Written on February 16th, 2006 at 03:02 am by Darren Rowse
Choosing the Domain Name for your Blog
Warning: Mini Tangent Ahead
Last night my wife came home with a book and started a conversation on a topic which I’d been dreading a little since the time we first found out that we were expecting a baby later in the year. The book was called something along the line of ‘Names for your Baby’.
The thought of giving another human being a name is a task that can be fun but at the same time a little (or a lot) daunting. There are many factors to consider (what could the name be shortened to, who else has that name, what memories does it evoke, is it easy for a child to say, should you name them after someone, etc etc etc) and so many ways to make the decision. What’s more, it’s a task that has some level of responsibility attached to it as a person’s name is something that has an impact upon them for a lifetime.
<sarcasm>Choosing a name (and domain name) for your blog might not be quite as important a decision as naming your firstborn child </sarcasm> but it is something to consider carefully and is therefore something I’d like to flesh out a little in this post.
For the purposes of this post I’m assuming that you have chosen to go with a stand alone blog (see previous post on blog platforms) and will not be relying upon a URL supplied by a blog hosting company AND that your domain name will be the name of your blog (not always the case but usually the case and usually a recommended practice).
Why would you want your own Domain Name?
Having your own domain name is desirable for many bloggers for numerous reasons. For a start if you’re wanting to build credibility and a sense of professionalism around your blog a domain that reflects this can help. Similarly a carefully selected domain name has the ability to enhance the branding of a product, service, business or even person. Domain purchases give the added bonus of email addresses with the same domain (adding to both professionalism and branding) and can enhance your Search Engine Ranking.
Factors to Consider when Choosing a Domain Name
Just as there are many factors to consider in choosing the name of a person there are many implications of choosing names for a website. What follows is a list of factors to keep in mind as you make the decision. Keep in mind that there are many theories about what is right and wrong in this area and that despite all the rules that people have there are some very successful sites that ignore them all! Also worth remembering is that personal taste comes into decisions like this - what’s a good name will mean different things to different people. With those disclaimers in mind - let’s take a look at a few areas to consider:
Goals and Objectives - I constantly come back to this point in most of my tips posts on a variety of aspects of blogging - but it’s so important to be thinking of the long term vision that you have for a blog when you’re making decisions like those about domain names.
- What is the topic of the blog? - an obvious starting point - most blog names reflect their topic
- What do you hope to achieve with your blog? - is it about having a hobby, is it about building your profile/expertise, is it about earning an income via ads, is it to support an existing business
- What style will it be? - is it a blog with one or many authors? What length of posts will it have?
- What tone and voice will it be written in? - Will it be conversational, newsy, rant-ish, humorous?
- Who is the intended audience? - Are you wanting to appeal to professionals, young people, cool people, geeks?
You get the picture. Just like naming a business you need to consider overall strategy.
Source of Traffic - I’ve seen many articles on how to choose a domain name written but in very few of them (if any) have I see a discussion on the type of traffic that you will be wanting to build your website/blog around. To me this is a crucial question (that emerges out of your overall strategy) and one that will help you answer some of the important questions that we’ll discuss below. Let me flesh this out a little:
Traffic to a blog generally comes from three main sources:
- Loyal Readers
- Search Engines
- Referral Traffic (from other sites)
I’ve talked a little about each of these types of traffic in this previous post - they each have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages and can be the result of different strategies. One of the many things that can impact the source of your traffic is your domain name. I’ll explain this more below but think it’s worth naming what type of blog and traffic you’re after up front. If you want a blog that is high on SE traffic you might well end up selecting a name that is different to a blog with traffic based upon repeat readers. As I say - I’ll expand on this below.
Keywords and Branding - Many discussions on domain name decisions talk about a choice between choosing a domain name with keywords in them to domain names that are more brandable or generic. It’s worth stating up front that it is possible to achieve both (I guess anything is brandable to some extent) - but that this type of choice often comes into play. In my opinion comes at least partly back to the type of traffic you’re hoping to attract to your blog. Let’s look at each in turn:
- Keyword Based Domains - these domains, as the name suggests, incorporate keywords that your blog is about in them. This is good for a number of reasons. Firstly it communicates something to your readers very quickly with regards to what your blog is about. The other positive is that Search Engines take a good look at the words in your domain name when deciding what your blog is about and how to rank it. As a result if you’re after SE traffic then these types of names can be worth looking at. Examples of blogs with keyword based domains are Cellphone9, the Movie Blog, Sims Gamer and Digital Photography School.
