Learning how to choose the best domain name is one very crucial element to pay attention to when starting a blog, and its importance cannot be overemphasized.
In most cases, a good blog name will impact your blog search engine ranking positively, and a bad choice will most likely affect your blog brand.
What is a domain name anyway? (click to read)
Simply put, it is that unique name by which internet users identify your blog. It forms your blog URL, one with which your blog becomes accessible. For example, my domain name is www.owogram.com as seen in your address bar. More so, your blog name could be your brand name, product or service you provide, etc.
Why is learning how to name your blog important? Your blog name creates the first impression and you may never get the chance to create another.
If you follow the tips in this article to choose the best domain name for your blog, it could be one of the great lessons you’ll learn about blogging.
When starting your own blog, here are practicable tips that will help you choose a good blog domain name.
- Make It Short
- Use The Most Popular Domain Extensions (.com, .net, .org)
- Avoid Numbers & Hyphens
- Be Wise on Keyword Usage
- Act Fast When You’ve Found The Best Domain Name
- Best Place To Buy Domain Name
Make It Short
Yes, keep it short. Studies have shown that the best domain names are short and concise. According to research from Datagenetics.com, the most common name length is approximately 12 characters.
This comes with some advantages; easy to remember, easy to type, and catchy. But it turns out that most of the shorter domain names have been taken.
But longer names don’t necessarily mean a worse choice. Some have argued that too short a name will make whatever keyword present too general.
Another mistake that people end up making is opting for a short domain name even if it means misspelling a word.
In most cases, it is better to go with a longer domain name that has the correct spelling or that contains words that people will actually understand.
Use The Most Popular Domain Extensions (.com, .net, .org)
What are domain extensions? (click to read)
Domain extensions are the last part of a domain name. For example, in ‘owogram.com,’ the domain extension is .com.
You’ll also see domain extensions referred to as top-level domains (TLDs).
Your blog name and domain extension give you a working domain name that your target audience can type into their browsers to access your website.
The most popular domain extension to go for is .com
.COM Extension – Commercial: Currently, this is the oldest (since 1985), and most popular extension, it’s chosen by most companies and businesses to create a blog or website.
According to the latest data from Verisign, there were 359.8 million registered domain names at the close of 2019’s third quarter. More so, the .com extension has more than 151 million names which means 42% of all registered domain names.
In a data shared by Statista, .org is the third most used extension as of October 2020.
Because of the popularity and high acceptance of .com, more than 20 countries use “com” under their country code top-level-domains such as com.au (Australia), com.cn (China), com.mx (Mexico), and com.tr (Turkey).
I prefer to use bluehost domain name availability checker:
When you register a domain at Bluehost, you should choose a .com extension, and you’ll also be able to see which domain extensions are available.
.ORG Extension – Organization: It’s usually used for non-profit organizations. However, this is no longer enforced and is a common TLD for education-based websites, schools, and more.
.NET Extension – Network: It is also used by companies, internet services providers, or organizations that are related to internet fields to create a blog for their business. Today there are no restrictions on who can utilize this domain extension and it’s typically the number one choice after .com.
Avoid Numbers & Hyphens
If domain names are to be short, easy to type, easy to remember, and pronounce, you’ll agree that numbers and hyphens will make it even more difficult.
Choosing the best domain name comes with the understanding that hyphens can be a sign of spam domains which you do not want to be associated with.
More so, hyphenated domains are also prone to typos. For example, if Netflix.com, was Net-flix.com, you’ll agree that the hyphen is obviously a cause for mistyping into web browsers.
Stick to the letters!
Be Wise on Keyword Usage
Over the years, trends have shown that having some keywords specific to your blog niche can be a ranking factor, but this isn’t the case anymore.
Aiming to get the best domain name for your blog shouldn’t have you using exact match keyword/phrases.
For example, which would you consider to be real; FashionSpruce.com or BuyLadiesFashionItems.com?
As it stands today, Google sees this practice as a spammy tactic. So avoid generic keywords and phrases because domain names with keywords don’t carry the same SEO benefit as they used to.
Act Fast When You’ve Found The Best Domain Name
Did you know that at least 2 blogs are created and launched into the web space every 2 second? This means about 172,800 blogs been created daily, across the world!
So, once you’re certain your thoughts and name ideas align with these tips on how to choose the best domain name, you need to act fast before someone else takes it.
Domain names are like real estate. Thousands of people are actively looking for good brandable domain names that they can register for better rates in the future.
Don’t buy it yet. I’ll show you how to get your domain for free in the next step.
Best Place To Buy Domain Name
Domain names usually cost around $12 to $15, you can get a .com domain name for free when you host with Bluehost – my favorite web hosting company.
Bluehost provides 2 crucial services among others; domain registration and web hosting.
(To get a free .com domain name from Bluehost (worth $15), you’ll need to purchase a hosting plan (1 year, 3 years, etc.)
Use the domain name checker from Bluehost below to get a real time result on the availability of your desired domain name.
If your domain name is available, hit the green ‘Next button’, and in a new tab, you’ll continue your registration.
You can signup with your google account or provide your personal information.
Which pricing plan is the best to start a blog with? (click to read)
Personally, I recommend choosing the “Prime 36 Month Price” if you want to lock in the lowest possible price for your hosting. That’s what I use. And it secures your blog hosting at their lowest rate (and gets you domain privacy) for the next 3 years.
And because this low pricing for new customers only applies to the first payment you make, if you were to choose the 1-year plan, your pricing may go up after that first year.
That’s why if you choose the 36-month plan, your pricing will be locked in at this rate for 3 years. For that reason, I recommend going with the longest duration plan that your budget can spring for.
Still, you can decide to go with a yearly plan, based on your budget.
Then, scroll down and choose your registration term from the dropdown menu under “Package Information.” You’ll get the best deal with a 36-month registration by locking in a lower rate.
You can also choose a 24-month or 12-month agreement if you’d rather spend less today.
Now, you have a few extras to choose from:
Domain Privacy + Protection – keeps your personal info off the public record by replacing it with Bluehost’s business information. I highly recommend investing in this.
Codeguard Basic – creates daily backups for your blog. There are other options out there, so you don’t need it.
Bluehost SEO Tools – straight up? You don’t need this.
Microsoft 365 Mailbox Trial – this is for managing your business email account. It’s free so you can try it out if you want to check it out, but I highly recommend Google Workspace instead.
SiteLock Security Essentials – protects your blog from malware. There are much better options for this, so you don’t need it.
To recap, domain privacy + protection is the only package extra you need.
It exists to keep your private information safe and secure. Without it, anyone can access your phone number, home address, and email.
The next part is to fill in your payment details, and you’re good to go!
Congratulations! You’ve now reigstered your domain name and hosting!
To take it from there, follow my guide on how to start your own blog and other blogging guides, to set up your blog.
Summary of Choosing the Best Domain Name
Coming up with the best domain name for your blog doesn’t have to be difficult. I’m sure these 5 ways to name your blog will help you make one of the best blogging decisions.
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