Once you’ve decided to launch a blog – whether for personal or business purposes – one of the first decisions you have to make involves your domain name selection.
It can be exciting to come up with a new idea for a blog, but before you rush to set it up, consider the importance of your blog’s name.
Your blog’s name is the first thing people will see on your blog and it will set the tone for what your brand is.
You don’t want to regret your name choice and should avoid having to repeatedly change it, as that will make it hard for your audience to find your blog and stay involved.
Cementing your blog’s name from the get-go gives you more time to focus on building your brand and assembling the rest of your blog.
But how do you pick the right blog name, and what should you avoid?
We’ll show the exact tips we use on our own blogs when we start one from scratch.
Contents
The Most Important Step: Determine The “Why”
To start, you’ll need to determine if you want to establish a strong brand name or just your blog.
People blog for different reasons.
Some just want to express their thoughts and don’t really care about appearing on the search results or monetizing from it.
Most people, on the other hand, want to make money from their blogs.
If you’re the latter, consider this: do you want to build your personal brand or create a community blog?
This question is important in choosing your blog name and URL.
If you want to establish your personal brand and be considered an authority in your niche, then use your name as the blog’s URL.
This is advantageous because it’s easy to reserve the domain and people can easily search for your blog.
On the other hand, if you want to create a blog that fosters community, like this blog, then follow these 3 easy steps:
- Determine your niche (is it blogging, gardening, web design, or wellness?)
- Find relevant keywords that you can easily rank for (I suggest you read our Guide to Keyword Research)
- Find domains that contain the keywords you’ve selected
Think about what the purpose of your blog is, and then think bigger.
If you are building your blog for business purposes, to make money, go broad.
Why Is a Blog Name So Important?
A blog name is important because it sets the tone for your blog.
It helps readers know what to expect in regard to the topics you will cover and if you are a more serious or casual blogger.
Elements of a Blog That Interact Together
When you’re starting to build your blog, there are a few factors you should consider.
- Blog Name: Of course, we’ve already mentioned the importance of a blog name. You’ll use it on your website home page and other parts of your site.
- Domain Name: Your domain name refers to the address visitors will type into their browser to find your website. It includes your blog name and the TLD.
- Domain Extension: A domain extension or top-level domain (TLD) comes after your blog name in a domain. A few examples of domains:
- .com, which is the most common, but there are many .com alternatives.
- .edu, which would communicate that your blog is intended to be educational and informative.
- .org, which stands for “organization” and is frequently used by nonprofits.
- Brand Guidelines: Brand guidelines explain how you want to represent your blog to the world. They help keep you and any writers you may hire on the same wavelength.
- Social Media Profiles: You can use social media to promote your brand, but you’ll want to ensure your blog name is free on various platforms.
As you can see, the blog name touches many different parts of the site, so getting this right, from the start, is critically important.
What Makes a Good Blog Name?
When deciding how to come up with a blog name, you need a few things.
Here’s how to help name your new blog.
1. Easy to Type and Pronounce
A good name for a blog will be easy to say and spell.
That way, your readers can easily look you up and find your content.
They’ll also be able to tell their friends about your blog so more people can find you.
2. Short and Concise
A short name will help make your name easy to type, remember, and pronounce, so people will visit your blog more often.
3. Creative
You should also take time to have fun with naming your blog.
Find ways to get creative to help your blog stand out against the competition.
4. Memorable
A memorable blog name will also help people remember to visit your blog again.
If your name is too simple, people might forget about you.
5. Scalable
Even if you start with a small niche, such as gluten-free baking, choose a name you can use to grow your blog.
Instead of “Treats Without Gluten,” choose something like “The Happy Baker” since that has room for growth.
Best Practices for Blog Names
Consider the following best practices for naming a new blog.
How Long Should a Blog Name Be?
Google recommends you choose a name that’s two or three words long. A name that’s much longer can be more difficult to remember.
Should My Blog Be My Name?
If you aren’t sure what you’ll blog about, you can use your name.
However, you might not want to do that if your first or last name is hard for people to say or spell.
Should I Call My Blog a Blog?
You can call your blog a blog.
If you’re setting up a blog for your business, you can also name the section “insights” or something similar.
Other Things to Think About
A few, more broad things to consider when making a name for your blog.
1. Who Is Your Audience?
First, you should consider if you’re targeting parents, college students, business owners, or some other specific group.
Choose a name that makes sense for your audience.
This is a similar concept to someone writing under a pseudonym.