- Brandable Domains - these domains might often have some relation to their topic in terms of their feel or sound but are much more about creating something memorable that can become an identity in and of itself. In terms of traffic strategy - these blogs would be suited ideally to developing a blog that is aiming to build a community of loyal readers. Of course these blogs can also do very well in search engines but this is usually for other reasons (keywords in URLs are just one of many factors). Blogs that have these types of domains include Boing Boing, Gizmodo and Dooce. In fact if you look at Technorati’s Top 100 blogs - you’ll see that most of them have brandable names and not Keyword based ones.
Like I have mentioned above, these two options are no mutually exclusive. One example that comes to mind is Engadget which has become a memorable and well branded name that incorporates ‘gadget’ into it.
There are good arguments for and against both types of domain name which we could talk about for some time and it’s quite common to feel torn when making this type of decision between the two options.
Thinking of the Future - another factor to consider that is related to my first point of goals and objectives is to consider what your blog might look like in the future. I’ve seen a number of bloggers start up blogs with domains that fit with the topic of the blog initially but which outgrow the domain down the track. In one instance the problem was that the blog started on a fairly narrow topic (a sub-niche) and on a domain that reflected this but that in time it expanded it’s topic as the industry changed. In the end the topic and name just didn’t fit.
Another ‘future factor’ to consider is how many blogs you’re thinking of starting on your domain. Take a look at About.com for an example of how it’s possible to have one domain with many blogs running off it. They blog (yes they are blogs - run by MovableType) ‘about’ hundreds of topics and have a domain name that suits this perfectly. I myself have fallen into the trap of not thinking ahead in this way with my livingroom.org.au domain where I currently have a blog on Digital Cameras. I guess this is an example of how ultimately it doesn’t matter what domain you start blogs on as it’s a blog that does pretty well - however I often wonder how much better if could have done if I’d just thought ahead a little more!
Lastly on the ‘future front’ - don’t pick a name that you suspect might date quickly. Picking a name that is time specific in any way might find you searching for a new domain when it is no longer relevant at some future time.
Name Length - there are a range of opinions on what the ideal length of a domain name is. Technically you can have one with up to 67 characters in it but it is generally accepted that short ones are better for a number of reasons including that they are easier to remember, that they leave less room for making mistakes when typing them in, they are good for word of mouth (online or offline) marketing, that they are more visually pleasing (eg on your business card) etc.
The other argument is that if you are looking for SE traffic that you might like to consider a longer domain name with a number of the keywords that you’re looking for traffic on.
My personal preference these days is for shorter domains if possible, but not just for the sake of being short. Plus short names are very popular and hard to find these days so you might be forced to consider something a little longer anyway.
Dot What? - Along with the debates over domain name length comes many different opinions over what is the best to have at the end of your domain after the ‘dot’. These letters (ie .com, .net, .org etc) are technically called the Top Level Domain (TLD) and are divided into two types. Firstly there are country code TLD’s and secondly there are ‘generic’ TLDs which signify different types of organizations (in theory at least).
As I say there are a variety of approaches to selecting which TLD to go for:
- Legalities - The first consideration is the legalities of your choice as different countries and generic TLDs have different requirements but the
- SEO - This is where many of the arguements over TLD’s come in. I’m not going to get into it in much depth except to say that most people believe .com to be most powerful and that .net and .org are also good. Also if you are starting a blog with a localized focus it is well worth considering a country code on your TLD as it will help you get indexed in local search engines (I get a lot of traffic on my .au domains from Google Australia). If you’re going for a more global audience try for .com or .net.
- Memorability - One of the frustrations I have with ProBlogger.net is simply that people assume that it can be found at ProBlogger.com. Of course when I came to register this domain I tried to get the .com but it was unavailable so I decided that .net would serve my purposes (which it has). The only cost is that .com is so ‘normal’ that many people make the assumption that yourblog’sname.com will always be your address.
