How to Choose a Blog Name
Written by Casey Botticello
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I will receive a commission if you click through and make a purchase. For more information, read our full affiliate disclosure here.
Thinking of starting a blog? One of the hardest decisions prospective blog owners often face is coming up with a suitable name. Things like relevance, brand identity, and catchiness all come into focus.
Will people in your target audience find the intended name of your blog attractive? Is it a name that can grow with your brand? Are the possible choices easy to spell, pronounce, or be used in a sentence? Does the name you are thinking about accurately reflect the type of content and writing style that will be posted on the blog?
As you can see, there is plenty to think about before settling on a blog name. If you are stuck trying to find the perfect blog name, there are a few things you can do. First, it is important to do some research.
1. Focus on What’s Important to Your Target Audience
A good naming strategy is to look for words or phrases that highlight the main thing your target audience is interested in. Biz Tips Blog by Denise Wakeman, for example, is a blog that shares with its readers a variety of tips about making money from different types of businesses. In this case, the blog name clearly alludes to the needs of its intended audience – those looking for advice on how to set up a business and make money.
2. Research Your Niche
Finding your niche in a crowded industry is very important, and the right blog name can help to set you apart from the competition. That’s why fully understanding your niche should come before you launch your blog. What topics are the well-known bloggers in your industry writing about and how do they keep their audiences engaged? How will you make your blog and content different from what already exists? Are there any noticeable trends among the names of the blogs in your industry? Getting answers to these questions will not only help you with nailing down your niche, but it can also assist with narrowing down potential names for your blog.
3. Consider the Long-Term Goal for Your Brand
A great-sounding blog name today may not be so great a few years later if your blog or business expands. For example, a web developer may start a blog with a name focused on only CSS. Let’s say it’s called CSS Tips for Beginners. If, later on the blog owner starts creating content about JavaScript, Python, or other programming languages, that blog name would likely become obsolete. As such, it is a good idea to choose a name that will grow with your brand rather than something that only sounds catchy in the moment.
Another consideration when thinking about branding as a blog name strategy is if the domain contains relevant keywords. Keywords in blog domain names are not necessarily helpful where SEO ranking is concerned. However, a blog name with a keyword relevant to a user’s search intent will possibly get clicked over one that does not. If, for example, you are searching on Google for information related to physiotherapy, you would be drawn to clicking on domain results that have the word physiotherapy, health, medical, and other related words rather than ones that are vague.
Tactics for Picking a Blog Name
Once you have done some research, you should at least have an idea about the message you want your blog name to evoke when someone sees it for the first time. The next step is to actually create the name. Below are some tactics you can try.
Try a blog name generator.
If you are clueless as to how to go about formulating the blog name, a blog name generator might be worth a shot. These online tools allow you to enter keywords and phrases relevant to your target audience, niche, and main subject area of your blog. The results produced may just deliver a gem or two that can work. But even if you don’t find any suitable names, the results can be useful in sparking ideas that take you a step closer to finding a name that works. There are a number of popular blog name generators around, including Panabee, Business Name Generator, and Satori.
If you are considering to use a play on word for your blog name, ensure that it is not corny or gimmicky. At the end of the day, you still want readers to take your content seriously.
Some blogs and websites have names that don’t appear in any language – neither do they seem to have any real meaning – but have managed to become successful. Google is a very common example of this. If you want to try creating a new word or phrase for your blog name, it might be helpful to go for something that sounds similar to an actual expression. WhatsApp, for example, is based on the common phrase “What’s up,” while Skype was concocted from the technology phrase “sky peer-to-peer.”
Try a play on words.
A word play is naturally catchy and can help with attracting people to your blog. In fact, any well thought out word play could lead to a blog name that is unique, likeable, and has brand appeal. A word play is a literary device that combine words in a witty, humorous, or clever way. Some of the most popular play on words include:
- Puns – using words in a clever way to generate various meanings often for humorous effect such as “the patient doctor”
- Alliteration – several words starting with the same letter such as “Good Guy” or “Brides By Bianca”
- Acronyms – abbreviated terms such as “STEM,” “NYC,” or “Brexit”
If you are considering to use a play on word for your blog name, ensure that it is not corny or gimmicky. At the end of the day, you still want readers to take your content seriously.
Use your own name.
If you are starting a blog for your personal brand, it might be a good idea to simply use your own name, a variation of it, or a nickname. This is actually a common practice among people who start blogs as a way to showcase their expertise or provide certain services. Many influencers and individual content marketers, for instance, use their full names, parts of their names, or a nickname. Well-known examples include Neil Patel, David Risley, and Gary Vaynerchuck. If choosing this route, the domain might be unavailable if your name is a common one. In this case, you can try a shortened version of your name.
Go for a completely made-up word.
Some blogs and websites have names that don’t appear in any language – neither do they seem to have any real meaning – but have managed to become successful. Google is a very common example of this. If you want to try creating a new word or phrase for your blog name, it might be helpful to go for something that sounds similar to an actual expression. WhatsApp, for example, is based on the common phrase “What’s up,” while Skype was concocted from the technology phrase “sky peer-to-peer.”
Consult a thesaurus.
You might have an idea about the kind of name you want to use for your blog name, but the words are failing you. A good thesaurus or dictionary could be just what you need. Whether you leaf through a physical thesaurus or use one of the online versions, you will likely come across words that you either never heard of before or forgot about. Who knows, an appropriate word may just connect with the overall idea for your blog.
Conclusion
Coming up with a great blog name may seem difficult at first. But it can be made easier with diligent research and by following useful naming tactics, as outlined above. Learn more about blogging by checking out our blogging tools, blogging platform reviews, or comprehensive guides on blogging topics.
