How To Pick A Blog Name You Won’t Regret

Your blog’s name is the first impression you make with your blog. Because your blog’s name will also be your domain, you want something easy to type in the search bar and available for registration.

Let me guide you through the process of finding the perfect blog name for you, and share my best tips along the way!

The Basic Domain Rules

1. the dot com

The extension of your domain should be .com. It’s the most memorable extension, and you want people to easily remember your domain. A .net is not ideal.

The only exception to this is if you’re from a specific location, say the UK, and you want to mainly target a UK-based audience. Having a .co.uk extension will make your site show up higher in UK-based google searches. Of course, the downside to this is that you won’t be ranking as well with any other demographic. Personally I would go for a .com even if I were based in the UK.

2. dashes and numbers

A second basic rule of thumb is not to use dashes or numbers in your domain.

Numbers can sound good and memorable — think Refinery29 or 99 Designs — but for personal blogs, it’s harder to pull off.

Dashes, on the other hand, are never a good idea. They’re like a hiccup in your domain name. Say your domain name out loud.  You want something memorable that rolls off your tongue easily.

Blog Name = Domain

Another thing I often witness is the double-blog-name. This happens when you start your blog on blogspot.com and when you finally decide to switch to your own .com domain, it’s not available. Bummer! So you keep your blog’s name, but you pick a different domain.

Don’t do it!

Don’t stick to a blog name that’s different from your domain.

It’s confusing and throws any new visitor off. If your dream domain is already taken, find something else. Rebrand yourself! You’ve got this!

Some Ideas For You

No matter what blog name you decide on, keep in mind that it should give your readers an idea of what your blog’s about, or at least of the essence of your blog and/or personality.

Here are some ideas of how you can achieve that.

1. Use Your Name

Consider using your first name as part of your domain.

It makes it more personal and brandable, and you’ll also have an easier time finding something that isn’t taken. Examples:

• Vivianna Does Makeup
• Deliciously Ella
• Shirley’s Wardrobe
• What Olivia Did

All have something that gives you an idea of their interests or better yet: their personality.

2. The Two-Word Trick

Another good idea for a brandable blog name is the 2-word trick, using the theme of your blog along with an adjective (or whatever else) to better describe it. Examples:

• Makeup Magpie
• Beautycrush
• Design Sponge
• Sprouted Kitchen
• Minimalist Baker

The 2-word trick can be done with just about anything; you don’t have to include words like “makeup” or “fashion” and it might be a better idea to find something less generic.

The important part is that it’s brandable, easy to remember, and relevant to your blog. (Keep reading and I’ll show you my trick for this!)

3. Unique Expressions

Also think outside the two-word box. An expression can be a unique and brandable name for your blog. Examples:

• Pinch Of Yum
• Oh She Glows
• Into The Gloss
• French By Design
• Good Design Makes Me Happy

4. Just Add “The”

Similarly, try adding “the” in front of your domain. Getting a domain name that starts with “the” doesn’t make it sound bad and can even benefit your brand. Examples:

• The Little Foxes
• The Holy Kale
• The Lovecats Inc

5. Harder To Pull Off

Purposeful misspellings might seem like a cute idea, but they’re usually not. It’s something to brainstorm around, but it’s harder. One example that’s cute and memorable is milkteef.

Puns and plays on words are also hard to pull off. Kayture and GOOP are some examples that hit the mark.

Get Inspired!

Let’s recap.

Your blog’s name should be:

1. Memorable
2. Easy to say out loud
3. Available as a .com
4. Brandable and/or relevant to your subject
5. Short, or at least not too long

Now, brainstorm your ass off until you find something cool that you like.

Write down all the general topics you want to cover on your blog, like “beauty”, “fashion”, “food”, “health”, “lifestyle”, “travel”, and so on.

Then get more and more specific.

If you’re into makeup, do you like product reviews? Are you good at application techniques and will you share a lot of looks? Do you like drugstore or high-end stuff? All these things are a reflection of what your blog will be.

Once you know what your main theme or themes are going to be, brainstorm some more. Write down vibes that you want your blog to give, words that describe your personality and style, things you like.

The Best Trick I Know

The problem with finding a good blog domain name is that all the good ones are taken, damn it! But I have a method to go around this and simplify the process.

What To Do

1_ Go to bustaname.com (opens in new window) and select “domain search” at the top.

2_ Type in some cool words you can picture in your domain name. A list of available domain names based on those words will appear.

3_ Out of word ideas? Click the arrow next to your words. There’s a built-in thesaurus that suggests synonyms. Click relevant ones to add them to your list.

4_ Want more ideas? At the bottom, check “the”. You can also go for “my” if you like the sound of it, but I prefer “the”.

5_ Found something you like? Look up the domains you like to make sure they haven’t been recently registered. This is my favorite place to look up domains.

In my example, I wanted a fashion and lifestyle blog for a girl who’s into bohemian style. I was pretty happy with “bohodream.com”. Then I checked “the” for more options, and found “thenomadheart.com” which I also like.

In Conclusion

I hope these tips will help you find an available domain you’re excited about! No matter what you end up choosing, the most important thing is that you’re happy with it.

Remember to keep it simple, memorable, and unique. Your blog’s name is your brand. Also remember to keep your options open; you might have to come up with dozens of domains before you find one that hasn’t been taken.

Get inspired, get creative, use the above tips, and you’ll be on your way to finding the perfect name for your blog!