Hyphens? - Another eternal debate with domain names is over the value of hyphenated names. For example a hyphenated version of this blog might be Pro-Blogger.net. There are a two main reasons that some people prefer hyphenated names:
- Availability - one of the main reasons for going with hyphens is that ‘all the good names are taken’ (or at least it can seem this way). Adding hyphens to names definitely gives more options.
- SEO - hyphens are said to identify keywords to search engines more clearly (once again there is some debate over this).
Of course for every positive there is a negative and the arguments against keywords include:
- Memorability - adding hyphens can make it tricky for readers to remember your name
- Difficult to Communicate - have you ever tried to tell someone a domain name with a hyphen between each word? It can be quite an annoying process
- Increased Margin for Error - the more characters in your domain the more chance of a mistaken keystroke
- Cheap and Nasty Factor - there is a perception among many web-masters that domains with lots of keywords and hyphens are spammy. I personally don’t mind a domain with one (maybe two) hyphens in them but domains-that-have-lots-of-them-frustrate-me-and-turn-me-off.
Numbers? - Another option to consider when choosing a domain on a topic that is quite crowded is to include a number at the beginning or end of it. Once again this increases your chances of finding a domain with your keyword in it but could ‘cheapen’ the sound of your domain (a matter of personal opinion of course).
‘Easy’ Names - Most ‘experts’ in this area argue that a domain name should be easy to spell, pronounce, remember and type. Web users are notoriously lazy and if your site is not easy to find then they might just quickly give up trying to find it. As a result the easier you can make your domain to remember and access the more chance you have of traffic to it from repeat readers.
Keeping it Legal - it is highly recommendable to think seriously about the legal implications of the words you use in your domain name. Avoid trademarked names especially. I know of a couple of instances where bloggers were forced into making changes months into new blogs because of legal threats. Whether these laws vary from country to country I’m unsure - but it’s worth considering if you’re picking a domain that might clash in this way.
The ‘Blog’ Word - One temptations for many bloggers is to use the word ‘blog’ in the name and URL of their blog. This has the advantage of opening up new options for domain names but can also have some costs. For starters it could see the possibilities for expanding your site down the track limited. If one day you don’t want to run your site in a blog format you might feel a bit trapped. The other reason is that if you are wanting to use AdSense as an income stream for your blog down the track, it has a problem of serving ads about blogging when the word ‘blog’ appears too prominently on a site. This is ok when your blog is about blogging - but isn’t too conducive to high ad relevancy if you’re writing on a different topic.
Secure Multiple Domains - One piece of advice that many experienced web-masters recommend is making sure that you secure other similar domain names to the one you eventually choose. For example, if you choose a .com domain name it might be worth getting the .net and .org ones if you can, or perhaps even getting plurals or other logical similar ones. This is not essential but might help you protect your niche in some circumstances.
Opinions of Others - Before you buy that domain you’ve been eyeing off - it might be worthwhile running it by one or two other trusted friends (who won’t run off and buy it themselves). It’s amazing how focused you can become on finding the right name and how that can cloud your judgement. It’s also interesting to see how a name might sound to a person of a different culture to your own. Words mean different things in different part of the world and it could help you avoid an embarrassing mistake or just a dorky blog name.
Previously used Domain Names - It’s worth checking to see if a domain has been previously registered. Spammers often buy up domain names and then abandon them later once they’ve used them up. This can leave these domains banned by Google which gets you off to a pretty poor start.
Of course the above points are not hard and fast rules. As I’ve mentioned many times before - some of the worse domain names on sites have ended up being quite successful. I have blogs trapped on domains that were not thought through very well (largely because I didn’t know any better and thats the way things evolved) - some of them do poorly and others do very well.
There’s more to a blog’s success or failure than it’s name or URL - all I’m arguing is that a wise choice in this can better your chances in the long term.
Some tools you might like to use in selecting a domain name include:
NameBoy
DomainsBot
Whois Source
Feel free to add your own tips, suggestions and experiences in comments.
For more instruction on registering domains, setting up hosting and setting up WordPress you might also find Jon Symon’s video series on the topic worthwhile.
