What’s in a name?
When it comes to content marketing, selecting the right blog name from the very beginning can often mean the difference between success and failure.
After all, this is the moniker that your audience knows you by and how they identify what your blog is all about.
Much like selecting a name for your business, picking one that conveys as much information as possible is always a good idea.
Here are a few tips on how to come up with a blog name and why it matters.
What to Consider When Choosing an Original Blog Name
Choosing the right blog name requires a fair amount of consideration, but it isn’t an impossible task.
Rather, it is something you want to give enough thought to that you don’t make too quick of a decision. But it shouldn’t be very hard to do, either.
➤ Start by thinking about the niche you’re in and how you want to relate to your audience.
Is there a specific term that makes sense for the topic you’ll be covering in your posts or an angle that you want to take?
For example, if you’re starting a cooking blog with a bit of a sassy attitude, then something like The Grouchy Gourmet would make sense.
➤ You’ll also want to include descriptive terms that relate to the type of content you’re offering.
In the idea we just shared with you, the term gourmet signifies that food or cooking is somewhere involved.
Using certain keywords or buzzwords that surround your niche is always a good idea.
➤ Finally, you need to ensure that the name isn’t already taken.
Doing a quick Google search coupled with a domain check can give you a good idea if someone else is already using it.
This is a really important step, as copyright and trademark infringement violations can be a mega hassle after you’ve already started your blog.
How to Come Up With a Blog Name? 10 Essential Tips
If you’re still wondering what else you need to know when it relates to how to come up with a blog name, we’ve got you covered.
Here are ten essential tips to help you through the process:
1. Really Think About Your Ideal Reader
Choosing the right name for your blog really hinges on what your ideal reader relates to.
Since this is your entire purpose for starting a blog in the first place, this should be the first place you start before moving forward with your chosen site name.
Why?
Your audience’s likes, needs, and preferences are their whole reason for visiting your website.
As an example, if a term you use is somewhat off-putting to their specific demographic, then they might not be as apt to come back to see future posts.
If you’re not sure exactly who your audience is and why they might care about your blog, it is a good idea to complete a buyer persona describing who you envision as a target reader.
2. Consider Your Niche
In addition to thinking about your audience, it is important to consider your niche.
Is the topic you’re covering super saturated, incredibly unique, or somewhere in the middle?
Think about those terms that are maybe widely known and sound good together that might work well for your blog name.
You can also do a bit of research and see how your competitors have named their blogs.
Do they use a lot of adjectives or niche jargon? If so, make sure you’re not settling on a theme that’s overdone or too close to what they offer.
3. Think About Your Entire Brand
Choosing a good blog name is about more than just the words themselves.
Instead, it is important to remember that this is going to be a key factor in brand recognition for your entire website.
Elements that coordinate with your blog name to create your bigger overall brand include your logo, font choices, voice, tone, and messaging.
Try to choose a name that goes with your entire vision for these pieces of your overall website.
Likewise, maybe you want your blog name to be ironic or humorous for the theme. In that case, you would choose a moniker that stands out dramatically from the rest of your details.
4. Use Alliteration
From the time we’re little kids learning nursery rhymes, we’re taught that alliteration is both catchy and easy to keep top of mind.
Remember she sells seashells by the seashore?
When naming your blog, you can use words with the same first letter to help your readers remember who you are.
Need an example?
Something like The Millionaire Mentor would be a good choice for a financial services blog or Friends of Fido for a pet-themed website.
As a side note, make sure you say this aloud a few times to ensure it rolls off the tongue and is fairly easy for most people to understand what topic your page is about.
5. Utilize Abbreviations
Sometimes, finding the right blog name means getting a little creative with shortening specific terms or using abbreviations.
While coming up with the right name is simple, finding a domain that matches can sometimes make the process a little more complicated.
In this case, common variations that your audience would understand are a better idea.
As an example, think about a blog called Staycations in St. Louis.
If this wasn’t available, you could shorten the domain to something like www.staycationsstl.com.
As you can tell, the meaning is still the same and generally corresponds with a widely recognized abbreviation for the metropolitan area.
6. Avoid Negative or Controversial Terms
When your audience comes to your blog, they’re generally looking for knowledgeable and informative posts about your chosen topic.
Likewise, depending on your niche, they might also want to read your posts as a form of entertainment.
Thus, it is important to skip any negative or controversial terms if you can when naming your blog.
Again, the only time this would be appropriate is if that’s the angle you’re taking with your overall message.
Also, think hard about how any terms could be perceived as scandalous or controversial in the future.
While all press is good press in the digital marketing world, you don’t want to put yourself in a position where all the effort you’ve put into starting a blog goes down the drain for nothing.
7. Repeat Your Own Name
Depending on whether you’re looking to be the face of your blog or not, you also have the option of using your own name as your blog name.
This is an easy way to ensure people connect you with your niche and the knowledge you provide.
It also helps when building a platform of trust, especially if you’re already a thought leader within your industry.
However, if you’re using others to come up with posts or as guest bloggers, make sure you have a plan to effectively annotate this for your audience.
When you use your name as the title of your website, you’re forever connecting who you are to the type of content you’re publishing.
8. Check the Thesaurus
Sometimes, you have the idea for a killer blog name, but it doesn’t fit exactly and you know you need a bit of reworking.
When this happens, don’t be afraid to check a thesaurus for inspiration and a large list of potential synonyms.
This is the best way to find an alternative for the word you wanted to use, but it was taken or didn’t fit in right with the topic of your blog.
You can even check for antonyms — i.e. words that have an opposite meaning of the one you’re looking up.
9. Use Puns and Humor
When it comes to naming your blog, using puns and humor is a great way to get your audience talking.
After all, a name that elicits a laugh or an emotional response is more likely to be memorable in the long run.
Your niche will likely have a lot to do with what you choose here, but consider including something cute and fun.
For example, Baking with a Beard would be great for a chef with killer facial hair or Will Run for Carbs for someone who is training for a marathon.
There are pretty much endless ways to incorporate memorable humor into your blog name. Just make sure it is a bit more on the evergreen side than simply trendy.
10. Try Out a Blog Name Generator
If you’re feeling really stuck, you can always opt to try out a blog or business name generator.
These handy little tools allow you to put in a few key terms or a theme, press a button, and see a whole list of potential domain names.
While we definitely advise putting more thought into your blog name than this, it can be a good way to narrow down what you like and don’t like when it comes to coming up with a final choice.
Wrap Up: Choosing the Right Name for Your Blog
So, how to come up with a blog name?
If you aren’t sure where to start, the ideas and tips we’ve included in this guide are a great place to start.
And if your blog has been around for a while and is an important part of your content strategy, how about evaluating your efforts so far?
Check out our content maturity assessment and discover where’s still room for improvement!
