Starting a blog is equally exciting and dread-inducing.
Once you have purchased a domain name and handled your hosting, you finally have the challenge of picking a blog name.
Blog names are tricky because they can launch your blog to notoriety or keep you in search engine limbo.
Picking the right blog name for your blog is the most important step in launching your new page.
In this post, we help you understand why blog names are so important, the best practices to have when picking a blog name, and the mistakes you should avoid.
Why Are Blog Names Important?
No matter what you’re writing- recipes, reviews, news, or personal stories- your blog is a brand.
It’s not as big as McDonald’s or Target, but it’s a brand nonetheless.
Choosing the right blog name is essential to brand yourself and your online business.
Additionally, your blog name will determine your ranking online.
Some names are harder for search engines to rank and are less likely to be found on page one or two.
This makes it harder for you to attract an audience.
The right blog name will draw in readers because it will allude to what is in the blog.
It is easy to brand and has an open domain and social media handle.
This is why it is important to pick a good blog name.
It can take time, but it is not an impossible task.
Finding the right blog name can be frustrating, especially for new bloggers.
This is why we wrote this simple guide to help you select the perfect blog name quickly.
How Do I Title My Blog?
Picking a title for your blog is an intricate process.
You will need to settle on a niche, a blog name, a domain, and a brand for your blog.
This process can take time if you haven’t thought too deeply about launching your blog.
However, we want to help you pick a title for your blog in a few hours.
How Do I Brand My Blog?
Branding your blog starts with picking the right blog name.
This name will tie into your blogging niche and make it easier for you to market your blog.
You can choose to pick a personal name or a business name for your blog.
Using a Personal Name for a Blog
Many people choose to name their blog after themselves.
This is often a good idea for those who already have significant social media influence, celebrities, or authorities in a specific niche.
However, new bloggers who are unsure of their niche or want to blog about their daily lives can choose to name their blogs after themselves.
If your name, or a variation of it, has an open domain, you can choose it to be your blog name.
You can also choose to write anonymously.
Using a real or anonymous name is a personal choice and it depends a lot on your goals for the blog.
One key thing to note when it comes to personal names is that they may be too common to fit an effective branding strategy.
If your name is too common, has many different spelling options, and/or has many other blogs with similar variations, it may not be a good blog name pick.
Using a Business Name for a Blog
If you already have a successful business, it may be better to name your blog after it.
Of course, this is only possible if the blog and business are in the same niche.
It is much easier to add a blog to an existing business with social media pages than to launch a whole new business.
You can also choose a business name if you plan to build an online brand using your blog.
This is especially beneficial for those who have settled on a specific niche and want to build a business using their blog.
Another great candidate for using a business name would be those wishing to remain anonymous.
A business name can help you stay anonymous online, even as your brand grows if you are careful.
Questions To Ask Yourself
As you pick your blog name, there are several key questions you must ask yourself:
Who is the Target Audience?
Who do you want to reach?
Your answer should not be the entire internet.
It cannot also be a vague large group like women, teens, or men.
Broad audiences often mean that your blog won’t stand out from the hundreds of thousands of others with the same target audience.
Ask yourself what content you will share on your blog.
Then, figure out who would read that.
Is it a single dad?
Or a motherless teen girl?
It could be a celebrity gossip lover or people who want delicious vegan recipes.
Your target audience can be international students far from home or 12th-century history buffs.
You may find that you are uncertain of your target audience because you have a wide niche or will simply share your daily life.
Don’t worry, the next question will help you narrow it down.
What is the Goal of the Blog?
Even if you are starting your blog as a hobby, there is a goal to blogging.
Are you blogging to vent about your life as a fast-food chain worker?
Or maybe you want to share controversial opinions on political happenings in your country so you can educate your peers.
Picking a goal for your blog will make it easy for you to brand yourself and grow your blog.
If you are struggling with identifying your target audience then your goal will narrow that down for you.
With your goal for blogging in mind, you can now build a vision.
What Do I See the Blog Growing Into?
Visualize the future of your blog so you can find a way to actualize the vision.
You may want to become an acclaimed fashion reviewer going to fashion shows across the world.
Or to become an authority in the field of artificial intelligence.
Your blog could be the place to go for fast, easy, and healthy recipes.
Having a future goal will help you brand, strategize and grow towards it.
Do I Want To Copy What’s Working Or Be Unique?
Most bloggers start out wanting to be unique and break the internet.
However, this is not always possible or even a good goal depending on your niche.
If you are trying to build a brand, you may want to make the blueprint work for you.
On the other hand, you can also build a brand by doing what others have never done before.
That is the spirit of innovation and it could take you to the top.
Depending on your target audience, goal, and growth strategy, you can choose to use the blogging blueprint or cause waves.
How Long Should a Blog Name Be?
A rule of thumb in the blogging world is one to three words.
This is why many blogs are named after people.
Anything longer is usually hard to remember and thus difficult to search for on search engines.
Catchy phrases are better than full sentences so you can choose to go with that.
Alliteration and a play with words on common sayings can also work.
But try to remain within the one to three-word range.
How Do I Choose a Brand Name?
When choosing your brand, you want to find something that is:
- Meaningful: If it is meaningful to you then it will be easier for you to communicate the essence of your brand to your audience.
This in turn cultivates a positive emotional connection between you and your readers. - Distinct: To be remembered, you have to stand out.
Choosing a distinctive brand name will make it unique, giving you an edge over other blogs in the same niche. - Relatable: Don’t strive for uniqueness to the point of making it hard to access your blog.