64 Responses to “Choosing the Domain Name for your Blog”
suresh
February 16th, 2006 3:33 am
this information is very good for the beginers.
u r giving necessary information.
http://cheap-ipods-review.blogspot.com
Bill Nadraszky
February 16th, 2006 3:35 am
I wish i would have seen this article before I started creating blogs. The problems that I have created for myself are a little difficult to fix now. I have a couple of domains and when starting my first blog (A fitness blog at http://www.nadraszky.com/fitness) I never thought about the impact of the name to the domain. Now I am stuck with a subfolder of my family domain as my main weblog. Although I could still change this I am worried that Google would deindex me and then the process of gettng back in the indexes would be much more difficult and time consuming.
Now whenever I get a good idea for a new blog I create it as a subdomain to my main domain. I have not started any technology blogs yet but my Realtor Marketing blog that is linked to my name in this comment is a subdomain to my computer support domain.
With the low price of domains now a days If I had to start from scratch then I would use a new domain for every blog. Perhaps that is what I will need to do somethine soon but again Darren I wish I would have seen this excellent post a long time ago!
Jesse
February 16th, 2006 3:42 am
instantdomainsearch.com
Tim
February 16th, 2006 4:15 am
Another consideration to ask is if the site name can be trademarked. Typically keyword based domains are too generic as “descriptive” names typically cannot be trademarked. If your blog becomes very successful and you end up building a business around it having a trademarked site name can be beneficial. Something like pencilnews.tld will take on the site name “Pencil News” which is likely too descriptive to be used as a trademark.
jonathan
February 16th, 2006 4:28 am
very good article.wish i saw it before i started creating my domain names.
jonathan okanlawon
February 16th, 2006 4:34 am
what do you do when your domain name doesn’t have the desired traffic?
otoolbox
February 16th, 2006 5:50 am
Most of these tips can also be used for the ‘non blog’ web site. The sites that have been around for years and years and don’t have the SQL or PHP. But also the URL pages for these sites can use the title to get the higher rankings. I have used the titles among other things at http://www.robertbenjamin.com to get the best rankings possible on the search engines.
Victor
February 16th, 2006 7:36 am
I enjoy looking through the list of expired/expiring domain names. If anything, it’s good fodder for a brainstorming session.
http://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/pending.jhtml
Marti
February 16th, 2006 9:06 am
Great post!
I would suggest staying away from the dot org domains, as they are typically thought of as non-profit organizations (hence the “org”) like the Red Cross or public television.
To Bill Nadraszky - you can get a “better” domain name, and have your webhosting provider redirect the current pages seamlessly to it.
Blogging for Beginners: ProBlogger Blog Tips
February 16th, 2006 12:19 pm
[…] Choosing the Domain Name for your Blog […]
Internet Salsa
February 16th, 2006 6:31 pm
I have also talked about domain names on my blog.
I have mentioned some sites to get cheaper domain names and some points to consider before buying.
You can click on the my name to see more on that.
Khong Co Ai
February 16th, 2006 11:52 pm
Again, again and again… everytimes the same subjects.
Darren you use to better that!:o(
Darren Rowse
February 17th, 2006 12:41 am
Khong Co Ai,
sorry if I’m boring you :-)
As I explained a few posts back, this post is part of a series of posts for beginner bloggers. I encouraged those with more experience to either add their own experiences for the sake of others or just read the non beginner oriented posts (I posted 8 or so of these today).
Hope you find something you enjoy reading more in the days ahead.
K
February 17th, 2006 1:01 am
Forget just beginner bloggers.
This is a post on branding.
Even the Fortune 500 companies need a refresher on that subject from time to time.
Geez, my entire blog revolves around comparable “no-brainers.”
Bill Hutchison - Help me Pick A Name
February 21st, 2006 12:51 am
One problem that I have been having is that there are so many names that have already been taken, and a lot of them by people that have just purchased the name and sat on it. I am wanting to spin off the tech related stuff from my personal blog, but am having a hard time finding a good domain name.
Any advice would be great, you can comment on the article this is linked to if you have any good ideas. The post goes into a bit more details about what the site would be like.
http://www.journalhome.com/billhutchison/20422/
Jack
March 3rd, 2006 1:37 pm
You post is very informative, and I think you are very sincere. It is true that you need to have a domain name that will stick iin peoples head, but at the same time gives you a hint about the content of the site.
