How to pick a website domain name

You have made the decision to join the blogging world! Well done! Before you can start your journey of the online world, one of the most important things to consider is your domain name.

This is going to be your online calling card. It is therefore very important that you pick a name that reflects what your blog is all about.

While it is tempting to go for a cutesy name, you need to remember that first impressions count. You wouldn’t want to deal with someone who blogs from “lovetoparty”.dom for instance.

That might very well work if you are running a DJ blog or disco blog, but for the rest of the world, it already undermines your respectability. Here are some ways to choose a fitting website domain name:

Own your name:

You are your own brand. A lot of people use their given name as their domain name. Unless you have a common name like Joe Smith, more than likely, the name will be available for registration.

It might become limiting at some point, so that is something to consider. If your blog is a  personal or lifestyle blog, l say go for it.

Make sure your name is easy to spell, pronounce and is short. Mine isn’t, therefore it was a no-brainer. Most people won’t bother if they have to look up spelling.

Choose a name that reflects the blog purpose

The online world is very crowded, and is getting even more so every day. You want a blog name that instantly tells what your blog is about.

Using my blog name as an example, l wanted something strong, memorable and easily remembered.

Savvy means Knowledgeable. Other synonyms are sharp-witted, astute, and intelligence, all qualities that l possess. I choose the shortest one.

Pro is short for Professional. I have been a working professional in real life for over 30 years and l am proud of the way l have always conducted myslef.

Customer care is my number one concern. I deliver high quality work and want that known right off the bat.

Blogger – because l do. This is known as a keyword. If for example, your blog will be about knitting, you might try “Kellyknits”. If you have a physical store, you might try to incorporate that into your name. Like “barberofSeville”.

Putting it all together, l came up with savvyproblogger. It’s easy enough to remember and l think it serves it purpose.

Use a Domain Name Generator:

There are plenty of sites that will help you come up with a suitable domain name. They include:

Lean Domain Search

Bust a name

Name Station

It’s a good idea to try a combination of names and ruminate on it for a while. I will usually write down a few and check with friends to see which one sounds and flows better.

The most important thing is to make sure that your blog name and domain name are the same. You want consistency across the board. Remember, you always want to make it easy for people.

Dot com is still the bomb

Yes, you have .net, .biz, and so much more, but the fact remains that .com is what people remember the most. Ask yourself. Would you go through the trouble of looking up a website that ends in anything but a .com?

If the response is no, you have your answer. Very few people would. You have seconds before the interest is gone and they click on the first site that pops up.

Make it unique

There’s nothing worse than picking and registering a name only to find that a bigger company has something really close to yours, causing confusion.

You don’t want a domain name like “Adidase” for instance. People will see Adidas wear first and forget all about you. It’s a good idea to type in your list of name into your browser and see what comes up.

Choosing your domain name takes much longer than registering with a host. It’s common for it to take a week or more. Once you’ve made this decision though, you’re ready to proceed to the next part.

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