Picking the right blog name can be overwhelming. Generating blog name ideas can help with that, but it’s a process that requires many factors.
It would be best if you thought of something clever that fully conveys what your blog will be. However, you don’t want to be too limiting or pick something that won’t rank well on search engines.
Even worse, you might pick something that doesn’t have an available domain or the right social channel handles.
This post will outline how to generate blog name ideas and share the steps you need to take to create the perfect blog name. Before we dive in, let’s look at what exactly makes a good blog name.
What Makes a Good Blog Name?
Much like choosing the right domain name, selecting your blog name requires careful consideration.
A good blog name should be:
- Memorable enough that it stands out
- Related to the product or service the business is selling
- Distinctive from other blog names in the market
Selecting the wrong name can be costly in the long run. If you have to change it down the road, you lose the branding opportunities that you could have been building up until that point.
In addition, you will have to invest in a new logo and re-engage your readers with the new brand.
There are over 600 million blogs published in the world today. Make sure your blog stands out with a distinctive name while still being loosely connected to your brand.
For example, look at Banknotes, a blog for the creator marketplace Hashtag Paid. The business matches creators with brands to increase sales.
Getting your blog name right on the first try should always be your goal.
Questions To Ask Yourself Before Coming Up With a Blog Name
As you brainstorm blog name ideas, you should factor in many considerations.
Before you start, establish a purpose for your blog. Are you writing a travel blog or a fashion blog? Will you highlight the best food in your area? Your subject matter can guide your blog name brainstorming right away.
Establishing your blog niche will help you frame your expectations and find creative blog names. Whether you’re creating a personal blog or a fitness blog, every blogger must think like a marketer when selecting a successful name for their niche.
Here is a checklist of factors that will guide you in selecting the best blog name:
- Subject Matter: What are you writing about?
- Target Audience: Who will read your writing?
- Blogging Motivation: Why did you create this blog in the first place? Is it just a creative outlet or an SEO engine to drive traffic and sales?
- Writing Style: Will your blog be humorous or serious? Your name should be aligned with that style.
- Future Focus: Will your blog evolve into new topics down the road? Don’t select a name that is too limiting.
- Length: How will the name of your blog read in spots where there are character limits?
Selecting the wrong blog name is like building a house on a bed of quicksand. It would be best to have the right name to serve as a foundation.
Every new blogger wants to think of catchy blog names. They run through many naming ideas, trying to find the common word or phrase that fits their branding and blogging niche. This is often easier said than done.
The right blog name should be linked to the company or person’s brand. It should feel natural and engaging. If you say the name out loud, you should understand the links between the blog and the business or person associated with it.
Mailchimp used a word associated with its brand as its blog name: Courier.
Its platform started as an email marketing platform (EMP) that enabled businesses to reach their customers. So, Courier makes sense for the name of its blog.
Now that you know what to look for in a blog name, let’s outline how to find the right name that will fit your brand.
How To Come Up With a Blog Name (10 Tips)
Knowing what to look for in a blog name is one thing. Coming across the right name is a whole other challenge.
Here are a few steps you should take to find the right blog name idea.
1. Start With a Focus Keyword or Two
If you’re optimizing for SEO, each of your articles should have a focus keyword. Why shouldn’t your entire blog?
Consider what you’re writing about and include a singular focus keyword in the name.
For example, Disney could have called its blog something imaginative and magical. However, that may not be exactly what people input into search engines.
Instead, it has different blogs with targeted focuses. For example, here is the Disney Parks Blog, a news site that highlights everything new at the various Disney theme parks:
If a reader searches for “Disney Parks,” this blog will appear.
You can string together related words to try and find domain names that will match search queries.
2. Use Your Own Name
Sometimes, you don’t even have to use a different name for your blog.
If you have a recognizable company name or are an industry thought-leader, it might make more sense to use your name as the blog name.
HubSpot, a leading marketing platform, has a “HubSpot Blog” for all its latest content:
Consumers recognize HubSpot, so they immediately know that its blog produces trusted content.
3. Use a Thesaurus
Can’t think of a word associated with your brand?
Write out some of the most common words that appear in your messaging. Then, you can use a thesaurus to find other relevant words.
For example, if you looked up the word “target” in a thesaurus, you might find the word “bullseye.”
Thus, it makes sense that Target named its blog “A Bullseye View.”
Target uses a word associated with its brand to make sure that its blog stays on brand.
4. Use Alliteration
Phrases that use words starting with the same letter can be catchy and memorable.
That’s why using alliteration for your blog name is a good idea.
Starbucks’ blog “Starbucks Stories” rolls off the tongue. It is playful, catchy, and fun.
Starbucks’ Stories is a simple yet effective blog name that will stay in the minds of its readers.
5. Use Acronyms or Abbreviations
Consider how an acronym or abbreviation might look if your name is long.
This strategy is also useful if your domain is already taken. You can use a popular domain registrar to check and see if your domain is available.
You should also see how much your domain costs to ensure you don’t overspend.
With an acronym or abbreviation for your blog name, you can condense your blog name to ensure it is easy to find and type into a browser.
For example, look at the NASA Blog, a simple, straightforward blog for the space organization:
The short acronym is easy to type and makes for a simple, effective blog name.
6. Create a Portmanteau
A portmanteau is the combination of two words into a brand new word.
This is effective if your blog is about the unification of two things. In addition, by creating your own word, you won’t have to worry about the domain being taken.
Labradoodle is a portmanteau, so the Agape Labradoodles blog took advantage of this strategy:
You’ll want to be careful, though. If they aren’t immediately recognizable, portmanteaus can be confusing and unclear to some readers.
7. Use a Common Saying
Name your blog something that readers are already saying.
For example, the state of “flow,” or your naturally working state when you’re on a roll, is something that business-minded people are often thinking about.