Bill Hutchison - Help me Pick A Name
March 5th, 2006 10:37 pm
Hi Jack.
I’m glad that you were actually able to read my post. The free host that I had my blog on actually lost the original in a major hardware failure (there was also about a week of down time, which is one of the main reasons I want to move at least the tech part of the blog). I have since reposted it, but with a different url:
http://www.journalhome.com/billhutchison/20793/
We were looking for a while, but most that we liked were of course taken. We have since settled on a url that wasn’t taken and I am now working on doing a Wordpress Template for it. It is not live yet, but when it will be I can e-mail you with the url if you would like, just e-mail me to let me know. I will contact you through your blog so you have my e-mail address.
Yves
March 16th, 2006 11:41 am
Hello,
If I may add a bit of my own experience here:
1. Another thing to keep in mind is that many TLDs sound cool and are not really related to the country anymore. For example, .TV or .CC, or .WS (website). Many people (bloggers or otherwise) are getting into these new extensions because it doesn’t really hurt their search engine rankings yet offers alternative to the .COM when someone is cybersquatting it. My point, there are so many choices out there, you should get the domain name you want, even if it is not a .COM.
Another interesting thing with international TLDs is that you can make a domain that is just one word. Famous blogger Peter Rojas (Engadget.com) just started his personal blog recently and it is at http://peter.roj.as!
2. Sometimes, if your traffic is good enough, you can create a brand, get a new domain, and let people follow you there. It is not ideal for websites with most of their traffic coming from search engines, of course, but if you have a proper readership, it works fine. The Unofficial Apple Weblog from the Weblogs, Inc. Network used to be at apple.weblogsinc.com, and then they introduced tuaw.com, kept the old address with a redirection, and lost none of their traffic. My point, it’s never too late to get the cool domain you want.
3. You talk about hyphens and securing multiple domains. I would like to add that if you are not sure about using hyphen or not, get both. One can be used for your email addresses for example, because it is easier to give an address without hyphens over the phone, whereas the one with the hyphens looks more readable and gets used for your website. Of course, the one without hyphens gets redirected automatically to the one with the hyphen so there is no confusion possible.
4. One word of advice with the hyphens. You might want to always check that there is no confusion possible. For example, ExpertsExchange.com becoming ExpertSexChange.com…
5. When you choose a domain name registrar, always get one not only cheap, but one that provides DNS settings, and an admin panel that lets you control all your domains easily and fast. Everything should be included in the price of the domain, including email, redirections, DNS, etc. And you should pay less than 10$ for a .COM.
I am not trying to promote my own business here, but it drives me crazy to see first time bloggers buy their domain 35$ or more, when we offer the same (or better) services for $9.99… Also, this is where the idea of securing more than one domain makes sense, because it is so affordable in the first place.
6. Avoid redirections services. While they are good for funny links and MySpace pages, you don’t want to be using someone else’s name and be dependant on whether or not they will keep using this domain for this service. Better to have your own domain that even allows you to change your blog’s platform. Because it is your domain, it follows you wherever you go, from a Blogger.com account to a TypePad account, to your own hosting someday.
And the same applies to email addresses with your own domain. They follow you even when you change school, ISP, country…
7. Another good thing about having your own domain name is that you can create subdomains and build on your own name but with several websites, every one with their purpose. For example, http://blog.yourname.com, http://photos.yourname.com, etc. You can also have more than one blog on the same domain: http://yourblog.yourname.com, http://yourotherblog.yourname.com, just like a mini blog network of your own. It is a matter of personal choice if you want to build all under one domain you like, or get one domain per blog.
8. By the way, a short and memorable domain is a very cool present for someone who is a beginner blogger. I have offered one to members of my family, friends, and to my girlfriend, and they were so excited to have their own email addresses and their very own homepage where they can link to their stuff (del.icio.us bookmarks, Flickr, etc).
Great post as always. Thank you for your hard work.
Tim
April 4th, 2006 4:57 am
Great advise.
I want to start a blog for my nutrition company and was toying the idead of having it at a new domain or creating a subdomain.
i think now i will use a new domain that way it is one more site out there that link to my company.
