I procrastinated a lot when I first decided I wanted to write a blog. I already knew what niche I wanted to write about as I had created a new Instagram account which was solely based on Interiors.
But my first Instagram account – @mjhomestyle – was not really blog-worthy!
Deciding on a blog name is extremely important. It will be the one you use across multiple channels and the name people will search for on the internet.
When you choose a blog name, you have to remember a few important factors –
- Is it memorable?
- Does it represent what you are about?
- Is it easy to spell?
If you already have an established social media account and have decided to take the plunge and create a blog, you are probably already known by a name.
The first thing you need to do to choose a blog name is to decide whether this will work for your brand and across all your channels.
But, most importantly, is it available as a URL?
It is so important to keep the same name across all your social media feeds and blog or people will become confused when you are trying to promote your blog posts.
You need to have a good long think about one of the most important decisions you’ll make when starting a blog.
Choosing the right name for your blog can have huge implications. If you get it right, it can appeal to the right people, can easily be remembered and even have huge implications with SEO!
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Why Branding for your Blog and Social Media is Extremely Important
How do you name a blog? Here are my top tips on how to name a blog for your brand and social media right from the beginning to help grow your brand.
1. WHAT IS YOUR NICHE?
You will need to know what you are going to talk about before you start writing a blog. How can you choose a blog name if you don’t know what it is about?
Once you’ve decided on your niche, think about adding a word from that niche to your blog. I originally wanted to call my website – www.melaniejadedesign.com – Melanie Jade Interiors, but that was already taken.
I decided to go with designs as it gave me the scope to talk about things other than interiors if I wanted to and gave birth to my tagline – Designs for the Home, Travel and Life.
However, I think having interiors in my blog name would have been better for SEO!
It is really important that you choose a blog name that is relative to your niche, but you can go the other way and niche it down too hard. What if you want to diversify a little in the years to come?
If you are sure that you will always talk about your niche and never differentiate, then go ahead. It is fantastic for SEO. But if you’re anything like me and always changing your mind, give a little wriggle room.
2. WHAT IS ALREADY OUT THERE?
I’m betting that you’re already an extensive user of social media and have come across lots of different accounts. Some which you love, some which leave you scratching your head wondering what the account is all about.
Check out people in your niche and find out what works. This is a great way to get inspiration for your forever blog name and give you a head start over your competitors.
Although, that being said, I don’t think you can ever go wrong with your own name or a variation of it. Maybe you could use your own name with your niche on the end of it, a bit like I did with my www.melaniejadedesign.com website. Something like janedoeinteriors.com would be a great start!
3. THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE
Who is your ideal audience? This can also have an impact when you choose a blog name.
If you are a travel account and want to target families, think about adding a family connotation, e.g. The Family Travel Blog. If you are writing a fashion blog aimed at young adults, maybe you want to add something a bit “edgier”, e.g. Urban Fashion Fix.
You want your target audience to connect with you from the beginning in the hope they’ll stick around.
4. CREATE A SHORTLIST OF NAMES
With my interior blog, I played around with several names before I settled on one. For this website, I actually thought of Be Social With Media before I even decided to start a blog! I thought it was extremely catchy and did exactly what it said on the tin.
If you are happy with your niche and you have checked out the competition, start brainstorming lots of different names that can relate to your niche and audience.
Don’t discount anything at the beginning, leave a shortlist of all the names you can come up with. You may find that your ideal blog name is a mash-up of two ideas you have written down.
Ask family and friends to help you choose a blog name. If you are already on social media, ask your audience! People will always come up with ideas that you haven’t thought about so never discount asking around.
5. DON’T DECIDE ON A NAME STRAIGHT AWAY
I always find it best to write down my ideas in my notepad on my phone and come back to them over the course of a few days.
Sometimes, after I’ve slept on it, I decide that my ideas are terrible and go back to the drawing board.
Never make any rash decisions when it comes to deciding on your blog name. it is so important.
6. CHECK IT’S PRONOUNCEABLE AND MEMORABLE
You’ve slept on it and decided that it’s the best blog name going forward. Now check to see if it is easily spelt, memorable and doesn’t raise eyebrows!
For example, Master Bates & Sons might want to name their website – www.masterbatesandsons.com – can you see it? It might be good for a laugh but not very funny when it’s your website title 😊
7. MAKE SURE IT IS AVAILABLE
You’re happy that it represents your niche and it is easy to pronounce and spell, now you need to check that it is still available.
When I was creating my interior blog website, I came up with many names whilst brainstorming, but a lot of them were already taken. There are millions of blogs out there these days, so you may struggle to find one that you love and is available.
Don’t be disappointed, you will find something! When I created www.besocialwithmedia.com I ran it through siteground.com name checker to make sure it didn’t already exist.
It is also really important to think about your website ending. I would advise always trying to get a name with .com at the end. This is the most widely used ending, looks professional and doesn’t put potential audiences off.
Although I am based in the UK, the majority of my traffic comes from the US, so I didn’t want to have .co.uk at the end of my website as this could potentially put off a huge part of my audience.
8. SOCIAL MEDIA USERNAMES
Before you rush ahead and get your name registered, it is really important to make sure it doesn’t already exist on social media.
There are billions of social media accounts out there and the majority of them will not have a blog attached.
As I said earlier, it is so important to have the same name throughout all your channels, including your blog, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook etc.
9. REGISTER YOUR NAME
You’ve brainstormed, come up with a name that connects with your audience and describes your niche, asked family and friends for their opinion, checked it doesn’t exist in the social media world and slept on it. Now it’s time to register it!
I used siteground.com to register my domain name. I checked that it didn’t exist first and decided to have my hosting with siteground.com also as it was easier to have it all in one place.
My domain name cost me $15 to buy and subsequent It cost me $20 to buy the URL for 1 year and $50 for my 1-year hosting plan.
10. CONGRATS! YOU HAVE A NEW WEBSITE
OK, well nearly! There’s a lot more to do when creating a new blog other than coming up with the name. But often, coming up with your name can be the hardest thing and one of the most important decisions.
It is a really good idea to spend time creating your new blog name as it can have huge implications if you want to grow your brand. Your name can underpin the success of your blog and social media channels.
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