Make your brand name easy to spell, say, and Google.
Its distinctiveness should not undermine its accessibility. - Protectable: Your brand should be legally yours.
Not just to make it easier to make a profit but to ensure no one can claim that profit.
Be sure you can get a domain name and own the brand name both online and offline. - Forward-planning: You want to grow your company and maintain relevance and authenticity throughout the years.
Your brand name is a key detail in the longevity of your business. - Design-proof: Your brand will need icons, logos, colors, images, and more.
Choose a brand name that can be visually translated easily to make it simpler to design graphics for it.
Brand Components to Consider
As you start to make and implement a brand strategy, here are some key brand components to consider for your blog:
Blog Title (Brand Name)
Your blog title becomes your brand name.
This is how you will be known by your audience and anyone who searches for you.
Pick a meaningful, memorable, and unique name.
You can search for it in databases to ensure it has not been claimed by anyone already.
Whether it’s a nickname, your name, a pen name, or a company name, ensure it will be easy to visualize and trademark.
URL (Blog Domain Name)
Your domain name does not have to be your blog name.
However, it will be easier for your audience to find you if the URL and blog title match up.
Pick a domain that is free to use and has not been previously claimed.
Domain sites will let you know if the URL is available or not.
The Tagline of the Company
Your tagline should be memorable and meaningful.
It should reach into the heart of what your blog and brand are about.
Make it short and relatable.
Brand Guidelines and Logo
As you build your blog, visualize what you want people to see when they hear about you.
The logo will stay consistent throughout everything you put out and on all social media platforms.
Ensure that it is easy to design and scale across multiple channels and platforms as your business expands.
Target Audience and Brand Voice
Your brand voice is how your blog will sound across all digital platforms.
Are you encouraging?
Humorous?
Firm?
Questioning?
Whatever brand voice you choose should reach your target audience.
It should express your brand’s vision and mission clearly.
Where to Get Blog Name Ideas
Now that you are equipped to select a blog name, here are a few places you can find ideas:
1. Look at the Competition
Find other blogs in your niche and use them to brainstorm ideas.
If you’re writing a young mom’s blog then look at other mom blog names.
This will help get your creative juices flowing.
2. Do Keyword Research
Many sites have free keyword research tools.
This will let you compare results on various options for blog names you have.
You can choose to pick the one with better SEO results.
3. Get Creative
There are many other ways to get a blog name.
Taking a walk, alliteration, social media, and more are ways to tickle your creativity.
If you are still stuck, AI writing software can help you create a catchy phrase to use as a blog name.
Blog Name Generators
A blog name generator is an online tool that will automatically give you blog name ideas based on the keywords you provide it.
It’s a great way to get a blog name when all you have is a few words, a phrase, or a topic.
It will offer you several options and you can pick the best one for you.
You can also put in other keywords and generate more names until you find one you like.
How Do I Choose a Blog Name Generator?
You can rarely go wrong with any blog name generator.
In fact, the more you use, the more ideas you have.
However, be sure to pick one with a legitimate secure site.
Do not pay to have your generated blog name results.
Also, try two or three generators and get the best recommendations from each to choose from.
Nameboy
As the oldest domain name generator, Nameboy has a lot of data to generate for you a unique name.
They are trusted by many and provide good results.
Wordoid
Wordoid promises to give you short, catchy business names.
Reviewers say that it delivers on this promise.
It does have a lot of ads though.
DomainWheel
DomainWheel gives you many blog name options and there are no ads on the site.
They also have an informative blog that helps you on your journey toward building your brand.
Panabee
If you want simple blog name ideas, Panabee is the site to use.
They offer suggestions if your preferred name is taken, and the site is user-friendly.
NameStation
NameStation is a blog anime generator that has a beautiful interface.
They do need you to create an account before you can even get suggestions.
Zyro Business Name Generator
This AI-powered domain name generator also offers many other tools to help you launch and manage your blog.
Zyro Business Name Generator is a fantastic option for those who want to launch a powerful online brand.
Namify
Namify offers blog names and a free logo service.
They will also check social media platforms to ensure that the name is available.
Lean Domain Search
A simplistic and quick blog name generator, Lean Domain Search will also help you find an available domain within seconds.
What to Avoid When Choosing a Blog Name
Here are a few mistakes to avoid when picking a blog name:
1. Being Too Broad With Your Name
This can lead to low ranking on search engines.
It will also make your blog less unique and much easier to confuse.
A broad name also makes it harder to trademark and find a domain as most obvious names already have domains.
2. Being Too Specific With Your Name
Being ultra-specific may make it harder for your audience to find you.
Don’t include hyphens or hard-to-spell words.
Picking a name in your niche is a good idea, but don’t narrow it down to the point that it’s hard to find.
3. Not Thinking About Future Scaling
Your blog may start as a hobby or a side hustle, but it could grow to become your primary source of income.
Keep this in mind while you select your blog name.
You may have to think about copywriting a name to protect your intellectual property.
Pick your blog name with the thought that success will follow.
4. Not Thinking About Potentially Selling Your Blog
Life happens and brings with it change.
You may want to start a new brand or need money and therefore have to sell your blog.
Make sure you choose a blog name that you can part with if the need arises.
Wrapping Up
Picking a blog name is an intensive but rewarding task.
With the proper knowledge, vision, and tools, you can have your ideal blog name in a few hours.
Focus on choosing a name that showcases your authentic voice while making it easy for your audience to find you.
Read more on how to come up with a blog name to help you get blog name ideas.
