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Things to Consider when Choosing your Website Name

Choosing your website name is a big decision that should be given a lot of thought. So many bloggers, including myself have regretted their blog names over time. We all grow as bloggers and sometimes our names make it hard for our sites to grow along with us!

desk full of pink things

Things to Consider:

Made up words:  “Amazeballtasticness Recipes” might sound cool at the time, but it will get old and it will be hard to tell people about in conversation.

Long URLs:  Remember that your website name should also be your URL. www.my-son-dog-dad-and-I-love-pizza-so-much.com is pretty long and obnoxious to type out.

Hard to spell:  You want to be able to tell a person about your site and have them easily go home and type it in. If they require a dictionary on how to spell it, that’s one more obstacle to prevent them from visiting.

Word variations:  Goes along with above. Words like momma, where it can be spelled mama, moma, momma, mumma, whatever… it’s easy for people to mix up.

Future relevance:  If your website name has “baby” in it, how relevant will that be down the road? Unless you keep on having them, that baby will grow… quickly!

I have talked to a few blogger friends about this and they really struggle with it. It’s hard to relevantly grow and change with certain keywords in your blog.

Another example is the name of my first blog, Sweep Tight. The word “Sweep” makes people think sweepstakes. Although we do post sweepstakes over there, it’s not all we do. Don’t pigeonhole yourself too much.

Choosing a Good Website Name:

Niche specific:  If you are completely committed to the niche of your site, go for a clear cut name of what your blog is about. Keep it short, simple, and catchy. Ask friends and family what they might search for in that particular niche for keyword ideas.

Brand-worthy:  I love when I see a creative blog name that is just two random words that sound great together. This unique name can eventually be “your brand” and be immediately recognizable by your fans.

Your name:  This can be a safe bet. I guess if you have a super common name it’s not good. Also, there’s risk of name change due to marriage or divorce.

I purchased my name in a domain name and plan to make it kind of like a resume site. I wanted a main connection to my name from my other blogs. Your name can work for any type of blog though. After all, it’s your blog!

If you plan to sell the website down the line, or are interested in flipping websites, I suggest using a niche specific URL with a dot com.

Keyword Rich: Do some keyword research (affiliate link) before choosing your name to get a head start on your SEO strategy.

I should add that I have never been in love with any of my naming choices. Not sure if I should even be giving advice. But, these are some of the considerations that I have learned along the way. 😉

If you have a site, how did you choose your website name? Are you still happy with it?

Bobbie

Saturday 28th of June 2014

I agree with your tips. I recently rebranded because my blog (One Scrappy Mom) was more into my niche of scrapbooking and crafts. My kids are older now and I don't do as many crafts and scrapbooking is a real hobby that I do many 4 times a year or when I am stressed out. So my new blog (Think Talk Blog) covers everything under the sun and I am confident that this will be a perfect name until I STOP blogging all together.

Liz Mays

Thursday 26th of June 2014

Yes, every single website that uses a version of mama I get confused with. I can't remember who spells it which way!

kristin

Thursday 26th of June 2014

Great advice here for people looking to create new sites. Great article!

Krista

Thursday 26th of June 2014

I wish I would have read this before I chose my name :)

Brett Martin

Wednesday 25th of June 2014

This is a great article. Anyone considering starting a site should see this before choosing a site name.