How To Avoid Miserable Domain Names When Naming Your Blog [8 Copy-And-Paste Steps]
Here is the deal. You are going to do something extraordinary now.
In this step, your idea comes to life — becomes a “thing” that you can touch & feel.
So, first things first. Let’s start with your blog name.
Ready?
A blog name that everyone will remember
Do you want your blog to stand out from the crowd? Give it a good name.
Here is how to do it…
On the Internet, every website has an address. We call this the domain name.
The domain name has two main parts: your blog name (you choose) + the domain extension (selection between .COM, .INFO, .NET, or many others).
Think now about the perfect domain name for your blog. This will be your “business name.”
Based on around 50 domain names I own(ed) for my projects, here are some tips to help you.
- Target the .COM domain (it’s a premium domain name, and there is a limited number of these available); unless you are operating locally where the local domain name is more appropriate (such as mydomain.NL or mydomain.CO.UK)
- Make the domain name short & easy to remember (maximum 12 characters without the domain extension — e.g. . COM)
- Do not use any special characters — my-domain.com is worse than mydomain.com (people remember words but cannot remember the position of the hyphen symbol easily)
- Ask others to read the domain for you — do they read it fluently, or is it hard to pronounce?
- In some words, the letter C can sound like the letter K — be aware of this because you also want World of Mouth to promote your website in the spoken language (e.g., elitico.com can sound similar to elitiko.com)
- Do not add digits unless completely necessary (e.g. mydomain123.com)
- Later down the road, consider buying more domains (e.g., mydomain.COM, mydomain.INFO, mydomain.NET) — this is good to avoid competition copying you once the website becomes more global
- Optional: Make sure that your blog name does not mean anything offensive in other primary languages (e.g., English, Spanish, French, German, or Russian). This becomes more important for more globally-oriented websites.
Here is the most important TIP: The sooner you register the domain, the more money you get from it. Let me explain…
See the domain name as an asset. The domains appreciate in value in the same way a property does. For instance, my blog’s domain name is estimated at $970 (while I paid only $21 when I bought it).
As more time passes, the higher value it gets… (At any moment, you can sell the domain name via an online auction.)
Write down what you choose so that you can have it ready for the next step, where I will show you how to register the domain.
NOTE: If you cannot decide about the final domain name (or if it is unavailable), you can do this step later. It is not blocking you from reading further.
P.S. Again, do not spend too much time on this step… Take Apple as an example. When the company was founded, the name came up as a joke initially… Frankly speaking, it does not even sound interesting… Apple is today the best-in-class tech giant. This proves that what comes after is what distinguishes and creates value. Believe it or not, the name itself is not of major importance. Choose the best you can and move on (or decide later).
Click here to visit a blog name generator to easily name your blog.
How to select the right WordPress hosting (that won’t disappoint you)?
This is important. Now you have to bring your blog online so the world can see it.
How do you do that? You need a web hosting solution…
What is hosting?
It is a place where you store your WordPress blog. Specifically, it is a server (computer) that can be accessed globally (with WordPress installed on it). Hosting companies ensure the server is lighting fast & optimized to serve your WordPress blog traffic 24/7. You can then access your blog via a URL (web address) by typing it into a web browser (e.g., https://igorjovanovic.com).
How much does it cost?
BlueHost offers reliable hosting packages that cost less than $3 a month. Depending on how secure you want your blog to be, it can go up to $7 a month. (Disclosure: When you register an account with Bluehost through the links in the post, my website can earn a commission.)
What is the best web hosting?
I have tried many different hostings for my own projects and for my customers. The best value for money is offered by BlueHost. It’s relatively cheap, secure, and yet very reliable (+ they offer great support). 9/10 times I use this hosting as it proved its value multiple times over the years. (that 1 out of 10 is when I am building large-scale mobile apps that use different hosting solutions.)
Are there free alternatives?
Yes, you can host a free blog at WordPress.Com. Since it is free, there are very strict limitations. Some restrictions: you CAN’T install plugins, you CAN’T customize the theme fully, you CAN’T add ads to your blog (to earn money), you CAN’T add shop functionalities (there is more)…
So, the blog is not truly yours… I do not recommend the free alternative if you are serious about starting a blog. Simply because the free alternatives are not truly free — when your blog starts growing you will pay dearly for additional features/storage (upgrade can cost up to $500 per year). This post is focused on a self-hosted WordPress blog (where you are behind the driving wheel and have 100% control).
The web hosting I personally use is Bluehost. Over the years, I created hundreds of WordPress websites with Bluehost (a sort of a battle-tested solution for me).
Bluehost is also one of the most established & largest companies in the hosting industry — founded in 2003.
If you choose something else, remember that your web hosting must be secure enough (against attackers). Also, make no compromise with the blog speed and availability (no use of web hosting with frequent service failures).
Since Bluehost completes all the checkboxes (while being officially recognized by WordPress), here is how to open an account with Bluehost and setup your blog.
This article is a part of my Ultimate Guide On Blogging & WordPress.
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