How To Pick A Great Blog Name

Naming your blog is one of the most important decisions you'll make when you're just starting out.

But sometimes, coming up with creative blog names is quite hard!

In fact, high end companies will even pay big bucks to naming strategists (yes, it's a thing) to make sure they get their company name, domain name, brand name, and tagline right.

You may not have upwards of $5,000 to pay an expert to name your blog, but don't get discouraged. There are several strategies you can employ to come up with not only a creative blog name, but a name that drives results. And, you can always get some terrific blog name ideas from a blog name generator.

This post will present 10 step-by-step ways to come up with blog name ideas on your own, so you can hit the ground running and drive traffic to your new blog immediately.

So, without further adieu, here's how to come up with a blog name.

Be practical when coming up with a blog name

You're already a creative individual, and that's one reason why you're starting a blog. However, when it comes to coming up with the perfect blog name, it's important to let the left, more practical side of your brain provide input.

Let's delve deeper into why.

As of 2019, there are 4.2 billion global internet users or 55% of the world's population. Furthermore, 6.7 million people blog on popular blog sites like Tumblr, Blogger, and more. Not to mention, there are 1.8 million blog sites online globally.

This means there is a slew of competition and if you want your target audience to find your blog, you have to comply with basic search engine optimization (SEO) rules. In other words, you need to pick a blog name that is practical enough that searchers will be able to find you.

One way to do this is to include a keyword in your blog name.

For example, let's say you are planning a blog about inverting. There are several catchy blog titles you could use, but the smartest might be to include the actual keyword "investing" in your domain name and blog title.

The blog "Simply Investing" is the perfect example.

Simply Investing Blog Name

When a searcher types in "simple investing," this blog shows up as the first organic result in Google's search result page for this particular keyword.

simple investing rank

The blog title and domain name might not be poetry, but it's strategic. With billions of websites on the internet, this name is one that's sure to grab the attention of people looking to learn about easy investing strategies.

As a quick tip, you can use a keyword research tool like Google's Keyword Tool, KWFinder, SEMRush, Moz or any other smart keyword tool. You can plug in keywords related to your blog topic and come up with keywords that are within your niche that you can rank well for with little difficulty.

Use your own name for your blog name

Using your own name as your blog name, especially for a personal blog, is a popular and smart choice. This is especially true if you already have a following on Instagram, SnapChat, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook or any other platform where you use your name. It's also a good idea if you are a well-known influencer in your industry.

If people know who you are, ride that gravy train.

Take Neil Patel, for example. Neil Patel is a best-selling author, a marketing genius, a top influencer in the marketing world, and creator of marketing content and tools that marketers around the world use for help with strategy.

neil patel

Neil Patel runs other blogs about marketing, but his most successful blog is his blog branded after himself.

There are a couple potential hiccups when it comes to using your own name. Let's address them up front so you don't make a mistake.

Potential Hiccup #1: Your name is common (and I don't mean the rapper)

Let's say your name is John Smith. Chances are there are hundreds of other people with your name and maybe even people in your same industry with that name. Since there can only be one johnsmith dot com, you'll have to get creative.

You can use your middle initial or middle name as part of your brand. You can use your title if you're a doctor, professor, lawyer, etc.

You can also explore using a different domain name extension. Once upon a time, it was standard practice to opt for a .com extension. However, using a different extension such as .io, .co, .info, .AnythingThatIsAvailableThatWorksWell is now acceptable and even encouraged.

Potential Hiccup #2: Your name is hard to spell

Did you know that Jennifer Aniston's real name is Jennifer Anastassakis? Mindy Kaling's name is Vera Mindy Chokalingam and Mahershala Ali's full name is Mahershalalhashbaz Ali.

These star actors made a smart decision when it came to branding themselves. They simply picked a shorter and more recognizable name to make it easier for fans to follow them. Can you imagine trying to find awards won by Mahershalalhashbaz Ali? It might be a difficult Google search.

The same goes for blog authors. For example, Gary Vaynerchuk, doesn't go by Gary Vaynerchuk. He goes by Gary Vee.

If your name is complicated, difficult to spell, and will be an impossibility for people (that love you) to find you, then don't be afraid to rebrand with a shorter version of your name.

Create Catchy Blog Names by Using Your Audience as a Keyword

This post already addressed the importance of using a relevant keyword as part of your blog name. Targeting your audience or blog niche in your blog title is another creative way to reach your intended audience easier.

If you run a blog for car lovers, then consider using the word "car" or "cars" in the title. If your blog is for parents, then including the word "parent" in your title is a great idea. Not only will using your target audience as part of your blog title be great for search engine optimization, but it will also establish instant clarity and decrease bounce rates.

