What’s in a name? (CC BY 2.0) by Jack Dorsey
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Picking the perfect name for your travel blog is a difficult task in the site creation process.
If you’re reading this, then you’re either considering beginning or have begun the journey of creating a blog.
If I’m correct, then you may know by now how challenging whipping up a name for your blog can be. To sum up your blog’s identity in a concise, catchy, memorable title is daunting. You feel that anything less than perfect will be tantamount to internet condemnation. In this post, I will assist you in coming up with a name you can build on.
So, let’s get on with it, shall we!
Know your niche!
By now, you should have an inkling of what your blog’s niche will be. If you don’t then we need to throw the car in reverse and take a second to figure that out. If you are having difficulties zeroing in on a niche, here are links to a couple posts that helped me:
What is your blog about?
Now that you have your niche, let’s go a step further. It is imperative that you know your site’s intent and direction. So, start formulating responses to the following types of questions:
- What will your blog be about?
- What is the reason for you creating this blog?
- What do you intend on offering your readers?
Write down answers to these questions as honestly and detailed as you can. Your responses will be filled with words and ideas that can lead to potential names.
Scour the Net!
Use Google as a resource! I spent countless hours looking up travel blogs “Top 25, 50, 100 Travel blogs” to find the blog names of the major players in the game. I would look for frequently used words, style, word play, etc. I would use search terms, such as “travel blog name ideas” or “travel related words” to find lists of words to stir the brainstorming waters.
If the ultimate goal is to make a name for yourself and monetize your blog, then select a name that will differentiate you from the rest of the pack. It is often suggested to avoid words like nomadic, wandering, adventurous or vagabond. These words are either associated with well-established individuals or overly used. For example:
Once you have your list of words, now you get to let your creativity run wild. Put different words together in different arrangements until the perfect combination comes together. Nothing is out of play when you’re in the brainstorming phase. When selecting the name, be careful to not pick one that will either box you in or not make sense should you the situation change. Here are a few examples.
- myyearatsea – What about next year?
- collegiatetraveller – I hope you plan on graduating!
- twentysomethingroaming – Time waits for no one!
Some Tools…
Once you have your name and you’re ready to move forward. Great! now lets check to see if it’s available. Two sites that I relied on during this process are:
- Lean Domain Search – Lean domain search was great when I had a word I wanted to build my name around. You input a word in the search field and it shows what domain names are available and many other possible options including word itself. The quick way to tell if your desired name is available is by looking at the first cell in the first row. If the name shows up exactly as you entered it in the search field, then the .com variant is available. For the next two examples, I chose herhistravels.com.
- Namechk – Namechk is a resource you can use to identify if your chosen name is available on many of the social networking services. If the name is available on a given platform, then the its corresponding tile will be highlighted in green.
So, you have your name chosen, it is time to take the plunge and register the domain name. You can do so with any of the many companies, such as GoDaddy or Namecheap. Try not wait long before securing the name, or you may find out that it is no longer available. Take it directly from one who hemmed and hawed at this very stage, only to have it snatched by another — it is a crushing feeling!
It’s a wrap!
Coming up with your name will be like creating a perfect sauce. You get a bunch of ingredients together, mash them up, take the time to let it simmer, reduce it to a nice thickness and…VOILA, a tasty masterpiece!
It took me the better part of two weeks land on Conquering Bounds, but it was a moment of serendipity when it occurred to me. I was speaking with loved ones about something unrelated, when it flew across my mind. I quickly jotted it in One Note and registered it the moment I got the chance.
Check out my page on Creating Your Own Blog for more help creating your blog site. I look forward to seeing you on the digital frontier!
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