Picking The Right Domain Name For Your Blog In 2023

Imagine you started a blog to talk about dog food, and you’ve decided on the domain dogfoodcentral.com kind of awesome, right? But what if in the next couple of years, you decided to expand your blog categories to talk about other pet food and toys? For example, cat toys, hamster wheels, etc.

In that case, would the domain name dogfoodcentral.com still make sense? It’s restrictive, right? So in this Blog post, we are going to share with you what to look out for when choosing a domain name for your blog and personal blog domain name ideas, and I’m also going to share with you a couple of tools to help you get started with it.

Anyway, before we get started, I’m assuming you’ve already decided on your blog niche, and if you haven’t done so, we highly recommend that you check out this Blog post right here as I’ve shared a clear method to find a profitable blog niche.

Now, choosing a domain name for your blog shouldn’t be hard, yet it should be memorable. But I truly understand the concern that most “.com” domain names have already been snatched up, and even if they are available, you might probably need to spend a couple of thousands to buy them, and we want to avoid that.

Here are for you 2023 Blogging Trends: Expert Advice and The Ultimate Guide to the Importance of Picking the Right Domain Name for Your New Blog in 2023.

Elements of a Memorable Domain Name For Your Blog

So let me quickly run through the elements of a memorable domain name, and then I will share with you the tools to find some cool domain names that are still available. Now, there are nine elements of a memorable domain name I will share with you, but keep in mind that they are just guidelines and not rules.

Even if you don’t follow a couple of them, that’s totally fine. What’s important is that the domain name resonates with you. I don’t know about you, but personally, when I really like the domain name I’m working on, I’m more inclined to make it a success. So let’s get right into it.

1. Be Descriptive While Pickin The Right Domain Name

Now, a descriptive domain name gives your site visitors an idea of what your blog is about before they even click on it, but you don’t want to go overboard with stuffing keywords in it.

For example, if your blog is about healthy smoothie recipes, it is fine to have a domain name with exact keywords like healthysmoodyrecipes.com, though it doesn’t give you much benefit in terms of SEO, but don’t go overboard like healthy smoothie best smoothie delicious smoothie recipes.com that’s a mouthful, right?

But personally, I would just name it something like “bettersmoothies.com”, as it describes what the blog is about. But you might say, What about brandable domains like Nike, Adidas, Apple, or whatever? Should you use them?

2. Have a Brandable Domain

That’s what I want to talk about next. Having a brand-able domain name For Your Blog is great, but it still needs to be a little descriptive unless you want to spend millions of dollars on advertising to make your brand known for what it is doing.

For example, if Nike didn’t spend millions of dollars on advertising every year and it is just a blog, would you know what Nike is about?
Absolutely not. So you can have a brandable domain name, but it still needs to have something descriptive.

For example, if your blog is an eco-friendly blog, it can have a name like ecobloom.com, naturae.com, or sustainify.com or if your blog is about keeping pets, you can have brand-able domain names like petpals.com, barksie.com, if your blog is about dogs or whiskerz.com, if your blog is about cats.

I hope you understand what I mean. You don’t want to have a brandable domain name that doesn’t describe what your blog is about. Personally, I really love descriptive, brandable domain names that are short.

A recent article of businessnewsdaily.com said:

“Your domain name is how users will find your website, so choose one related to your business or services.”

3. Keep It Short

I know it is easier said than done. Most short domain names are probably taken up, but honestly, you don’t have to worry about that. There are tons of short domain names out there, you just have to know how to look for it. By short, I mean under 15 characters, excluding the “.com” or whatever extensions.

As per Google recommendation for Picking The Right Domain Name, it says:

“We recommend short domain names, typically between 3 to 4 terms. Short domains are easier to remember and type which helps users navigate directly to your site.”

Shorter domain names are not only easier to remember, but also easier to type and share with others. Again, this is subjective. There are successful blogs with long domain names, but personally, I would try to keep my domain name short. If I were to buy a domain name, I would keep it under nine characters. It’s totally possible. I’ll show you how in a while.

4. Keep It Below 4 Syllables

The more syllabus a domain name has, the harder it is to remember. This is something that I’ve discovered, but I’m pretty sure some brand experts will say the same thing.

For example, Read Morr has two syllables, “Read” and “Morr”, and because it only has two syllables, it is easier to pronounce, hence easier to remember. But if you have a domain name with more than five syllables, like “wholesome baby food”, it’s getting harder to remember.

And as the number of syllables grows, the harder it is to remember. Try remembering “animalhumanesociety.com”, which has nine syllables, and tell me if you remember that domain name at the end of this blog post. I’m pretty sure you’ve already forgotten. So try to keep the number of syllables below four if possible.

5. Beware of Double Meaning

Now, you may have not noticed, but some domain names have multiple meanings or unintended connotations. For example, if you’re starting an IT blog to talk about all the new technologies and you have found a domain name called ITscrap.com it has only seven characters, it’s short, it’s brand-able, it has only “I”, “T”, “scrap”, three syllabus, fits all the criteria, right?

But there are multiple ways to split these words. It can be IT scrap, or it can be its crap. And if you pronounce it that way, it reduces the legitimacy of your business. Sorry to whoever owns ITscrap.com. Another example, is this domain name is for a tech support forum, but if I don’t tell you that this is a tech expert forum, what would you make of this domain?

Huh? What do you think? Don’t wander off, okay? Hence, it is best to choose a domain name that is clear, concise, and does not have any negative or misleading connotations. I have another post about Huge Mistakes to Avoid When Creating Your Domain Name You Must Follow which will help additional steps to find the best domain.