BlogDividends.com
July 3rd, 2006 1:48 pm
Domain Names for Sale…
A great domain name is easy to remember and closely reflects the content of the website. Take a look at the following high profiled domain names that are for sale and are related to blogging. Also, take a look at……
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lynne
October 24th, 2006 5:46 am
So, if I get my own domain name Can I get the company I buy it from to point the name at the blog and pay only for the domain name and no hosting fees?
If so, how is it done?
I’m thinking of putting the blog on typepad
Thanks
Darcy
November 25th, 2006 3:34 am
hmmmm……what if you have a busy niche site with no blog, but you want to add a blog about the same niche topic? Should one just create a new domain and link to the new blog from the existing site or add it as a sub-domain to the existing site?
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Donna
December 29th, 2006 3:13 pm
I agree you should establish you own domain for your blog. Great idea. But what about if your blog is hosted on your already established website in a subfolder (ie: /blog).
I have a domain name for my blog that is forwarded to my blog at http://www.myfirstdomain.com/blog. The problem with this is Google is indexing both.. http://www.myblogdomain.com and http://www.myfirstdomain/blog.
My blog domain is hosted with Yahoo..and as far I I can tell I cannot redirect this domain to a subfolder only forward it. Any suggestions? Should I just discontinue using the blog domain and refer to my blog everywhere as http://www.myfirstdomain/blog ?
Dustin
January 4th, 2007 4:45 pm
The good advice continues. This series is amazing.
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rosjen
March 4th, 2007 3:24 am
I have been running my own bot that finds availble short names, I list all them all with the highest value at the top. evisnet
Dean
March 8th, 2007 12:56 am
Hi Darren,
I didn’t really understanding blogging. I was really not wanting to get into the type of vanity page that Myspace and the like encourage.
Then I realized that I did have some essays that I wanted to get out, so I started to look through my apps, and found WordPress, grabbed the domain name, http://www.thecottageeconomist.com, and started writing.
All of a sudden I’ve realized that I’m blogging! Not a bad thing, really. Thanks very much for this site. It will definately help me to make this something that the wife sees as productive. ^_^
Dean
The Cottage Economist
(Global Domain International)
March 18th, 2007 2:15 am
your blog is very nice
welcome to my blog to teach me
more domain knowledge
GDI(Global Domain International)
thanks a lot
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rocker
May 8th, 2007 9:10 pm
Good article
i choose name by content keywords of site and of course..shortest and brithest name!)
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[…] Get Your Own Domain - It is possible to blog for free with blogger or wordpress, but you shouldn’t do it. Take […]
The Name Says It All » Blog Archive » Master Your Domain - Increase Traffic
June 6th, 2007 2:04 pm
[…] Darren Rowse says - if you’re wanting to build credibility and a sense of professionalism around your blog a domain that reflects this can help. Similarly a carefully selected domain name has the ability to enhance the branding of a product, service, business or even person. Domain purchases give the added bonus of email addresses with the same domain (adding to both professionalism and branding) and can enhance your Search Engine Ranking. […]
How To Brainstorm Domain Names - lifehack.org
June 21st, 2007 10:00 pm
[…] Darren Rowse brought up an interesting point about future-proofing your domain name and extending it’s use later down the line [see Choosing The Domain Name For Your Blog]. […]
Blog Hosting, Domains and Blogging Platforms - What We Wish We Knew
July 10th, 2007 3:01 am
[…] Read more on choosing a blogging platform and selecting a name and domain name for your blog. […]
Josh
July 11th, 2007 1:23 pm
This post was definitely worth reading. I have a lot to consider!
Peter
July 26th, 2007 10:49 am
Hi Darren. You wrote that it’s best to try and use a name that is relative to your subject matter. A name that would have a great chance of being picked up by Google. Along those lines, there is one famous blogger who has a ton of traffic going to her site that did not care about any of that…though she still has a ton of traffic going to her site. And that would be Heather Armstrong’s blog “Dooce.” In case any of you out there are wondering, Ms. Armstrong does have a Wikipedia page if you want to check out her bio.
I think what’s neat about her name is that it’s super super short and just one word. Another great thing is that it has a “ring” to it. Also note that it’s not a legitimate word as it’s contrived. It’s an idiom or a colloquialism. Or in other words it’s a word that cannot be found in any dictionary.