There are a variety of reasons why you might choose one name or the other, but adhering to your genre or niche when choosing a name is essential to your success.
2. Does Your Blog Name Resonate With Your Niche?
You also want to ensure your name works for your niche.
Then, you can attract and retain your ideal readers.
Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s discuss the most creative ways to come up with a blog name.
How To Come Up With a Blog Name
Every blog needs a name and once you find the right one everything seems to fall into place.
You’ll find it easier to build a brand around your blog, to attract your ideal readers, and to grow it into a successful business.
But where do you start? How do you find a good name for your blog?
In this section we’ll take a look at our different activities and ideas you could use to come up with the perfect blog name.
1. Have a Creative Thinking Session
One of the best ways to find a great name for your blog is to have a creative thinking session.
You can do this digitally and make notes online, but the best way is to grab a big piece of paper or a notebook and a pen.
Sit down somewhere quiet and free from distractions — you want to be able to concentrate on nothing but your own thoughts and ideas.
There are lots of different creative thinking exercises you could try, but these are some of our favorites:
- Write down any words that you feel strongly relate to your brand or mission
- Note down the feelings, emotions, and reactions you want your audience to feel
- Make a list of words that you feel a connection to — this could be because of their meaning, the way they sound, or how they look
- Pair some of these words together to create phrases or combinations
- Doodle and bring your ideas to life in pictures
- Bring in some colors, patterns or textures — you could even create a mini moodboard
2. Bring Your Friends Together
Sometimes the best ideas can come from a discussion or conversation with others.
Why not meet up with some friends or local creatives for some collective inspiration?
Ask friends and family for their help — they might suggest words or phrases you hadn’t thought of.
If you don’t have anyone nearby who you can collaborate with, ask in a Facebook community — they’re full of creative business owners and bloggers.
3. Create an Unusual Pairing
Blog names that combine two words continue to be popular, as they’re an easy way to add some context to your niche or describe your content.
You can take advantage of this trend and find a creative blog name if you opt for an unusual pairing of words.
Think of two words that you traditionally wouldn’t put together.
This could be colors or patterns, opposite adjectives, or concepts that feel surprising.
Examples of This Done Well
Take travel blog Local Adventurer, for example.
When we think of adventures and travel we might think of faraway places or exotic destinations.
This blog brings the focus home, with content that helps people explore their hometowns better.
Unusual pairings are also popular with fashion and beauty blogs.
The Budget Fashionista inspires fashion lovers to indulge their passion on a budget, in a world where fashion can be expensive and unattainable.
4. Model a Name After a Competitor
Another option is to take inspiration from your competition.
Look for successful blogs in your niche and see what they’re doing.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but doing your research on the kinds of blogs you’ll be competing against will give you an idea of what type of name will work for your own blog.
Don’t copy the name, but you can use that to get an idea of a name that could work for you.
You won’t be copying anyone, yet it may just be the perfect nudge to get those creative juices flowing.
A similar name is a fine way to go.
Use Niche-Related Keywords
You can also consider your niche and use keywords related to it.
If you have a blog about string instruments, you could use the word “orchestra” in your blog name.
5. Change a Popular Phrase
We walked about catchphrases in one of our earlier tips, but if you can’t create one of your own, why not be inspired by a popular one?
There are so many sayings and phrases that have become part of life, and some of them would make a really creative blog name.
A great example of this is Almost Makes Perfect, a home decor and DIY blog with a name that’s a play on the phrase “practice makes perfect.”
6. Try Using Alliteration
Can you create content consistently?
Consider using alliteration, which is where your blog name has words that all start with the same letter.
alliteration (noun)
- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
- “the alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’”
You may not realize it but I bet you use alliteration in your day-to-day life without even realizing it.
It has an almost musical quality that allows a sentence to flow fluidly from one word to the next and is incredibly addictive.
Try alliteration when coming up with your blog name, by using the same letter for each word in your name.
A few ideas could be, “Business Blogging Basics” or “Blogging Blues Busters” – you can probably come up with something much more awesome than me, I’m sure!
[Remember to use this trick in some of your blog titles, too]
7. Use Humor
Niche humor appeals to a specific audience, but something broader, like a pun, works just as well.
Laughter and humor is an infectious tonic with the benefit of making your readers smile.
Try boosting those endorphins by creating a blog name that portrays a wicked sense of humor.
While it may not work for more professional blogs, if your tone of voice is fun, fresh and witty then there’s nothing to lose and is well worth giving a try.