Buffer, a social media management platform, named its blog “Flow” to highlight marketing stories and relevant content for working professionals.
This strategy engages your readers and aligns your blog with their language.
8. Consider Words in a Different Language
Even if you don’t have an international audience, you might find that some words in other languages will make excellent blog names.
Take Blog de Pelis, for example:
This is a popular movie blog that highlights new releases and features.
With a blog title in a different language, you can expand your readership and appeal to many new viewers.
9. Choose a Random Name
Sometimes, you need to be off the wall with your blog name. That will make it more memorable.
The AV Club, a popular movie review blog, uses this strategy.
Its blog is representative of a club of movie lovers. While no club initially existed, AV Club created and owned its brand name, connecting its readers to the engaging community.
10. Check Competitors’ Names
Before selecting a blog name, you should check and see what your competitors are doing.
This can serve as a useful guidepost when finding the right name.
The Allstate brand stuck to its roots in the competitive insurance space. Instead of straying from its name, the company stuck to its brand that consumers know well.
The Allstate Blog is your go-to resource for all insurance-related inquiries:
The company leveraged its unique brand identity to provide consumers with answers to insurance-related questions through its blog.
Now that you know the ten considerations you should think about, it’s time to look at different blog generators to use as an added resource.
Top 9 Blog Name Generators
There are numerous blog name generators on the market to help you find the perfect name. Here is a list of the top nine you should consider.
1. BNG
Blog Name Generator (BNG) is a simple, straightforward name generator that can help you brainstorm amazing blog names in just a few clicks.
It will generate hundreds of names and cross-reference their domain availability with GoDaddy. Multiple generators exist on the site for numerous languages.
If you don’t know where to start, begin with Blog Name Generator to get a few ideas going.
2. Masterpiece Generator
Masterpiece Generator is a name generator that pulls from more than one particular keyword. Instead, you can input multiple adjectives, verbs, and words associated with your company. The generator will take these words into account when formulating your name ideas.
This site has more inputs to generate specific combinations of your name. It can enable you to get more precise and targeted with the generated results.
3. Nameboy
Nameboy is a blog name generator that sources blog names and immediately connects you with a hosting provider to get started. The platform integrates with Bluehost to help you get going with your domain hosting.
Most importantly, Nameboy offers multiple generators available for various use cases. This includes name generators for podcasts, storefronts, businesses, blogs, and more. It has a special formula for each one, sourcing only the best names for your brand.
4. Wordoid
Wordoid is an effective name generator if you don’t know where to start. You can input two brand words and create an entirely new, unique word. This generator combines multiple words in different ways to make a unique name for your blog.
Be careful if you use this service to source your blog names. The wrong name can hurt your blog’s growth. Make sure you test out the new name mashup that you create on multiple readers to get feedback before going live.
5. Wizlogo
Wizlogo is a free blog name generator that will formulate many viable options for your new blog. Much like the other generators, all you need to do is input words associated with your blog.
Wizlogo’s magic is that it will automatically generate a free logo for your blog after you type in a keyword. This service makes it into a one-stop-shop for launching your blog. With a new name and logo, you can be on your way to writing your first blog post.
6. Namify
Namify is a blog name generator that allows you to select a category for a more curated name based on your keywords.
For example, if you have a food blog, you could select “food” and input the type of food you’re writing about. Namify will aggregate related blog names based on that search query.
An additional key feature is Namify’s ability to automatically check whether or not the matching social handles and domains are available. This may make you reconsider some of the names if there are no matching handles for you to use.
7. Wix Blog Name Generator
Wix’s Blog Name Generator is a great resource to help you select the right name for your blog. If you’re planning on using Wix to build your site, this is a natural option for you to use.
The blog name generator will automatically cross-reference your name options with available domains that you can buy directly through Wix.
8. Instant Domain Search
Instant Domain Search offers a straightforward domain name generator to help you source ideas for your blog name. In addition to providing ideas, it also highlights which domains are for sale and lists potential domain extensions for your reference.
This is an all-in-one solution that will help you consider the future of your blog and any brand extension media channels that may result from its success. If you think you might branch out from your existing primary blog, this site would be optimal to use to think about your long-term future.
9. Lean Domain Search
Lean Domain Search is an easy-to-use domain search engine that could double as your blog name idea generator. The instructions on the site are simple: “Try typing in a search term.” Then, all your ideas will be generated from the results.
The generator allows you to sort by popularity, length, or alphabetical order. You can also filter results for ones that start with or end with your search term. This site doesn’t have many special features, so start here if you’re looking for one that is straightforward.
Before Making a Final Decision
With your name in hand, there are a few final questions you should ask yourself before you solidify it as the official name of your blog.
These safeguards are in place to ensure that you consider your new blog name from multiple perspectives.
Is The Blog Name/Domain Available?
Some name generators have this feature built-in. If not, consider checking out the site software you’re using, like WordPress or Wix, for domain availability.
Does The Name Read Well in Domain Format?
Envision your blog name with a .com or .blog after it to ensure it doesn’t feel weird or awkward. Some names may seem like a great fit at first.
Until you see how the domain looks and feels, you should wait to solidify your decision.
Is the Name Easy To Say and Spell?
As you promote your blog, you don’t want to keep spelling it for others. A simple, straightforward name that is easy to spell and find is critical.
Are Social Media Accounts Available?
Complete a scan of all major social media sites. If your desired handles aren’t available, check alternative ones like @yourblogname_official or other variations that you like.
Summary
Finding the right name for your blog is a process. You need to generate blog name ideas and narrow them down to select the right one. After, it would help if you asked yourself various qualifying questions to consider how your blog name will be perceived.
With the right blog name in place, you’ll set your site up for maximum success.
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