How to choose a name that lasts years
A blog name is a medium-term decision. Changing it later means losing domain, audience and accumulated SEO authority. Before locking it in, validate three aspects: memorability (does anyone retain it after hearing it once?), specificity (does it communicate the niche?) and flexibility (does it allow topic expansion if your interests evolve?).
Ultra-specific niche blogs grow fast but cap the ceiling. 'Vegan Brownie Recipes' attracts initial traffic but boxes you in. 'Honest Plant Cooking' allows recipes, essays, books and newsletter without renaming. Think about the blog you'll have in 5 years, not the one you start tomorrow.
Test names aloud before buying a domain. If you have to spell each word when recommending your blog in conversation, you lost. Tim Ferriss Blog works because it matches his real name; fourhourworkweek.com also works because his book had installed it before. Without that lever, prioritize names that are easy to pronounce.
Domain and social handle availability
Before falling in love with a name, verify availability in four places: .com domain, Instagram handle, Twitter/X handle and YouTube. If you can't get all four, change. Identity fragmentation costs brand growth for years.
For English-language blogs, .com remains preferable to .net or .blog for perceived authority. If the .com is taken by an inactive site, you can try to buy it: many sleeping domain owners sell for $200-1000 USD if you contact them. If it's active and competes in your niche, better change names.
Avoid hyphens in the domain (my-blog.com vs myblog.com): hyphens reduce perceived credibility and people forget them when typing. Also avoid double letters or confusing homophones. Bogotabog.com is a tongue-twister; nobody types it right first try.
SEO and name: what matters and what doesn't
A lot of old marketing content recommended 'keywords in domain' as critical SEO factor. Google reduced that weight since 2012. Today, a descriptive domain marginally helps SERP CTR but doesn't determine rankings. nytimes.com ranks for everything without 'news' in its URL.
What does matter SEO-wise: that the name allows building topically coherent content. A blog called Honest Recipes also publishing hotel reviews confuses Google about your niche. If your plan is diverse content, better a broad name: Curious Notebook allows any topic without dissonance.
The critical factor for current SEO is brand authority: the more your name is searched directly on Google ('curious notebook'), the more weight Google gives you in other related searches. This is achieved through brand consistency and cross-channel promotion, not with keyword-loaded domains. A memorable name gets searched; a generic one doesn't.
Common mistakes when naming a blog
Using your full name when you're not known yet: johnrodriguezblog.com is what many do when starting. Works if you build personal brand beforehand (strong LinkedIn, published book, podcast with audience). Otherwise, sounds vain and helps neither SEO nor virality.
Names that age: Marketing 2.0, Millennial Blog, Trends 2024. Any name with version number, generation or year becomes obsolete. The blog you call Trends 2024 in 2026 looks abandoned even if you publish weekly.
Acronyms without context: BMNH.com (Blog of Marketing and Honest News) requires people to memorize what each letter means. Only works if you have branding budget to install it, which isn't the case for new blogs.
Generic names impossible to Google: My Blog or Reflections compete with millions of results. Even with available .com, you lose any search. A good test: Google your tentative name in quotes. Less than 50 exact results is viable; thousands, discard.