Some of the names I’ve seen online using this method include Uncork Your Dork, Mommypotamus, and The Pillage People.
8. Try Using Assonance
Assonance is similar, but it repeats the same or similar sounds in stressed syllables.
One example could be “I Like Bikes” for a blog about bikes.
9. Use Abbreviations
Take a moment to think about the companies and brands you’re aware of and how many of them have an abbreviated name.
I can think of at least ten off the top of my head and with a bit more thought I can probably think of many more.
Abbreviations are beneficial because they keep things short and sweet, without removing your brand and identity.
You can abbreviate your whole blog name, or mix it up by half-abbreviating and use a word on the end – a bit like Devish, the owner of WPKube, does.
10. Take Inspiration From Books
Who said you have to conform to rules when creating names?
Why not take advice from the world’s greatest authors and use your favorite literature as inspiration?
Consider your favorite books and if there are any characters or quotes you like.
With millions of books out there, all full to the brim with wonderful words, it won’t take you long to find something that inspires and delights, and be a potential contender for your new blog.
You can use those to help inspire your name.
Just be careful you don’t violate any copyright laws.11. Break Out a Thesaurus
If you can’t think of any good blog names, use a thesaurus.
You can use that to find synonyms for the words you can think of on your own.
There’s something about flicking through a good thesaurus that beats almost any other method I know for coming up with interesting new words.
The Thesaurus can be a goldmine of inspiration, especially if you want to say something in a slightly different way.
A quick scan of the word “Tips”, brings up suggestions such as: buzz, hint, inkling, and pointer – all of which sound much more exciting to an ear that’s well-tuned to that more common phrase
12. Create a Catchphrase
While shorter blog names are more popular, you can also grow a successful blog with a longer, catchphrase-style name too.
Brandable names inspired by phrases or sayings work especially well for travel, lifestyle, and personal blogs, where your personality can often become central to your blog’s content.
Examples of This Done Well
A great example of a blog named after a phrase is Pinch of Yum, a food blog full of delicious recipes.
There’s also One Mile at a Time, a blog that covers travel, flights, and hotel reviews.
13. Evoke an Emotional Reaction
When people land on your blog and read through your content, you want them to feel an emotional connection to it.
If your content captures your reader’s attention and makes them feel something, they’re more likely to read more.
You might want them to feel joy as they discover a new musician that they’ll grow to love on your music blog, or a sense of calm after they read your self-care guide.
If your content is driven by emotion, it can make sense to make reference to that within your blog name.
From the example above, your wellness blog could become “Calm and Well” or “Living Lighter.”
If you have a fashion blog that’s full of color and patterns, a creative blog name for you could be “Pop and Print” or “My Bright Style.”
14. Use Your Own Name
While it might not immediately sound like a creative idea, a blog that features your name can be a smart move.
It allows you to build a personal brand and invites readers to feel an instant connection to you, as you become the face of your blog.
Nomadic Matt is a wonderful example of how you can integrate your name into a creative blog name.
His travel blog features travel tips and tricks, as well as travel guides that you can buy.
The name helps you to build a picture of the author and content immediately, and is more unique than something like “Matt Travels” or “Travel with Matt.”
15. Consider a Different Language
You can also use words from other languages in your blog’s name.
One of my favorite languages now is Icelandic.
There’s something incredibly beautiful about the way the words and syllables flow together to create their meanings.
If you’re looking to stand out in a saturated market, choosing an abstract word or phrase in a language other than English can be a great way to draw attention to yourself.
A simple online translator such as Google Translate will get you off to a good start.
For example, maybe you have a blog about dogs, so you name your blog “Perfect Perros” since “Perros” is Spanish for “dogs.”
For a creative blog name, try choosing something short with fewer syllables.
This will help to keep your blog name easy to remember and pronounce!
16. End With a Suffix
By now lots of one-word domain names and company names are already taken — as are many phrases and combinations, too.
There’s only a finite number of names available, so sometimes your perfect name is already in existence.
A way around this is to add a suffix to the end of your desired blog name. It’s a trend that originated in the startup world that’s become popular in blogging, too.
Some popular examples from the business world include Grammarly and Teachable.
One of the most well-known fashion blogs, The Sartorialist, is an example of a blog name that ends in a suffix.
Here are some popular suffixes to inspire you:
- -al
- -ary
- -ation
- -esque
- -ful
- -ing
- -ly
- -ous
- -y
17. Blog Naming Formulas
These aren’t hard and fast rules, but they should help you find the right direction.
