So you want to create a blog? Itโs easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of starting your own blogging business and all the things involved with it. Before you can start a blog though, youโll need to decide on a blog name.
You might have an idea or know exactly what you want to name your blog. Or maybe you havenโt had that lightbulb moment of figuring out the perfect blog name yet. You could spend months trying to figure out what to name your blog.
So many options! How will you ever decide on the right blog name? You canโt just call your blog whatever catchy name pops into your head. There are several important things to consider when naming your blog.
A blogโs name is an important part of your branding. It should be easy to remember, pronounce, and spell. You want a name that can grow with you and your blog. You also need to make sure the blog name you want to use is available!
In this blog naming guide, Iโm going to walk you through the steps of choosing the best name for your blog. And then Iโm going to show you how to get your matching domain name. These are the first steps for starting your own blog. Ready to get started?
10 STEPS FOR CHOOSING THE BEST BLOG NAME
First things first. To figure out what to name your blog, you first need to decide on a blog niche and topics. So for the sake of this post and the steps to choose your blog name, Iโm going to assume you already know what youโre going to be blogging about.
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1. Write down the words that come to mind when you think about your blog niche, your brand, and the topics you want to write about.
2. Write down the words that describe what you do and what youโre trying to accomplish with your blog.
3. Who is your target audience? Get specific, and write down words that describe your target audience.
4. Write down combinations of 2-3 words from the groups of words in steps #1-3 above.
5. Write down combinations of your actual name with 1-2 words from the groups of words in steps #1-3 above.
6. Choose your top 5-10 favorite word combinations from the groups above in steps #4 & 5, and write them down.
7. Ask yourself if your top 5-10 favorite word combinations from step #6 above meet the following criteria:
โข Fairly short (2-3 words)?
โข Easy to pronounce
โข Easy to spell out?
โข Memorable?
8. Out of your top 5-10 favorite word combinations that met the above criteria in step #7, follow these final steps:
โข Use TMSearch.USPTO.gov to make sure the name is not already a registered Trademark.
โข Use Namecheap.com to check if the name is available for a domain name (make sure .com is available!).
Find a domain starting at $0.88
powered by Namecheap
โข Use Namechk.com to check if the name is available for social media profile usernames.
9. Write down all the word combinations that made it through step #8 above.
10. Choose your favorite word combination from step #9 above to use for your blog name!
GETTING A MATCHING DOMAIN NAME
Now that youโve chosen your blog name, you need to use it to get a domain name for your blog. Your domain name will be the URL address for your blog website. Youโll also use it for your email address and social media accounts.
Some hosting providers will include domain names with their hosting plans. Or they may sell domain names as an add-on to their web hosting.
I originally had my blog with WordPress.com and also purchased my domain name with WordPress.com out of convenience.
But when I converted my blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org with my own hosting, I had to also transfer my domain name. That was a bit of a pain.
Thatโs why I recommend keeping your domain name separate from your hosting (whether thatโs with WordPress.com or a different hosting provider).
It may seem easier to keep your domain name and hosting together. But keeping them separate will make things easier down the road.
For example, if you ever want to change hosting providers or move your WordPress.com site to a self-hosted WordPress.org site as I did. That way you wonโt have to go through the hassle of moving your domain name too.
When it came time to decide which domain registrar I wanted to transfer my domain name from WordPress.com to, I chose Namecheap based on their affordability and the fact that they include domain privacy protection for FREE!
Other domain registrars charge extra for that service. So I love that Namecheap includes domain privacy protection at no extra charge!
You may also like: How to Convert Your WordPress.com Site to a Self-Hosted WordPress.org Site
HOW TO PURCHASE A DOMAIN NAME WITH NAMECHEAP
Find a domain starting at $0.88
powered by Namecheap
To get started, use the handy domain name search widget above or visit Namecheapโs Domain Name Search. Ideally, you want a .com domain name. If the domain name you want is available (fingers crossed!), go ahead and add it to your cart, then checkout.
Namecheap will offer some add-ons, such as web hosting, an SSL certificate, email, etc. But I donโt recommend Namecheap for web hosting. I use and highly recommend SiteGround web hosting!
SiteGround includes free SSL certificates for all domains hosted on their shared plans along with an unlimited amount of free email accounts for your domain name (example: yourname@blognameexample.com). So you donโt need those additional services with Namecheap if you use SiteGround for your web hosting.
Once youโve confirmed your order and purchased your domain name with Namecheap, youโll get access to your Namecheap account dashboard with the details for your domain name. Namecheap makes it easy to manage your domain name.
If youโre planning on starting your own self-hosted WordPress blog (good choice!), youโll then need to purchase a web hosting plan and point your domain name from Namecheap to your web hosting provider. You can see how to do those HERE.
You may also like: The 60+ Best Blogging Tools You Need to Make You a Successful Blogger
WRAPPING UP HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST BLOG NAME
Now that youโve decided on a name for your blog and purchased a matching domain name, youโve completed the first step of starting your own blog. Congrats! You gotta start somewhere, right?
Next up, youโll want to purchase a web hosting plan, get WordPress installed, and choose your WordPress theme so you can start designing your blog. For the next steps to set up your blog, see How to Easily Start a Self-Hosted WordPress Blog in 5 Steps.
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I had a hard time choosing a blog name and ended up just choosing my name haha! I do want to get a domain soon though, and this has answered a lot of questions I had. Great post, really useful!
Ellie x // elliekblog.blogspot.co.uk
It can be challenging trying to figure out what blog name you should use and can delay the entire process of starting your own blog. Using your own name works! ๐ There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, there’s probably more of a chance that it’s available for a domain name and social media handles if you have a fairly unique name. Glad the post helped answer some questions you had about getting a domain name, Ellie!
Great post about choosing domain name. It will help newbie a lot. Thanks for sharing it.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, Sachin! I hope it helps newbie bloggers take the first step in starting their blogs.
Hey, theses are some great tips here! I just started my blogs 3-4 months ago on Blogger and I purchased a custom domain from Google Domains. Now, I want to transfer my domain from Blogger to WordPress. I was looking for hosting sites and the process to transfer my domain. Wish I had read this post before starting my blog. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! It’s not too late though. I actually started with a free WordPres.com blog and had my domain name there. But I eventually moved my blog to self-hosted WordPress.org with SiteGround web hosting [affiliate link] and transferred my domain name from WordPress.com to Namecheap [affiliate link]. I actually wrote a tutorial outlining the steps for How to Convert Your WordPress.com Site to a Self-Hosted WordPress.org Site. It may be a similar process for moving your blog from Blogger to WordPress. Hope it helps!