Expectant parents often discuss their child's name for months on end. The opinion of the dear relatives is usually unasked for. When looking for a name for blogs, on the other hand, there seems to be far less patience and willingness to discuss. Often the first idea is directly put into action, as long as the desired address is still available. In retrospect, this often turns out to be a big mistake. Because an inappropriate or difficult to remember name quickly seems unprofessional and can cost readers. This is why our tips for searching for the optimal blogname come here - including information on the new domain endings.
In principle, the name search thing is quite simple. Because there are clear criteria for a good blog (and of course website or shop) address:
Other factors are, for example, that the name should correspond to your target group, that it may be globally understandable and, of course, that you are not violating the rights of other people or companies.
These requirements have to be reconciled - and then, of course, there has to be a corresponding domain available. This is actually a big hurdle at the moment, especially if you want to commit to popular extensions like .de or .com. There are many catchy, concise combinations already occupied.
The new Top Level Domains (nTLD), of which the first ones will actually start the general registration phase in the next few days, will provide new scope for development. In the coming years, a number of new extensions will be added to the network month after month - by the end of the year there will be more than 1000. Of course, not all of them are interesting for bloggers and many are reserved for a limited user group anyway. Nevertheless, it's worthwhile to get to grips with the new endings.
Brief background information: In addition to country-specific TLDs such as .de or .at, there are currently 22 generic TLDs (gTLDs) such as .com, .info and .net. In future, this range will be supplemented by extensions such as .app, .kitchen and .bike. In addition, there are geographical extensions such as .berlin, .ruhr or .paris.
The extension .blog, which is favoured by many bloggers, will unfortunately not be available for the time being. .blog is one of 25 extensions that ICANN has put on hold for approval. There are fears of a "collision danger": The extensions could cause technical problems and endanger the stability of the network. It may well be that .blog is still coming, at the moment nobody can say when it will be.
This question is not easy to answer. The experience values are still missing. Basically it can be said: The established endings like .de, at or .com will continue to be ahead for the time being. Simply because they are known to all users and enjoy a high level of trust. And also with search engines the classical endings have - at least still - the better ranking.
The newcomers, on the other hand, have yet to conquer their place. The users have to get used to them. And as with the "old" TLDs, there will also be endings here that are particularly popular and others that cannot keep up.
The advantage of the new TLDs is that they make extremely short and crisp blonde names possible and already give a first indication by the suffix alone of the area in which a blog should be classified. The creative possibilities grow considerably and invite to play with the name and the endings.
You can choose an original TLD that fits your topic or your target group. For a blog about the family or raising children, for example .baby or familiy. If you are interested in new apps, you could choose .app. .design could fit for a home blog. If your location is important for you, you can also choose a city TLD like .berlin and combine it with your theme.
Conclusion: As usual in life there are good arguments for the new endings as well as against them. Ultimately, this decision depends on your courage to experiment. In any case, you can set yourself apart from the blogger competition and create a unique selling point with a good combination of name and new ending.
From the new endings and their possibilities back to our initial question: How do I find the optimal name for my blog? If it's just that you want to share your thoughts/ideas/artworks with a small circle of friends, you don't really have to worry about finding a name.
However, many bloggers now approach their project with professional demands: With their blog they want to present themselves to (potential) clients, promote a product or a company, earn money through advertisements and sponsors... Who sets itself such goals, must proceed from the outset purposefully and structured.
The first step is the market check: Which domain names already exist in the respective area? Which do you find meaningful, which meaningless and why? Take notes and discuss your observations with people in your environment.
The competition observation can give you first information about where to go for yourself. On this basis you will then be able to come up with concrete ideas. But unfortunately you can't think of anything really good? Creativity techniques such as brainstorming and mind mapping are "fertilizers" for new ideas. You can find out exactly how this works in this and this article.
In any case, a keyword search also makes sense: Which terms do you want to be found with? What do you stand for? Also in this case you can let Google assist you, similar to the search for a good blog topic. Under certain circumstances, your name is also quite simply a good name for the blog, for example if you as a freelancer would like to use the blog as a replacement for a classic website.
There are also a number of good online tools on the net that provide additional support for name searches. The Visuwords page, for example, is interesting in this context. As the name already indicates, keywords and related words are displayed visually in this online dictionary. The result is a kind of automatic MindMap.
The Visual Dictionary page is an online encyclopedia that relies entirely on the power of images and explains a wide variety of terms with the help of graphics and illustrations. The encyclopedia may not provide the ultimate domain name, but it can at least be a good source of inspiration for new, unusual ideas.
Have you collected several good ideas for a domain name? At best - then it's time for the domain check. The earlier you check the availability of an address, the better. This prevents disappointment and unnecessary work.
For checking a domain you should always use a professional domain check, which is offered free of charge by many domain and web hosting companies (of course also by checkdomain). Within a few seconds you can see whether an address is still available or already registered.
In addition, so-called whois queries are possible here: This makes it quick and easy to find out who owns a domain that has already been allocated. The fact that a domain name has already been registered does not necessarily mean that it is no longer available. Demand costs nothing and may pay off.
Basically still the tip: Don't withdraw your name ideas too much into the quiet chamber. If you have the chance, discuss it with friends and colleagues. Take criticism as something positive - it gives you the opportunity to develop your ideas further and make something even better out of them.
I hope these tips will help you in your difficult search for the optimal name. In the next text about blogging you'll find an overview of popular blogger software - and then you're ready for the first posts!