Blogging Tips Formula
To name this blog, we combined our topic and desired audience with our end goal.
Since this blog focuses on blogging, we chose to include “blogging” in the name.
The end goal is to offer tips, which meant that “Blogging Tips” was the perfect name.
Portmanteau Formula
You can also use a portmanteau, which is a word that blends two words.
One common one is “brunch” which combines “breakfast” and “lunch.”
If you can find a portmanteau that works for your niche, use it in your name.
18. Blog Name Generator
If all else fails, you can use a blog name generator.
These are actually some of my favorite ways to come up with fun word combinations.
These creative generators allow you to set your own limits on the kind of words you want to create.
Then all you need to do is hit “submit” and browse through the suggestions.
The great thing about many of these types of name tools is that not only do they suggest pretty awesome names, they also tell you whether the .com of that name is registered by anyone.
Taking the stress out of crafting a great name, only to find out it’s being used elsewhere.
By now, you may be getting inspired or tired out 🙂
Just remember, go step-by-step through these recommendations and you’ll have a .com domain name before this post is done!]
That way, you can find a name that’s available and that suits your blog.
Give the following blog name generators a try.
Between all of them, you should be able to find at least one name you like.
- smartwp Domain Name Generator
- Panabee Blog Name Generator
- Wordoid
- NameStation Blog Name Generator
- Looka’s Business Name Generator
Before You Name Your Blog
As you write down ideas for your creative blog name, there are a few things to keep in mind.
You might have to consider any legal issues like trademarks or copyright, as well as whether there are already bloggers in your niche with a similar name.
To research trademarks or copyrights in the U.S., you can search the trademark database.
Different countries have a different approach to this, so make sure you fully research the legislation and any restrictions in your local area.
If you want to make sure that your chosen blog name isn’t too similar to others, type the phrase into a search engine and see if anything comes up.
You can also search on social media channels like Instagram to see if influencers are active under the name there.
This is especially important in niches like tech, where lots of blog names start with “Tech.”
Along with legal or branding concerns, now is also a good time to reflect on your creative blog name and ask yourself a few questions, like:
- Will this name appeal to my target audience?
- Is it easy to pronounce?
- Can it be mistaken for something else?
- Is it memorable?
- Does it describe my content or mission?
Bringing it Together: Blog Naming Exercise
I’ve started and built over 50 blogs in the last few years, and that has required me to come up with a system to generate the best blog names.
Your business or blog name is the first thing anyone will notice about your website.
You will use a name to create a logo, promote your blog, share links on social media, send emails, manage a brand, etc.
So how do you come up with cool, creative blog names?
Follow this simple process to get started, but feel free to brainstorm your own blog name ideas to differentiate yourself from other bloggers using similar domains.
Once you figure out the name of your blog, the next step is to register the domain name for the blog.
25 Blog Name Ideas (Examples)
We will go over some successful blogs and why they might have chosen the names they did.
Fashion Blog Names
1. The Fashion Guitar
The Fashion Guitar is a great fashion blog by a woman named Charlotte.
She uses the blog to showcase her fashion and to help other women find new clothes.
The blog doesn’t cover music, but the name still helps the blog stand out.
2. Girl With Curves
Girl With Curves is one excellent blog for curvy girls who are into fashion.
The name represents what the blog does and who it’s for.
That makes it easy for potential readers to connect with the blog and find articles they like.
3. Hello Fashion
Hello Fashion is another fantastic blog name.
It’s simple and to the point, and it allows room for the blog to cover a lot of topics related to clothes.
They’ve done just that with everything from back-to-school shopping to gift ideas.
4. WeWoreWhat
WeWoreWhat started as a blog and has since expanded to be an online store.
Of course, they blog about and sell clothing, and the name is general enough to support that growth.
5. Fashion Steele NYC
Fashion Steele NYC is a bit of a specific name since it mentions a city.
Steel is also the last name of the blog’s founder, so it describes a bit about her.
Still, the blog has been able to grow, and it focuses on luxury and thrift items.
Travel Blog Names
1. Dan Flying Solo
Dan Flying Solo is a blog by Dan about his travels, so the name is very descriptive.
The nice thing about the name is that it doesn’t always have to be about travel.
Dan could transition it to a local blog if he wanted to.
2. The Planet D
The Planet D comes from Dave and Deb, so they’re both able to use their initials.
