How to Pick a Good Blog Name (+ BEST Blog Name Generators)
It took me SIX MONTHS to finally decide on a name for my blog.
Crikey.. that’s a long time, right?
But, what I realised is, actually – most bloggers struggle with settling on a suitable name for their blogs too, and many of them have spent just as long, if not longer, on their blog names.
I’m pretty sure you are spending quite a bit of time trying to figure out the perfect, permanent name to give your website / brand too.
Afterall, once your decision is made, boom, that it – there’s no going back. Your web URLs will be fixed with your new name, and cannot be undone.
The only way you can change your blog name, is to delete all your posts, and start again (and this will negatively impact your blog’s SEO).
You might be wondering:
How can I avoid wasting so much valuable time on something as simple as finding a name for my new blog?
After all, six months is just ridiculous.
Why DID it take so long for me and other bloggers? You ask.
In this post, I show you how to set up a brand new blog, I show you the best FREE blog name generators to help you make your decision, and also I go through the mistakes I made and the regrets I have, so you can avoid them.
So without further ado, scroll on to read: How to Pick a Good Blog Name (+ BEST Blog Name Generators)
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Table of Contents
How to Pick a Good Blog Name (+ BEST Blog Name Generators)
Let’s go back to the beginning, when I began the process of setting up my blog.
I had a few rough drafts written down, and lots of ideas ready to write. I had tons of photos and videos saved from my travels over the past five years.
So I felt it was about time I cracked on with this travel blog.
The first thing I did to officially begin the long and challenging, yet exciting process of blogging, was purchase a hosting site, and a WordPress site with it.
Many bloggers will advise you do this first, because it motivates you to get off your backside and take that leap of faith.
For me, I felt I should have done some research on the name first.
Because, once you’ve paid for the hosting site (in my case, I chose Bluehost, its perfect for first-time bloggers and new blogs), you’re paying for a set period of time, ie: 1 year, 2 years etc. (I paid upfront for 2 years).
However, I WAITED until I was 100% satisfied with my name first, before posting my FIRST EVER blog post.
This meant I spent nearly SIX MONTHS paying for a web host, which was live, but had NO content on it at all.
How Do You Find The Right Name?
You are establishing your brand and business identity online to a global audience. So your name is pretty important.
This is going to be your logo on your website, across all your social media, and maybe on your business card (if you have one).
The problem is, the Travel Blogging industry has EXPLODED in the last decade – there are many thousands of active travel bloggers worldwide.
So, to avoid getting lost in the crowd – you ABSOLUTELY need a unique, catchy, and memorable name, to stand out.
And this was one of the reasons why I delayed starting my blog in the first place, because I found it really difficult thinking up a really clever name.
No wonder it is one of the hardest parts of setting up a blog.
So, grab yourself a brew & some snacks, have your notepad & pens out, open your laptop, and make yourself comfy. It’s time to get down to business.
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#1: Research Other Bloggers to Gain Inspiration
Have a look at the so-called ‘competition’ – by that, I mean fellow established bloggers in the community.
(Remember – you aren’t setting out to compete against ANYONE but yourself.)
Have a look at the names and brands of other bloggers – see what catches your eye, and draw inspiration from them.
You need to come up with keywords – words that define who you are, and what your blog is about.
#2: Avoid Being ‘Boxed In’
You might come up with some awesome names, BUT – you need to consider if they are wise choices.
For example: The Twenty-Something Traveller sounds great, sure. But what happens when you reach your thirties? That name no longer has any relevance to you.
You might think Budget Backpacker is an awesome name too. (And yes – budget travel is indeed a very popular niche). But a name with ‘budget’ will lose you potential collaborations and deals with high-end hotel resorts and luxury travel magazines and websites.
Remember – your name is supposed to stick with you and your business for a very long time.
So, choose your name wisely.
#3: Brainstorm
With your keywords, do lots of brainstorming – mix and mash words together, find out what clicks, looks interesting, stands out.
When I started brainstorming, I used ALL of the generic travel keywords that have already been used by countless travel bloggers – wander, traveller, vagabond, backpacker, nomad, adventure, explorer, the list goes on.
But then I learned the truth.
These words have been WAYYY overused, and they will NOT make you stand out at all.
That’s the reality. So I had to change my approach, and try harder.
(Thus, many sleepless nights ensued – with my mind in overdrive, noting down any catchy or unique words, sometimes at 3am).
You could say it was REALLY frustrating.
Word of advice: Don’t use those generic, overused words in your name. Find a phrase or keywords that’s catchy, humorous, anything that stands out and grabs people’s attention.It doesn’t even have to be 100% specific to your niche.
#4: Use a Blog Name Generator
A SUPER useful tool to help you come up with unique name ideas is the blog name generator. There are loads of these on the web, and they may help your blog stand out.
Here’s a collection of the BEST FREE Blog Name Generators across the web:
Self-titled ‘The Best Domain Name Generator’, Nameboy is the oldest and one of the most popular blog name generators on the web. I started with Nameboy when I began my blogging journey way back in 2018, and there was only a handful of decent generators available, with this one being the most popular.
This one is a pretty awesome blog name suggestion tool, it helps you to quickly and easily identify available blog names with your desired keywords.
