How to Get Your Blog to 100,000 Visitors and Beyond, Step 2; Pick a Good Name

Step 2 to getting to 100,000 visitors and beyond: Pick a good name.

If you've followed step one, you already have a good topic, but just as important is a good name for your blog. While this is a bit trickier than selecting a good subject, here's my perspective on what makes a good name:

• A good name is the same as the .com URL for your site. For instance, I believe it's better to have the name of your blog be "Joe's Blog" and you own/use the URL "www.joesblog.com" rather than call it "What's Up with Joe" (or anything else) and you own/use the URL "www.joesblog.com". There's a simplicity that makes it easier to find and remember your blog (not to mention marketing it) when your name and URL match. Also, .com is better than .net or any other option. I know there are exceptions to these rules, but they are exceptions, not the "rules". The rule is that if all else is equal, it will be easier to find and remember your blog if the name and URL match and it's .com.
• Pick a name that is at least somewhat descriptive. You're trying to establish a brand from the ground up and it's hard enough to do when your name/URL do some of the work for you -- don't make it harder. If you have a camera blog, let the name and URL help tell visitors that it's a camera blog without any additional commentary. For me, Free Money Finance worked because it at least hinted that the site had to do with money. I'm not saying that you have to be boring with the name, but some description will give you an advantage over a name unrelated to your topic.
• Consider using key search words. This won't do much for you at the beginning, but once you get going, it will help out a lot. Did you ever notice that "free", "money", and "finance" (and their various combinations) are pretty strong search words? I did -- that's one reason I picked the name. Now that I'm established and all the search engines recognize my blog, those terms drive some powerful traffic. The same can/will happen for you if you select the right name.
• Shorter is better. The shorter the name/URL, the better. I wish I had a shorter name (it's tough enough typing "freemoneyfinance" all over the place for me, imagine how potential visitors must feel), but I couldn't find one I liked better that was shorter but still accomplished my other goals. So go for a longer name if you have to in order to accomplish the tasks noted above, but if you can do all those AND have a shorter name, shorter is better.

Click here to read part 3 of this series.

Free Money Finance recommends Emigrant Direct.

Comments

[Flexo]

I didn't follow exactly these rules -- perhaps my site would be more successful if I had.

[fivecentnickel.com]

I'm not sure if I followed these rules or not. I guess it should be apparent that my site is about money. And I used the url interchangeably with the site name.

[David Farrer]

I spent a lot of time before I came up with Freedom and Whisky. Even using the correct (Scottish!) spelling of our national drink hasn't done too much harm. Several US blogrolls refer to Freedom and Whiskey (sic) but get the URL correct, thank goodness.

http://freedomandwhisky.blogspot.com

[Dave Lorenzo]

You da man! You read my mind.

[fivecentnickel.com]

I just sent you a trackback from this entry:

http://www.fivecentnickel.com/2005/12/30/weekly-roundup-123005/

And it didn't show up here. Any idea why?

[FMF]

Not sure. Maybe Typepad doesn't like you. ;-)

[snakeflake]

Whats a trackback?

[Quang]

I'm changing the name of my blog now from Yinkling to something else...

[www.onemillionbucks.net]

Agree again with this one... it's very hard to find a name that isn't already taken that is also short yet somewhat descriptive. I use a .net domain because the .com alternative wanted like $1,000 for the name.

[r]

What software do you use for blogging? Is it a blog service?

[FMF]

R --

I use Typepad. Details at www.typepad.com.