Once you know what you want to blog about, it’s time for the next step…choosing a good blog name.
Your blog name (domain name) is the URL. For this blog, the name is Remote Jobs Review.
This can be a really hard decision. I mean, it’s permanent (well, you can change it, but that is problematic). That adds pressure! You want it to be “perfect”!
Advice on how to choose a good blog name varies widely, with some people listing a million different things to do and consider and others saying to just pick a name and move on. I think that, like with most things, a balance is probably best.
To choose a good blog name, consider your blog’s tone, niche, and goal. Make a list of potential names that match that, and include a keyword for your niche. Use a .com domain, make it memorable, and easy to spell. Make sure it is available to buy the domain and set up social media channels.
I have named quite a few blogs now, and I have narrowed down the process to 6 easy steps so that you can feel comfortable that you thought this decision through, but also pick a name before you drive yourself crazy! Let’s go over each step and tips for picking a great blog name.
1. Consider the tone you want your blog to have
Your blog’s tone is the voice or personality of your blog. It can be conversational or formal. It can be more serious, or it can be humorous.
Consider what topics you will cover, who you are, and how you want to communicate to your audience.
Your blog name will set the tone for your brand and be how people find you.
Take a few minutes to jot down some ideas for what tone you are aiming for. For example, I wrote down relatable, encouraging, helpful, and simplified.
It can be helpful to keep this in mind so that you can find a name that matches your tone. If you are going for a formal tone, you might not want to use a pun in your blog name.
Don’t overthink or spend much time on this step since this will change as you find your rhythm blogging.
2. Start a list of potential names
Now you need to start coming up with potential names.
Is it a good idea to use your name for a blog name?
A natural idea to start with is to use your own name as your blog name.
It is not a good idea to use your name for a blog name because it doesn’t give the reader any information about what the blog will be about. Don’t make the focus solely yourself unless you are famous or trying to build yourself as an influencer (where you are the main idea, not your niche).
However, this can be viewed as a personal preference, so if you really want your name to be your blog name, ignore me here and go for it. After all, it is your blog!
Research niche and keywords
To help you come up with some ideas, start by researching your niche and seeing the names of other blogs.
Look for keywords that are used (the main words used to describe the topic).
For example, for a blog about books, those could be “book” or “read”.
For this website about remote jobs, the main keywords would be “work from home”, “online jobs”, or “remote jobs”.
Including these keywords can help with SEO and describe what your website is about. When Googling, people will be more likely to click on a website they know is about their topic.
Use the keywords for your niche as a starting point to help you build blog names around them.
Niche but not too limiting
You want to show your niche in your blog name, but don’t make it too narrow, or you will limit yourself.
For example, suppose you want to blog about traveling and name your blog Jane Travels India. In that case, you will be limited to writing about traveling India when later you might also want to write about traveling around China or Europe.
Make it broad enough so that you can potentially expand and cover related topics.
Make it memorable
Try to pick something easy to remember. This can be something that is catchy, has a good story behind it, or is very original.
If you need help coming up with ideas, consider using alliterations, puns, or common says.
Just start jotting down names. This is a chance to brainstorm, so there are no bad ideas. Don’t censor yourself! You can keep going back and adding more contenders to the list later on.
3. Go through and narrow down the list
Now is the time to go back through the list and pick some options you like.
Some criteria to narrow down the list:
Nothing too hard to spell
People will (hopefully) be typing this name in, so you want it to be easy to spell. You also don’t want to have to spell the name out every time you tell someone about your blog.
Nothing too hard to say
You also want to be able to get word of mouth, so don’t make the name too hard to say.
Nothing too long
You don’t want to have an insanely long URL.
Keep it short and sweet.
No numbers or special characters
It is going to be hard for people to remember to use a special character. It will also be super annoying to say, “Oh, it has an exclamation mark.” Save yourself this hassle and avoid using special characters or hyphens.
I also recommend not using numbers unless it really makes sense with the name, such as www.123homeschool4me.com. This is a cute blog name, and the numbers make sense and help it be memorable.
See how it looks as a domain name
Some names sound great, but the letters blur together and become hard to read when you see them on paper.
Even worse, they can spell unintended and inappropriate words. For a humorous read, look at these accidentally inappropriate domain names. I think my favorite is Pen Island, which, as a domain name, looks like Penisland.com.
3. Check that the name is available
I loved my first name idea and was crushed when I found out that it wasn’t available. To avoid this, you want to search if the name is available before you become too attached.
Search the name here, and it will tell you if the name is available or not.
Check available domains (use .com)
If the domain name is unavailable, you may be tempted to buy it as a “.net”, “.co”, or “.biz”. Don’t do this.
You want to have a .com domain name.
This is what many people will expect. It will also be the easiest for people to remember.
If the .com is not available, you may be given the option to buy it from its current owner. Don’t spend a bunch of money on a domain name. Just pick something else.
No trademark issues
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. For legal counsel on trademark issues, you will need to consult a lawyer.
Even if the domain is available, you want to make sure that you won’t have any trademark issues when you pick a blog name.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office defines a trademark as “any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that identifies your goods or services. It’s how customers recognize you in the marketplace and distinguish you from your competitors.”
You are infringing on someone’s trademark if a customer could reasonably think that you are another company because of your name, design, branding, etc…
You can run a TESS trademark search through the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Click on the “Basic Word Mark Search”:
From there, enter your blog name and select “Submit Query”:
You want to see no results:
If there are results in a completely different industry, you may be fine, but I wouldn’t risk it. I would pick a different name.
However, as the Patent and Trademark Office state, a person is not required to register a trademark. Therefore, a clear search does not mean it is automatically safe to use.
Do some research about the name. If you find someone with a similar name, pick a new blog name. Again, you may be alright if they are in a different niche or industry, but I would not risk it.
It is also a good idea to make sure your name is available on social media. You want to be able to make social media accounts for your blog.
4. Try it out on friends and family
Try out some different names on friends and family. They can give you a different perspective. It is also extremely reassuring to know that your friends and family like the name too.
5. Sleep on it
I don’t think it is smart to rush this decision. It is a good idea to sleep on it.
If you still love it the next day, then you know it is the name for you!
6. Make a decision
Once you have done these 5 steps, you need to pick a blog name. If you wait, you will start second-guessing yourself and remain indecisive. Go ahead and purchase your domain name. Make the commitment! I’m sure your blog name will be great!
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