Another one of the early generators thats been around a long time, NameBounce suggests names in many categories like short, fun, new, and SEO.
One of the best Domain Name registrars, Domain.com has a powerful built-in blog and business name generator.
Although in the end, they didn’t help me decide on my name, they definitely provided me with a boost of fresh ideas and opened new paths to help me push through that creative block I kept hitting when brainstorming my blog name.
BlogTyrant‘s free domain name generator is designed specifically to help bloggers with brainstorming ideas. Once you type in the keyword, it will show you dozens of creative ideas, so you can use it to quickly start a blog.
#5: Check if The Domain is Available
Another thing you have to do – is to check that your potential name is available as a domain.
So I had Namecheap.com on a permanently open tab, and was typing in potential names to see if they’re available, and how much they would cost.
Once in a while, I’d come up with a BRILLIANT name idea.
But, it was either a.) already taken, or b.) costed a bloody fortune on Namecheap. (like £20,000. No joke.)
#6: Check Your Name is Available on Social Media
The other important thing you must do, is check your potential name hasn’t already been taken across all the social media platforms. The main ones you need to check, are:
- Facebook (Page)
(You could also check YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Tumblr and others if you wish to use those platforms.)
Tip: Make sure your name isn’t too long for Social Media. Twitter has a 14 character limit, for example, so try to fit within that.
It can be really frustrating if you find your name is available on ALL but ONE of the platforms.
In such a case, you’d be forced to slightly alter your name (so for example: if your blog name is NomadicJoe but it’s already taken on say, Twitter, then you may have to settle for something like Nomadic_Joe.)
Alternatively, you could try contacting the original owner to see if they will let you have their name. You might be lucky if that account isn’t very active.
So, How did I end up with ‘BRB Gone Somewhere Epic’?
Simple: it just popped up in my mind.
After ALL that time – I switched off, and decided to stop fretting over travel-related words. Instead, I tried to think of some catchy, witty and simple phrases. And Gone Somewhere Epic was the third phrase I came up with.
It’s simple, has a positive feel, and relates to travel.
And I was finally happy with that.
However, the name was already taken on one of the social media platforms unfortunately. But that account was very inactive, and I was determined to keep my new name.
So I changed it a little – by adding BRB, which not only means ‘Be Right Back’, but I realised it also includes my name and who I am: Billy Read Blogger.
Smart huh!
Lessons Learned:
Mistake #1:
Spending far too long on finding the perfect name.
While your blog name is important, it shouldn’t take TOO long. I made the mistake of spending six months figuring out the perfect name.
Your blog will NOT grow until you start writing and promoting your content.
Mistake #2:
Researching with all the generic and overused words.
When I started brainstorming keywords and researching name ideas, I went straight for all the obvious travel words that had already been used a million times by every travel blogger I’d heard of.
This was the wrong approach, because I would never stand out from the crowd. Plus, this was the main reason I spent 6 months trying to find my blog name. I’m telling you now: learn from my mistake by avoiding these generic words and save yourself a lot of time.
Instead, think of catchy phrases and words that haven’t been used. Don’t be afraid go for something really simple if it works, or something not related to travel even.
Mistake #3:
Leaving the blog on hold until I had my name decided first.
This was the BIGGEST mistake I made. Focusing so much time and effort into the perfect name, meant I lost precious time building my blog – by NOT publishing ANY content whatsoever.. and thus, I wasted money paying for an empty website.
(It’s okay if your blog is a work in progress. I just didn’t feel comfortable showing my incomplete work, and the result is precious time lost).
I could have used a working/temporary name until I found the perfect name (Bluehost provides a free temporary name while you are deciding on what to call your blog), and then I could’ve change it later. DUH!
Looking back – it wasn’t all that bad.
During those six months, I went travelling to three countries. And I also wrote lots of content which I saved for when I was ready.
This meant that when I finally published my first 5 blogs in one go, I had plenty more blogposts ready and waiting, so I was not in a hurry to come up with new content to keep the flow going.
Setting up a new Blog Site?
It’s very easy to get a brand new blog up and running these days. Here’s some useful tips and tools to get you started on setting up your new blog, totally hassle free:
#1: Search for your Domain Name
Use the widget below to type in name ideas and instantly check if they are available (and be sure to claim them before someone else does!)
#2: Sign up with Bluehost for as little as $3.95 per month!
Bluehost is one of the most popular hosts used by bloggers. This is the web host server I use for this travel blog, and it’s served me pretty well since I started. It’s very quick and easy to set up, and its ideal for new blogs.
#3: Use Elementor for the best WordPress theme
After trying out dozens of WP themes I can confidently say that Elementor is by far, the best theme I have ever come across. (It’s widely considered the world’s leading WordPress page builder after all). It’s super flexible and allows you to build your own beautiful website style with ease. I’ve been with them over a year, and I’m on the Pro version now, but the Free version is also superb. I cannot recommend Elementor enough. Click here to set up Elementor on your site.
Thank you for reading: How to Pick a Good Blog Name (+ BEST Blog Name Generators).
I hope it’s given you some useful advice in finding your own new blog name.
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