How to Pick a Domain Name for a Blog

Pick a domain name for your blog that says something about you and your blog. The domain name for a blog can be anything (assuming it isn’t already being used) — a company name, a nickname, or your favorite food group.

A domain is the address, or main URL, that people type in the browser to get to your Web site. Think of a domain like an address to your house. When someone looks for you, they can find your address. A domain name allows your site to be easily remembered by your readers, look more professional, and change Web hosts or hosted blog solutions at will.

Think of a phrase or sentence that captures something about you and your blog. Write down your topic keywords onto notecards and then move them around and see if you can stumble upon something great.

What exactly does a domain do for you? Because you’re doing this blog site on your own, you’ll see a few advantages right away:

  • It allows your site to be easily remembered by your readers.

  • Having a domain of your own looks more professional; it’s a huge benefit at a small cost.

  • Having a domain means you can change Web hosts or hosted blog solutions with impunity, since your address is actually a separate service. If or when you move your blog, you simply point the address to the new location.

Your domain should represent your blog properly, although there are no hard and fast rules. Try to choose a domain that

  • Matches your blog name.

  • Is based on your topic keywords.

  • Is a play on words or slang based around your topic.

  • Is humorous or memorable.

If you’re having trouble coming up with an idea, consider using your name. In fact, even if you want to use another domain for your blog address, owning the domain for your own name is a good idea. You can point several domains to the same Web site or blog, too, so it might help people find you in search engines. Another option is to take advantage of the many online tools available. Domain-name-choosing Web sites help by suggesting word combinations and coming up with some randomly generated choices.

Even if you end up using a hosted blog solution and don’t need to get Web hosting, you can buy a domain and forward the address to your blog. After you register your domain, check the Help text of the registrar to find out how to forward the domain to your blog’s Web address.

Comments (4)

  1. Posted by John Entingh
    I want to post a web page. How do I go about creating an interactive site with question and answer capabilities much like this one here?
  2. Posted by Coil.com
    Some great points on how to choose a domain name. Another domain name strategy to consider is to acquire a premium name in the aftermarket. Premium domain names are assets which can be resold even if the underlying business may fail. Last month for example the domain name Toys.com sold for $5.1 Million at bankruptcy auction. While many other asset classes like real estate and stocks have declined significantly in value over the last year, premium domain names have shown surprising strength. In December, TechCrunch reported that AT&T acquired the domain name YP.com for $3.85 Million in cash for their YellowPages.com brand. With the rapid growth in mobile sites, short and intuitive names will continue to rise in value so it would be wise for start-ups to take a deeper look into the benefits of acquiring a strong domain name right from the start. Coil.com has a list of published 4-letter .com domain sales along with a post by the founders of Alice.com and the reasoning behind their $250,000 acquisition of the Alice.com domain name. http://Coil.com/
  3. Posted by Thomas
    It's worth using something memorable so that people are more likely to recall the name next time they are online. Having said that I don't think the name has to describe the site exactly, if your site is interesting enough people will bookmark it. My blog is called words about things because that is exactly what it is!
  4. Posted by adrin rogers
    Domain name must be short but impressive. And of course memorable. Domain registration india

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