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Hello and Welcome to Day 3 of the start A Blog Free Email Course.
In today’s lesson, we’re going to be discussing how to select the perfect blog name, also called your domain name.
In yesterday’s lesson, we discussed what you’ll blog about in your blog business.
Once you have an idea of what you want to talk about in your blog, then you can brainstorm domain names or the name that you would like to call your blog.
Once you have the name, then you can decide which blog host to use. I recommend using Bluehost as a beginner for hosting your blog.
Before you start:
One thing that I want you to have in mind about your name is that it doesn’t matter that much.
What matters most is that you help people get the solutions that they’re looking for.
So, during this naming process, don’t let naming your blog business take up a lot of headspace or time.
Your blog name doesn’t affect the success of your blog and can be changed anyway, so it’s not worth stressing out over.
Things to Consider When Coming Up With An Original Blog Name
If you’re going to start a blog from scratch, you need to come up with a domain name.
So, what is a domain name, exactly?
A domain name is simply your blog’s name.
You may ask: Do I need a domain name?
Yes, you do need a domain name, just like you need a name so that people will remember you and be able to refer you to others.
Examples of domain names:
My domain name is thoughtsabove.com
Yours can be x(thenameyouprefer).com
Or, it could be stylingadventurescom, for example.
Do I pay for a domain name?
If so, how much does it cost to have a domain name?
This depends on a variety of things. If you start a blog with my link for Bluehost, you’ll be guaranteed to get a free domain name.
But, if you want to buy your domain from other companies like Name cheap or Go-Daddy, then you may need to pay a fee of $10- $25 per year to start with.
What are the characteristics of a good blog name?
- Go for something memorable and easy to remember in your domain name.
- Aim for short domain names around for 2 to 3 words.
Just to let you know, most (if not all) single-word domains are taken. I took so long to find a single word domain when I was starting out, but almost all the names I was coming with were taken.
Mine at the moment is two words: Thoughts Above.
- Avoid using numbers and hyphens. They are difficult to remember.
- Make it easy to spell, type, and pronounce; this will simplify things for your reader.
- Create a unique name.
- Get a descriptive name.- A descriptive domain name means that it will be giving people an idea of what the website is all about, even before they visit the website.
So, think about what you’ll be writing about or blogging about. Can you set it to a word or idea closely related to what you’ll be talking about in your blog?
- Be careful with singular and plural words.
For example, let’s say “mom.com” is the blog name that you want, but it’s not available. However, “moms.com” is available.
Note the difference between the two. One is singular: mom.com
The second one is plural: moms.com
Do not go for “moms.com” for your website.
Also, do not buy “mom.com” if “moms.com” is not available.
“If mom.com” and ”moms.com” are free, then buy both (if possible) and redirect one.
You can ask a tech guy like Grayson to do the redirection.
So, what’s all this fuss about?
If someone misspells your name while searching for you online, they’ll end up on the other website, and so you will lose traffic or even a potential reader or customer. Some might think you sold your blog.
Think about how many times we add the letter “S” at the end of words, or mistakenly leave “S” in words when Googling stuff. So, you want to make it as easy as possible for your readers to find you.
The second reason for this is copyright issues.
If one of the domain names that you want is already taken, either with or without an “S”,
the other company might say that you copied their name by just adding or removing an “S”.
You definitely don’t want to get into trouble with other companies.
Be determined in finding both plural and singular options, and make sure your domain name doesn’t have any copyright issues attached to it.
- Google around see if there are taken domain names that are similar to yours.
Final thoughts when choosing your domain name:
What do I do if my domain has already been taken? What do I do when I can’t find my blog name?
Don’t get frustrated or overwhelmed if you find it difficult to choose a blog name or aren’t sure which one to choose. No worries!
There are a few things that you can do instead.
If you don’t find the right domain name, you can skip the name part for now –you can still start a blog and change your name later.
- Simply click the link at the bottom of the page that says: “Choose later!” (you might have to move your mouse around on the page a bit before that link appears).
- The second thing you can do is start brainstorming! Write all the names that you can come up with on paper.
Use sites like Namecombinerwebsite to mix words and see I you get something good.
- Look for synonyms.
A blog could even be named after yourself! This could be your first, last, or your full name.
Later, once you’ve come up with a name that you like or are comfortable with, hire a tech guy like Grayson to help you change the name in order to redirect your readers. (In short, get someone to complete the name-changing process)
I know of so many people who have done this, and everything turned out great.
- Another thing you could do is hire someone from Fiverr who is a professional in coming up with blog names. Some services on this site even go as low as $ 10.
All you need is to give them details of what your blog will be about, etc. From there, they will come up with a list of names and you get to choose which one you prefer.
Let me know by email if you’re still having trouble understanding domain names or need more examples of blog names.
Click here to visit Bluehost and register or search the availability of your domain name.
In the next lesson:
Learn the easiest way to create your blog. In this lesson, you’ll discover how to start a blog on WordPress. My tutorial makes it very easy to start a blog.
One Final Note!
The name of your blog business isn’t determinative of your business’s success, so don’t stress out about it.
Once you have your niche and your name ready, you are ready to start your biz.
See you there!
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