I’d be interested in hearing what others have to say about a word like “Dooce” used as a domain name. Good or bad? Would you do it, or would you stick to a word, a legitimate word, that can be found in the dictionary? Heather Armstrong didn’t seem to care and I think she makes a living off of her blog.
redwall_hp
July 29th, 2007 12:42 pm
* What is the topic of the blog? Cool websites, and rants about snack food.
* What do you hope to achieve with your blog? Laughs
* What style will it be? A couple of authors, and lengthy ravings about Technorati and Doritos.
* What tone and voice will it be written in? Humorous
* Who is the intended audience? People with too much time on their hands
:) Hehe. I wonder if anyone would actually start a blog like that?
I wrote a post on naming web sites recently. You can read it here if you want.
Eric
August 3rd, 2007 12:43 pm
You are very correct to warn about trademark matters. I routinely see people who don’t worry about it until they are successful: too late to avoid a serious battle with any trademark holder.
domain
August 8th, 2007 3:06 pm
This post was worth reading but it more like for beginners but if you plan to use seo it has much more factors to look at. But otherwise thanks
Starfeeder
August 29th, 2007 4:14 am
* What is the topic of the blog? - an obvious starting point - most blog names reflect their topic
My topic is StarCraft 2 related news, opinions, guides, interviews and in the future eSports tournaments.
* What do you hope to achieve with your blog? - is it about having a hobby, is it about building your profile/expertise, is it about earning an income via ads, is it to support an existing business
2 things:
1st to help support the rise of eSports in the US as it is in Korea/China and european countries.
2nd to general income to not only support the site and other sister sites, but to help take over as my only source of income so I can better focus my time on starfeeder’s mission.
* What style will it be? - is it a blog with one or many authors? What length of posts will it have?
Mainly me as the author, with many Guest writers to appear here and there, posts will be short to medium in length, gamers have short attention spans… too much caffeine :p
* What tone and voice will it be written in? - Will it be conversational, newsy, rant-ish, humorous?
Informative, Humorous, Sarcastic and sometimes snobby (us l33t gamers tend to be snobbish)
* Who is the intended audience? - Are you wanting to appeal to professionals, young people, cool people, geeks?
StarCraft fans/Geeks/competitive gamers of all ages, but of course mainly 13-29 year old males.
As far as the name[starfeeder], most other SC2 related fan sites/blogs have the name StarCraft or SC2 in the actual domain. Now I feel that using that keyword doesn’t really make you stand out of the dozens of new SC2 sites poppin up, but its also pretty lame and boring.
Starfeeder was also concepted(
Starfeeder
August 29th, 2007 4:16 am
Domain Name Generator
December 7th, 2007 10:20 am
There are some tools on domainnamesoup.com for finding available domain names. You could try adding blog on some of the pages to see what it comes up with.
Mark A.M. Reyes
January 13th, 2008 3:11 pm
i’d really like this article because it’s very informative and for newbie bloggers like me who needs all the help to start a very decent blog this one sure lits up the fire. Good thing I’ve also red Yaro’s Blog Profits Blueprint which provides a link to this site. Sincerely, coming from one who have high hopes of creating a successful blog, i would like to recommend this article to every newbie blogger who has the same goal as me… very helpful indeed.
alexf2000
January 15th, 2008 1:10 pm
This post was worth reading but it more like for beginners but if you plan to use seo it has much more factors to look at. But otherwise thanks
MuzLover
January 16th, 2008 7:56 am
When I choose domain I use my rules:
1. only lettes (without digits or dash)
2. preference to .com zone, sometimes may be .net domain zone
3. shot and easy name
It’s my rules.
Barb
January 30th, 2008 12:58 am
Some advice please.
I am having a wordpress blog added to my website http://www.privy2profit.com. Should I make the title of the blog ‘privy2profit’ or is it ok to use a different title.
Fery
February 12th, 2008 11:36 am
just need a suggestion, if my blog using auto-blog plugins (i use wordpress platform) Is it have bad effect on our indexing page factor in Google or other search engine?
regards, thank you
Martijn
February 17th, 2008 2:39 pm
One of the things to consider is of course the extension of the domain name. Basically all names have been taken in the *.COM domain ; up to 26 characters or something.
