can easily become the talk of your niche.
So let’s take a look at how you can choose the right blog name and be on the road to success…
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All The Good Blog Names Are NOT Taken
With over 170 million Tumblr and 75 million WordPress blogs in existence worldwide you might think that there are no more great names to be had, but you are wrong.
There are 1,025,109 words in the English language, presenting you with an almost infinite number of possibilities.
Most great blogs have not even been named yet.
Many of the easy names are taken, but that will not stop you from coming up with a great name.
(Hint: Take a look at this blog. Will you ever forget Mad Lemmings?)
There are tons of awesome names waiting for you to grab them. So don’t let everyone tell you otherwise.
Respect The Task At Hand
Coming up with the right name will take time. So don’t rush through it.
You will not come up with the right name during your lunch break. And as you probably can imagine, large corporations spend millions of dollars when they try to launch a new brand name.
I hear you. You are not a huge corporation.
But, that should not stop you from coming up with a super name for your blog.
If you do it right, you can come up with a million dollar name.
Let me show you how.
How To Choose A Successful Blog Name
1. Start With a List of Blog Names
You should make a list which will be part of your initial brainstorming.
Answer the following questions as you come up with your list:
- What niche are you after?
- What problems are you solving for your audience?
- What adjective and nouns best describe your niche?
- What images come to mind when you think of your niche?
- Is it important to use my own name?
All of the above questions are important. Answering them will give you a foundation move on to the next step.
2. Avoid Trends
They come and go, but, hopefully, your blog is here to stay. Evergreen content is valuable to bloggers, and so is an evergreen blog name.
A trendy name might be cool today and outdated a year from now. So don’t just follow the cool kids.
Let me give you an example, “gluten free” is a current trend. A few years from now most people will be over gluten free and have moved onto a newer trend. If you name your blog about a trend you will be dropped just as quickly as trends are. Avoid them, and go for something longer lasting.
3. Think About It As A Business
Although you “might” just be starting a blog for fun, or even to make money, in the end it could be your next online business.
I know Mad Lemmings was not started as a business, Ashley just wanted to learn about blogging and online marketing. Now look at it.
There are so many online business ideas you should think about and seriously consider when you are starting your blog. And it is certainly worth keeping them in mind for the long term. Both in terms of how you can make money, but also for the sake of the name.
4. Don’t Do It For SEO
It used to be that if you included your target keywords in your domain name you had a better chance to rank for those very same keywords.
As a result, many people ended up with some really dumb looking domains. They didn’t care if there were hyphens or numbers as long as they’ve got their keywords squeezed in there somehow.
Do not name your blog based on SEO. If you build a great blog, you don’t need it.
One more very important thing about SEO domains, they make for a lousy brand name. After all, what you really want is to build a brand.
So think more about branding and uniqueness, and don’t go for the same old.
Pro Tip:
Learn more about choosing the right keywords for your website and achieving amazing SEO results.
5. Look At Expired Domains
Somebody might have already done it for you and came up with a great domain name. If they let it expire, it can be yours. I have been using a website called Justdropped for years to look for expired domain names. This site can help you search for and find some amazing domain names. Even though the website allows you to search for all kinds of domain extensions, I am only interested in .com domains. I believe that, at least in the US (or for global companies), .com is still the strongest website name you can have. I have done a test search for domain names that are 15 characters or less and start with “travel”. I have received 57 results. Does this mean that you will use one of these expired domains? Maybe, but most likely not. The point I am trying to make here is about learning. Read through the domains. Think about which ones you like and why. Which one draws your attention?
6. Create New Words For Your Blog
A creative way to come up with great blog name ideas is by combining words or word snippets. There are some great tools you can use to create new words:
- unique-names.com – This site gives you an opportunity to enter up to 5 words and mix-and-match. I have entered the following words: travel, cheap, top, help, and smart. The result is over 40 two and three syllable words.
- namemesh.com – Using the same five words I have used on the above site, I have received over 100 possible blog names. Namemesh also checks if domain name is available.
- dotomator.com – I like dotomator for its simplicity and it also checks domain name availability.
- bustaname.com – This one is similar to the ones listed above with a bit different user interface.
Give them a try and see what great name ideas it might spark for you.
7. Consider Spelling and Pronunciation, Carefully
Before you finally decide on a name make sure you consider spelling. Words like acceptable, believe, conscious, and definitely, are a few examples of frequently misspelled words (“misspell” is one of them :). Check out the 100 most often misspelled words. If your blog’s name contains a word that is frequently mispronounced, it will hurt your word of mouth marketing efforts. Check out the 100 most often mispronounced words, and try to avoid them.
8. Run a Trademark Search To Be Sure
Don’t get too excited if you have found a name that you really like. Even if you don’t plan on trademarking your name, do a trademark search. If the domain name you want has been trademarked, it is best to avoid it. You can do a trademark search on The United States Patent and Trademark Office. A trademark search could save you a lot of money on trademark litigation down the road. [thrive_leads id=’12747′]
9. Make a Quick Logo
It is important to see what your name will look like on paper (or the web).
You can easily create a quick logo for your favorite two or three names and see what looks best.
I really like this free logo creator tool.
If you don’t want to design it yourself, hire someone at fiverr or one of the many freelancer marketplaces.
10. Test It Out
Hopefully you will find at least two or three names that you like using some of the above ideas.
Because domain names are so cheap to register, I recommend that you register your finalists. But, before you make your final decision test the names.
You can run some Adwords or Facebook ads to see which names best connect with your target readers. Yes, it will cost you a little bit of money, but it is money well spent.
Reach out to your target customers and ask them what they think about your name.
Ask questions like:
- When you read the name of my blog what do you think it is about?
- Is it easy to pronounce?
- What does it remind you of?
- What do you like about it?
- What do you dislike about?
Do you confuse it with any other names?
Do not explain. Listen. You job here is not to convince people to like the name, but to hear what they have to say.
You can also try A/B split testing.
There is no substitute for finding out how the real world responds.
11. Make a Decision
While it is important to find the right name, it is even more important to make a decision. Set yourself a deadline and stick to it.
If it takes you longer than 30 days to come up with a name, you are wasting your time.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully the above blog name ideas have helped you understand what you need to do and how you need to do it.
Naming your blog is the first step among the many that will determine whether or not you will succeed.
If you want to be a professional blogger, take it seriously from day one.
Although you don’t want to drag your feet too long, but you shouldn’t rush into it either.
Your carefully selected name will be the first key action you take in order to set you apart from other bloggers.