They cover everything from trips to living nomadically.
You can even learn travel tips, so this is a very general blog that has been able to grow well.
3. The Blonde Abroad
The Blonde Abroad is another general travel blog, and the name works well for that.
It has a blonde owner, and she talks about everything from travel tips to general lifestyle.
There’s also a travel shop for people looking to go abroad.
4. The Points Guy
The Points Guy is probably one of the most famous travel blogs out there.
You can learn how to save money on your travels and earn points.
It’s a very specific name, but it’s broad enough to cover various topics, from cards to reviews.
Going Awesome Places is another fantastic travel blog name.
It’s general enough to cover anything related to visiting new cities and countries.
The blog covers destinations, travel guides, and more.
Lifestyle Blog Names
1. The Skinny Confidential
The Skinny Confidential is an excellent blog about beauty and relationships for women.
But the name is general enough that the blog could cover other lifestyle topics. It focuses on women as the audience since lifestyle is a broad niche.
2. Cup of Jo
Cup of Jo is another lifestyle blog that primarily attracts women.
It covers everything from food to motherhood, so many women can find something on the blog that they like.
Joanna’s use of her name allows her to blog about anything.
3. The Progress Club
The Progress Club is yet another blog-turned-business.
This blog is a personal development blog that also sells products and offers coaching services.
It used to be named A Girl in Progress, but they were able to easily change the branding.
4. Refinery29
Refinery29 is another big publication that covers a lot of lifestyle topics.
You can read about money, relationships, and more. It’s also a full brand with a great social media presence.
They even have sections for different countries, such as the US, UK, Germany, and France.
5. Goop
Goop is a pretty controversial blog, but that might be to its advantage.
Whether you like it or hate it, you probably know they talk about different health and wellness topics.
Gwenyth Paltrow also uses her blog to sell a variety of products.
Food Blog Names
1. Love and Lemons
Love and Lemons is a general food blog, but they have a lot of vegetarian options.
You can read the recipes and even shop for cooking products.
That allows the blog owners to make an income and grow their blog.
2. Cookie and Kate
Cookie and Kate is a blog by Kathryne, who goes by Kate, and she has a dog named Cookie.
She offers recipes for a variety of diets, and she has categories to help readers find what they need.
Of course, the name is general enough to cover anything, food or otherwise.
3. Minimlist Baker
Minimalist Baker is a food blog all about easy recipes.
You shouldn’t need more than a few things to complete the recipes.
While that can limit the blog owners, a lot of people like food that’s easy to cook.
4. 101 Cookbooks
101 Cookbooks is a blog about healthy food, but the name is still general if they decide to change the focus.
Most of the recipes are vegan or vegetarian, but there are some treats.
It’s a good blog name since it tells you what it covers but isn’t too narrow.
5. Budget Bytes
Budget Bytes is a blog about affordable foods and recipes.
The “bytes” in the name is a cute play on how bytes is a computer term, but it sounds like “bites.”
That can help you understand the recipes are cheap to make.
Sports Blog Names
1. Yahoo! Sports
Yahoo! Sports is one of the biggest sports blogs.
It has the backing of a well-known brand, but it’s general enough to cover any sport.
Both factors have probably helped it see the success it’s had.
2. The Athletic
The Athletic is another excellent general sports blog name.
This blog does charge a subscription, so you’ll have to pay to read it.
However, articles cover sports, teams, and even cities with those specific sports and teams.
3. Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report covers everything from football to basketball.
Of course, the name refers to the bleachers that athletes sit on when they aren’t playing a game.
That makes it easy to understand the focus of the blog before you click on it.
4. talkSPORT
talkSPORT is another great name for this niche.
It lets you listen to news about sports, and you can read articles about football, boxing, and more.
But the name allows the owners to focus more on articles if they don’t want to do live radio.
5. SBNation
SBNation is another successful sports blog.
The name could stand for “sports blog nation,” but it’s unclear if that’s the case.
Either way, the blog covers a variety of sports and could easily expand to cover more if the owners choose.
Wrapping Up
Knowing how to come up with a blog name is crucial to starting your website.
While you can change the name, it can be difficult to do.
Be sure to make your name easy to remember and type, and keep it short.
You can use a niche-related keyword, or you can use your name.
Consider some successful blogs as well to help inspire you.
Then, you might be able to choose a blog name that can help you get more readers.
Do you still have questions? Comment below!
Remember that coming up with a blog name is about simplicity and appealing to your niche.