If a concerned parent wants advice about how to entertain a busy toddler all day long, you'll establish an instant connection with searchers when they land on your blog and read the word "parent" in the title. The searcher will know they've reached the right place just by scanning the title.

Some popular examples of using your target audience as a keyword in the blog title include Modern Parents Messy Kids, Parenting, and Kars4Kids Smarter Parenting Blog.

modern parents messy kids

Who is your target niche? Consider using your target audience in your blog title as you brainstorm ideas.

Use the simplest option for Good Blog Name Ideas

You may come up with a good blog name that is pure poetry, but if people can't understand it, spell it or remember it, then it's not a great blog name.

A good rule of thumb is to make sure your blog name can pass the telephone test. In other words, let's say someone were to tell another person about your blog over the telephone. Would the person on the receiving end of the call be able to understand what your blog title and domain name are without asking the other person on the end to spell it?

Spelling out any part of a blog name or domain name can be especially problematic if you factor in how difficult it is to understand specific letters over the phone or radio. You don't want someone to have to use the Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo NATO phonetic alphabet just to get your domain name right.

For example, I was recently listening to an audiobook promoting a LinkedIn group called LinkeEds & Writers. I heard "Linked Is and Writers" and had to rewind the book 5 times until I figured it out. You don't want listeners to do the same when they hear your blog title.

The best option is to select a blog and domain name that is simple and easy enough to understand that you don't have to spell it.

If you get it right the first time, it will cost a lot less than if you build a following and then have to go back and make changes to simplify your blog name.

Just ask Sumo.com.

As you know, Sumo.com used to be SumoMe.com. The owners of the domain decided to simplify their name and drop the "me." The rebrand cost $1.5 million dollars, making that domain name the 83rd most expensive domain name ever.

If you make sure to get it right the first time, you won't have to go through an expensive (yet vital) renaming process.

Think of your blog name as a short, snappy, descriptive piece of copy that explains what you do, who you are, who you target, and what you offer in the simplest terms possible.

For example, take the blog name Twins Mommy.

With two simple words, you know that this is a blog for moms of twins. It's cute. It's easy to spell. It's simple. It uses keywords. It targets the right audience. It tells readers they are in the right place as soon as they land on the page.

Remember, you can always have a creative tagline after your blog name that offers more detail about your blog.

Make sure your blog name and domain name say the same thing

If you're starting a new blog, make sure the title of your blog and the domain name say the same thing/are the same. There are two things to consider when regarding this tip.

First, it's important to remember your creative blog name may be something totally different than you intended when you delete all the spaces between words and put them together as a domain name. For example, consider the blog "Who Represents."

When a user types whorepresents.com, it has a double meaning and an inappropriate word.

who represents

You can probably think of other examples that don't work as both a blog title and a domain name.

When picking a blog name, take the time to look at the domain you would use and make sure there are no other ways to read the domain name other than what you intended.

The second thing to consider is to make sure your blog name and domain name are the exact same. People can either find your blog by searching your blog name or by searching for your domain name. The best way to make sure they land on your page is to keep your blog name and domain name the same.

You also want to make sure you choose a blog name and domain name that isn't too similar to another popular company.

For example, there is a great app for social media marketing called "Tailwind," and there is another capital company called Tailwind. When searchers search for one or the other, it's possible to get the wrong result.

tailwind app

It's also confusing because "Tailwind Capital" has the domain "tailwind.com" and Tailwind has the domain "tailwindapp.com."

It's in your best interest to make sure your blog name is the exact same as your domain name. Then, there are no chances of someone mixing up when the search and coming in contact with the wrong company.

Have a Catchy Blog Name to Make it Memorable

Now that we've talked about some of the more strategic ways to choose a blog name, let's address some more creative approaches.

You may be tempted to choose a nice keyword-driven blog name, but if you want it to stand out, consider making it memorable. Here are some ideas to play around with until you settle on something that works for you.

Use alliteration

When creating a blog name, pull out your old school writing tools like alliteration. As a quick review, alliteration is when every word in your title starts with the same letter. Peter piper picked a peck of pickled peppers is an alliteration.

Here are some blog names that use alliteration to help you get your juices flowing:

Pilates for the People
Savouring Simplicity
Words of Williams
Making Sense of Cents
Cats Who Code

Get Punny

Puns have more uses than just being excellent dad jokes, especially when it comes to creating a smart blog name. Puns are clever, fun to hear, and easy to remember.

Some of the best blogs on the market use puns as part of their title. Here are some fun blogs that use puns as their blog title:

Good Financial Cents (Personal Finance)
My Darling Lemon Thyme (Recipes)
Planet of the Grapes (Wine)
Fit-Bottomed Girls (Health & Fitness)
All Groan Up (Career Advice)

What is your niche? What puns could you use to create a fun blog name?

