If you are looking for a way to create an income from home and have decided to start your first blog or website, then choosing your domain name is the next step.
This means that you will need to come up with a suitable name for your blog.
I’ m taking it that you’ ve already narrowed down your niche and know what topic you are going to be writing on, but if not then I have got you covered because I wrote a post specifically on how to choose your niche.
Let’ s get started.
Here are a few essential tips to help you when choosing your domain name:
Before you rush out and buy the first domain name that pops into your head, here are some vital tips that you will find useful when you are starting your first blog and trying to decide on a suitable name.
What is a Domain Name?
Well simply it is the name of your website or blog.
It is the online address where people will be able to find your site.
Just like you have a physical address for your house, your domain name is the address that you can give out to people so that they can find your blog.
For example, mine is called The Digital Mum.com
You cannot have a website without a domain name.
8 Things You Must Consider When Deciding On A Domain Name
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- Using a .com or different extension?
If you are able to buy the .com domain name then this is always the best way to go.
This is because it carries more authority and can be used worldwide.
Most people are more familiar with the .com extension, this is the domain level that has been around for a long time.
It was the one that was most widely used when websites were first getting starting.
There were many .com names available at the time but as these have started to get snapped up, new extensions started to come about, like .co or .net, .website, .inc.
Just a reminder that .org is mainly used for charities so I would keep away from those unless of course you are thinking of setting up as a charity or not for profit.
You want to avoid any confusion when considering your domain name.
As people have become used to using .com, if you have a different extension like any of those above, they may mistake your site for one that is already running with a similar domain name which uses the .com extension
If your niche is more specific to the country where you are living, then you can also have a domain that ends with the country extension, for example, the
United Kingdom is .uk,
Ireland is .ie or
The USA is .us.
If your domain is specific to your country code this could limit you to this specific area, so consider this when deciding on your domain name.
This is not always bad, if you know that your blog or business is going to be specific to your country then you can go ahead and choose a country specific code like .uk,
My daughters did this with their Baby Hamper Gift business Showersandsprinkles.co.uk (I designed their website for them btw, kinda cool right). If you want to know how you can get your own website like that set up, here is where I learnt the skills to build websites.
They knew that they did not plan to target a worldwide market. This is fine too, it’ s cool to keep it local, if this suits your business model.
If your ideal .com name is taken, then you can try to be creative.
You could change it a bit by adding a keyword specific to your niche.
For example, if you are a freelancer then add this to the domain you are thinking of, for example
‘domainnamefreelancer’ or
‘domainnamewriter’ or
‘domainnameblogger’ and
see if the .com is available then.
2. Be clear and concise
Many people try to think of weird and zany catchy domain names. It’ s best to stay away from this when you are starting out.
The less complication the better.
Sometimes simple is best.
It will be easier to remember. Easier to spell.
Stay away from using unusual spellings
Like momz, or biz, you will have to keep saying mom with a z or business with a z. That’ s going to get real tiresome.
Or changing out commonly spelt words like jewels for jewlz or candles for Kandles. You will have to keep saying how it is spelt and your readers may have trouble finding you.
Another problem is having a domain name with double letters next to each other like ss or tt or gg.
For example sallyssalon, sallysshoppingguide, writerssite, startteam
This can be confusing when people write your website name down.
3. Avoid hyphens or numbers.
It’ s best to avoid using hyphens or numbers in your domain name.
You will need to always say Ruby hypen writer if you are called
ruby-writer.
If you use hypens, then if someone types in your site incorrectly there is the possibility that they will be redirected to another site and you have lost a potential reader.
For the same reason it is best to avoid numbers and special characters unless this makes sense for your company name.
For example, the new start up Gener8 has cleverly used the number in it’ s domain name. There is the possibility that potential customers could type “generate ” not realising that there is the number 8 to make up the word.
If this happens, then they will not find this website unless they type in other keywords alongside this such as generate dragons den or generate advertising.
Once you are ready to start a blog, you may need a step by step guide to help you get going.
