The definitive guide on how to find the perfect name for your blog.
If you are starting a new project or a blog and you cannot decide on what name to use, I have prepared an article that can help you find the perfect name.
Finding the perfect name and a domain available for that name is not an easy task. It is tedious, time-consuming, and repetitive. If you are overdoing it for more than a couple of hours, you might even give up or accept whatever name sounds decent to you at that moment.
Decent is not good for your project. You should always aim to find the perfect blog name. In fact, you want to start your project on the right foot and confident that you are on the right track.
You don’t want to start thinking about name changes for your project in a few months when traffic starts to come in, right?
No, you don’t.
So, follow the steps below, and you should come up with the perfect name for your blog in no time.
- No matter what others tell you, don’t accept anything but a .com domain
- To maximize the impact, focus on two words domains
- Keep an open mind and think outside the box
- Check the competition and ask for feedback
So, let’s see what each of these steps really means and how you can get the best results out of the entire process.
1. Focus on .com domains
Do not accept any alternative. Anything else will just make your life harder.
Most of us want to find the perfect domain that people will never forget making them repeat visitors. But don’t go down this path as you will regret it later once you start getting steady traffic.
The main reason why you should aim for a .com TLD is that people are so used to the .com names, that even repeat visitors will default to the dot-com standard.
A detailed analysis made by Moz shows that direct traffic to websites fluctuates between 0–7% in most of the cases. So, if visitors don’t get your TLD right, that traffic is most likely going to your competitor or to someone else’s website.
You don’t want that, do you? Of course, you don’t, that is why you should always go for a dot-com domain.
2. Two-word domains are the way to go
Maximize the impact of your domain by choosing a two-word name for your blog
Studies have found that people’s brains are programmed to work better with two-word names when it comes to websites.
Some great and successful examples of two-word websites are WarriorForum, DigitalPoint, ProductHunt, YouTube and the list goes on. Even if these names became brands eventually, you can notice that they are composed of pairs of words.
If you are trying to find the best combination for your two-word blog name, you should consider the following combination:
- Adjective-Noun
- Verb-Noun
- Noun-Noun
For local websites or blogs, you can focus on local or geographical terms.
There are also tools available that can help you speed up this process. For example, Thesaurus is the perfect place to find synonyms for words. Another great tool is RhymeZone will help you find words that rhyme with your input.
3. Keep an open mind
Don’t forget, think outside the box, adapt, and focus on finding that diamond in the rough.
When you’re searching for the perfect name for your blog or project, it rarely happens that you hit a bullseye right from the start. It takes some time and this step might set you back for the moment, but it will help you in the long run.
Once you have a few options that sound great to you, run them by registrars. Most of the time, these domains will be unavailable. Yes, it sucks, but it is just the way it is. Great names get registered fast. But this proves that you are on the right track and that the names are good.
A way to get an alternative for the desired name is to change the word order. Sometimes this might help you maintain the same idea, and get the .com domain, just by changing the word order.
If that domain is still taken, head over to Thesaurus and look for synonyms for each of the two words you are using, and try different combinations. This will give you a lot more chances to find an available .com domain.
Yes, the alternatives might not sound just as good, but you’ll get there, don’t worry. Just keep trying word pairs and you will eventually stumble upon that diamond.
4. Ask your friends and family
There is nothing wrong with asking for help. Sometimes people that are not so invested in a project can give you a different perspective.
As simple as this step might sound, it often gives you great ideas and different paths to take when looking for that perfect project name.
What happens is that after a few hours and tens or hundreds of names, your brain is going to follow a certain pattern, use the same words, and try similar combinations. Just like with everything else, taking a step back and getting some new hints and ideas can really help you progress.
Even if you already have a name and the domain is available, you should run it by your friends and family. Get some feedback early. If they like it and find it brandable and easy to remember, you struck gold!
Just don’t post it on social networks for feedback, others are looking for great project names too. 🙂
BONUS: When all else fails, check your competitors
If you can’t even get a starting point, check out your future competitors and start from there.
There is nothing wrong with checking out your future competitors when it comes to project names. Of course, you do not want to copy it or just use synonyms of their domains, but it will surely give you some ideas and starting points.
Final thoughts on the perfect blog name
If you are tired, take a break and come back. This is part of the blogging journey you embarked on. If you are confident that this is what you want to do, then finding a name will be a great experience for what lays ahead.
So, start writing down some words that come to your mind when you think about the topic you want your blog to be based on. Take those words and add them to Thesaurus. Grab some synonyms you obtain from it and add them all to RhymeZone. Some great names will surely pop-up from those combinations.
Just keep in mind that project names have to be memorable, self-explanatory and should stand out from the crowd.
If you enjoyed this article and found it helpful, check out the blogging section to learn more tips about starting your own blog and becoming a travel blogger.