Pick a popular saying

Your target audience already know popular sayings. If you pick one as your blog name, you can rest assured they will remember your blog. Add an element of creativity by choosing a popular saying that relates to your niche.

Here are some real world examples of blogs using this strategy:

Heart Via Stomach (Recipes)
Two Peas & Their Pod (Recipes)
Life in the Bike Lane (Fitness)

All of these examples use a popular idiom, are related to their niche, and tell you what the blog is about in a few words.

Get weird, but not too weird

Sometimes the best way to be memorable is to create a weird blog name. Of course, you don't want to be too weird or offensive, but adding a little bit of strangeness to your blog title can capture the attention of your readers.

Based on the following blog titles, you have to admit, they pique your interest and you probably want to read the blog:

Brides Throwing Cats
How May We Hate You?
Stuff On My Rabbit
Actresses Without Teeth
How Do I Put This Gently?
Food On My Dog

These titles are all a bit zany and make you want to click. I bet you already clicked on one of them, right? Probably "Brides Throwing Cats." Who doesn't want to see that?

Use slang

One of the best things about the blogging world is it's highly colloquial. You don't have to be an academic to enjoy a blog. In fact, the more you can do to make your writing accessible, fun, and interesting, the more people you will relate to.

What better way to be relatable than to use slang everyone understands and loves? Off the top of my head, how cool would the following blog titles be:

The G.O.A.T
Keep it 100
Basic (insert your niche here)
BAE (insert your niche)
(Your niche) AF
And more!

If you're not familiar with current slang, either ask a Millennial or stick to what you know. Just, please, don't use "groovy," "gnarly," or other dated slang words if you want to appeal to a modern audience.

Use a blog name generator for a Clever Blog Name

Do you have writer's block when it comes to choosing a blog name? Have you listed all your keywords, written out some fun puns, and considered slang that may work, but still can't seem to find something that works? There is no shame in using one of the popular online tools to help you come up with a name for your blog. There are several blog name generators that will factor in all the important aspects of creating a blog name, and then pick a name for you.

Of course, you don't have to settle on the name the blog name generator comes up for you, but it may be a good way to consider more options—options that you would have never thought of on your own.

The best news is there are several blog name generators you can try. Here are 5 of the best blog name generators:

Panabee
Domain Wheel
Wordoid
Nameboy
123finder
Create and Go

Combine two concepts into one word

Combining two concepts into one word has produced some of the world's best blogs. You may recognize some of the following blogs:

Listverse (universe + lists)
Blogilates (blog + pilates)
Copyblogger (copywriting + blog)
Problogger (pro + blog)
Thrillist (thrill + list)

One thing that each of these blog owners did that makes a lot of sense is to combine their blog niche with a popular and highly searched keyword—a keyword that is also descriptive. For example, people are always searching for the word "blog" if they are looking for expertise on a particular subject. This makes "Problogger," "Blogilates," and "Copyblogger" particularly powerful. "Listverse" and "Thrillist" use the same strategy, but with the highly searched word "list."

If you can incorporate the words "blog" or "list" into your title, you're already starting off on the right foot.

But, "blog" and "list" aren't the only highly searchable words that work. Consider the words "site," "tips," "tools," "hacks," "wizard," and more.

How to Pick a Blog Name by Getting Descriptive

If you're having a hard time coming up with the perfect name for your blog, it might be because you haven't taken the time to really define what you want your blog to be about.

As a quick exercise, take out a pen and free write a description of your blog. This doesn't have to be pretty, error-free or even publishable, because it's just for you. You can even write this on a piece of scratch paper.

Write out everything you want your blog to be and do. Who is your audience? What will your content be about? What are the main pain points of your readers? What actions do you want your audience to take when they come in contact with your brand?

Once you've answered these questions, circle top keywords and phrases that you love. Is there anything that stands out? Is there something that would work as a cool blog title?

If you haven't quite settled on a blog title after this exercise, take your favorite keywords and plug it into one of the blog generators listed above.

How to Come Up with a Blog Name with Humor

It's true that "copyblogger" and "listverse" are popular blogs with great names. However, neither of them make you laugh.

If you googled "ways to come up with creative blog names," it's probably because you are offering content that is original, fun, and maybe even humorous.

Put your god-given talent for humor into action and come up with a blog name that makes readers smile.

Some favorite blogs with funny names include:

Will Run For Margaritas
Generation Meh
I Can Has Cheez Burger

If you make your audience laugh with the first interaction they have with your blog, chances are they will stay around to read more content.

Wrap Up

Before you fire up WordPress and start writing, it is vital that you come up with a great blog title., but you don't need to pay a name strategist to do it. If you follow the 10 tips listed above, you'll soon find you have creative blog names and domain names that will stand the test of time.