4. Use Keywords in your domain
If you can find a domain that uses your niche keywords this will help you to be found by search engines.
Keywords in the domain can help with search engine optimisation or SEO as it is called.
SEO is the organic way that people will find you using search tools such as google, bing, youtube or pinterest.
Make your domain name give visitors an idea of what your site is about. This could be by using keywords in your niche.
Let me show you what I mean, when you go to this site
you know that it is going to be about saving money and paying off debt
Or maybe you want your blog name to reflect the name of your market. For example petsathome, dogwalking, parentingtips.
You get the picture? People will immediately know what your blog is going to be about if you add in relevant keywords.
5. Using Your Own Name
If you are struggling to find a suitable domain name, then maybe you could use your name. This could also mean that you brand yourself as an expert in your field.
If you have a common name then maybe your name is already taken. Here’ s where you can add a keyword from your niche to your name
“yournamewriter ” yournameblogger ” “yournamecoach ”
If you have an unusual name or one that is difficult to spell then maybe this might not be the best option for you.
Long and confusing names are harder to remember and easier to mistype, and there’ s more chance that people will not be able to find you again.
6. Make it Unique and Memorable.
If you want to be unique, then try to keep this simple and also sprinkle in those keywords.
Here are some of the top blogs in the mum blogging niche that I found which I thought had memorable domain names.
You know immediately what they are going to be about.
They are unique and memorable.
Doesn’ t it make you want to head over to take a look at what they are going to say?
7. Make it Personal
Perhaps you are offering some personal services, like coaching, freelance writing, speaker or a personal development expert.
In that case you may want to use your own name to build your personal brand around the service that you will be offering.
You can use your own name like melrobbins.com who is a motivational speaker in personal development world with her 5 Second Rule.
Or maybe even like koriashton.com who is a top wordpress and online marketing speaker strategist in the online marketing space.
If your name is no longer available, then look at different variations you could use.
For example, you can add your niche to your name.
“Your namewriter ” if you are a writer, or
“Your nameblogger ”, if you are a blogger or
“Your namecoaching ” if you are a coach
It would look something like this:-
“RubyWrites ”
RubyBlogs ”
“RubyCoaches ”
I learnt this from one of my mentors, Jeff Goins, he did this as his own name was already taken. So he started Goinswriter
Still need some inspiration for your domain name?
8. Use a Blog Name Generator
Name generators are a great source to help you if you are struggling to think of suitable domain names.
Put in some keywords from your niche.
Add different ideas and combinations and keep testing until something catches your eye.
Say your new found domain name over and over.
Write your domain name down. How does it look?
Test it on a few of your friends and see what their reaction is to your domain name idea.
Here are a few name generators that you will find useful when trying to choose your domain name.
or have a look at Shopify , they have a cool name generator tool as well.
Just keep brainstorming ideas and then narrow down your shortlist.
Choose the top 3 and then narrow down to your favourite domain name.
Once you have your domain name picked out, you will want to get started with your blog but there’ s one more thing you will need to do first.
You are ready to register your domain name
Where to register your domain name?
Now that you have chosen your perfect blog name.
Chosen the extension.
You will want to get onto the next step.
You need to get your domain name registered.
There are many places where you can register your domain name, but if this is your first domain name registration, then I suggest that you register this with the hosting company that will host your blog.
This will make it much easier to get started with your blog. The registration of one domain name is usually included in new hosting packages.
I recommend using Bluehost which is a great platform when you are starting out, you can even register your chosen domain name for free with Bluehost.
You will need register your chosen domain name. This is usually for a set period of time, this might be for a year, two or more.
Domain names cost around $10 but, trust me when I tell you that this small investment will be your biggest asset in building your blog.
Choosing your domain name is just one step that you will need to take when starting your blog.
Once you’ ve chosen your domain name and wondering how to really get started with your blog set up, I have a step by step guide on how to set up your blog.
Stuck with what to write on your first blog post?
Need tips about how to keep coming up with great content.