For one of my projects, dreamed up a lot of names I liked. But frustatingly found that every single one had been taken.
I just took the .NET instead. And if I had cared, a .ORG would have been even cheaper.
Milos
March 11th, 2008 4:05 am
Nice article!
One tip for everybody… if you don’t want to register domain on networksolutions don’t even search it there. They consider it reserved for 4 days and you are not able register it on another domain register before that period is over
Domain Registrar
March 14th, 2008 3:50 am
Very good advice by Milos. It is a good thing to have it saved for you, but if you don’t plan to purchase it from them, don’t even look at it.
webwatch
March 24th, 2008 5:09 am
Very good tips for beginner domainer like me. I have some resources on my website http://www.enticingdomains.com for domainers.
Konsumer Elektroniks
April 15th, 2008 1:58 pm
This is a very helpful post as I am trying to find a domain name to try out wordpress.org with. Please visit my blog konsumerelektroniks.com (consumerelectronics.com with all k’s)
ComCrown
April 27th, 2008 1:18 pm
I found your article interesting and would like to support its concerns by relaying one of our own articles on the same general topic having to do with domain name creation. I hope the redundancy is minimal, the self-indulgence is of good faith meant to assist and that this article may help those still searching for that “perfect fit”.
- ComCrown
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The Art of Crafting “Keepers”
Is it possible that one extra or missing letter or the absence of the hint of a keyword is sufficient in and of itself to negate the power of your domain name and effectively thwart your online business potential? The short answer is “Probably”. A successful online business must incorporate and orchestrate a number of interlocking mechanisms to achieve success. Although the domain name is technically just “one piece of the pie”, it is nevertheless a critical piece. And, though there is no “Magical Formula” defining the parameters of what constitutes a successful domain name, there are common sense rules to go by when you pick one. Also it helps, before you begin the task of choosing your name, to clear your mind of the cloudy hype that often discolors the truth.
For instance, the shortness of a domain name, in and of itself, does not necessarily guarantee it will be memorable to a target market. Solution: When choosing a domain name for your business or when making any decision concerning your business, always keep your market in mind.
A domain name that is clearly memorable and easy to type in with minimal risk of a typo, is a very good thing. Precaution: Don’t pick a domain name that is too long, too complex or too easy to misspell.
Most importantly, you should be clear on this fundamental truth: Any domain name, and we do mean any name, is only as “successful” as the business force behind it. As such, in terms of business and not resale applications, it is more logical to think of all domain names as “windows” of opportunities to success, rather than the opportunities themselves. Acquiring the best domain name in the world will not necessarily make you “successful”. With rare exception, all business success is the fruition of a conglomeration of tough interrelated trial-and-error disciplines and the slopes are getting slipperier thanks to increased competition and paradigm shifts. Do you have what it takes, given a great window of opportunity? What you do with a great business domain name is entirely up to you. If you have decided to begin a business or overhaul your existing one, we suggest you consider investing in a ComCrown name to maximize your edge.
Think of an unused business (domain) name as a verbal logo waiting for something to happen, waiting for a business to act and propel it to success. With few exceptions, when we consider a “successful” business name, what we are really talking about is our belief in the business behind the name. We believe in the business behind the name because we have tested the business in our own way and it has delivered in terms of our definition of value.
When ComCown creates domain names, we envision the bigger marketing picture for our potential customers, incorporate the common sense rules and then tailor our names selectively to complement and accommodate a versatile range of markets. The art of crafting “keepers” is to strike a harmonious balance between common-sense character constraints and the intrinsic “pulse” of a name that radiates an “instant message to market”, positive or negative, which is both subliminal and obvious but always yields a resulting response. This phenomenon shares the stage with that concept known as “word-image” association and is known, respected and utilized by professionals worldwide to assist in successful branding and optimization of profit margin. The topic remains exponentially viable due to the paradigm shift toward micro-niche and need for the start-up or existing business seeking to maximize traffic, market share and online visibility.
Put our names to the “test”. Examine them on your tongue. Pronounce them with as many variations as the combination allows. As you speak it, note the first image that comes to your mind. Successful names create a solid baseline for all business models and can contribute substantially to recognition and success.
Insist On A ComCrown Legend.
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