6. Avoid Hyphens and Numbers

While using hyphens or numbers may seem like an easy way to create a unique domain name, they can actually make it more difficult to remember, harder to type in the browser, and may also make it seem less professional and less credible because spammers and scammers usually use this type of domain, so try to avoid them.

7. Scalability or Flexibility

Honestly, it is tempting to choose a domain name For Your Blog that is specific to your current niche. For example, if your blog niche is Student Loans and you have a domain name called studentloans.com, it sounds nice, right?

But what if you want to expand your blog to other financial sectors such as home loans, insurance, investments, or whatever? Studentloans.com doesn’t seem to make sense at this point in time, right? So always keep scalability in mind when picking a domain name For Your Blog.

8. Go for a “.com” Extension

Needless to say, “.com” is always the preferred choice as it is the most recognizable domain extension on the internet. When people think of a website, the first thing that comes to mind is usually a “.com”.

For example, people in the WordPress community have probably heard of WP Rocket, right? Well, for me, when I first came across WP Rocket as I was starting my first blog, I typed in “wprocket.com”, and guess what?

It didn’t lead me to the site. I had to do a Google search to find what I was looking for. I’m pretty sure many people would have gone through the same process.

Let me share another example. You might have come across phishing campaigns where scammers buy exact domain names of banks and governments, but with a different extension, right?

People who are tech savvy, like you and I know banks and governments don’t use extensions other than “.gov” or “.com” ” It has been instilled in us since the beginning of the internet that “.com” holds a certain level of legitimacy in terms of perception. But again, this is subjective.

According to a Forbes article about domain names, it said:

“Traditionally, you would want to choose the .org domain extension if you’re a charity or nonprofit organization looking to launch a website about your organization. And The .com extension, short for “commercial,” is the most popular and widely used extension online.”

There are successful businesses and blogs that use extensions other than a “.com”. And in the case of WP Rocket, they are smart enough to put a trademark to the name so that even when somebody buys “wprocket.com”, they can’t build a brand around it, which leads me to the final element, which is to avoid legal conflicts.

9. Avoid Legal Conflicts

As I shared with you earlier, the last step before you buy any domain name is to always check if the domain name has any conflict with other brands. For example, you can’t have another domain called Google.net otherwise, Google may sue you and you will get into a lot of legal troubles. So use the tool provided by the US government called the trademark electronic search system.

If your selected domain conflicts with other brands, you may want to consider finding another unless you have good grounds to fight for the name.

So these are the nine elements of a good domain name for your blog.

Walkthrough Picking The Right Domain Name for Your Blog

Now, let me walk you through the process of finding a good domain name that matches all the elements I’ve talked about. Now, before we start, I always like to open up a couple of tools on the browser so they are easily accessible. We have Namelix’s name generator and Looka’s name generator.

These two tools are great AI tools that will give you awesome domain ideas and suggestions. Then we have NameCheap to check if a domain name is available, and finally, the TradeMark search system to know if the available domain name conflicts with other brands.

Anyway, let’s say that I’m starting a blog in a Yacht niche. I will go to Namelix and type in a couple of niche-related keywords like Yacht, Blog, Sailing, Yachting, etc.

I’ll click on Generate. Personally, I would select the “Auto” Name style, but you can explore other styles on your own.

Click Next. I’ll select “medium” to keep a balance between the related niche and brand-able elements.

Click Next, and then I will write a couple of words to describe what I’m trying to achieve, and hit generate. As you can see, “blue sails” sound nice, so I will search for it on Namecheap, but it is too expensive.

Let’s continue with the search. “Skysail” sounds nice as well, so let’s search for it. Again, this will cost a lot as it is a premium domain. We definitely do not want “Storm” in our domain as no sailors would like Storm. Let’s scroll down. “SailFinder” sounds nice, so let’s search for it. Nope, it’s a premium domain.

So as you can see, finding the right domain usually takes some time. But don’t worry, I’ll share with you a couple of methods in a while. But for now, let’s change things up a little.

We have “dockside” here. “Side” could be a good word to match up with “sail”, so let’s try “side sail” Well, it’s too expensive. Or maybe Captain Sail? Let’s check it out. So what do we have here? “Captainsail” is available.

Quite a cool name, right? It has 11 characters and three syllabus, it’s descriptive, brandable, and meets all the criteria. Let’s check it on a trademark search. Nope, nothing was found.

This is a potential domain. If you are happy with it, you can go ahead and purchase the domain through NameCheap, or else you can continue with your search. Now, through this method of meshing up words from Namelix, there were some domains that are available but are expensive, like YachtAnchor, and Yachtology.

Feel free to use these highlighted words in combination with your niche words. You may find some unique domain names, but we have managed to find available domains like “BoatyYachty” and “Captainsail”.

Another trick I want to share with you is to use Thesaurus and search for some words that may be a good combination with niche words. For example, hub, community, etc. And use a couple of synonyms to match it with your niche words.

So we have matched these words with Yacht because I already want Yacht in the domain, but these domains are taken, but that doesn’t mean that these words can’t be used with the combination of your niche words.

So go mesh them up for your domain. Through the same method, we have also tried matching these words. These domains are available, but they are expensive.

However, we have managed to find available domains like Yachtcartel, BandofYacht, and Yachtero. See, these are all domains that fit our criteria. Maybe Yachtcartel is a little off, so you just need to be patient and be a little creative.

I’m not a very creative person anyway. Now, another method we have not explored is the use of Looka’s Name Generator. All you need to do is to add a couple of keywords, just like in Namelix. If you want more brand-able domains, you want to limit the character range from 6 to 10 characters and search for them.

It will show you quite a number of unique names. Through this method, we have tested these words, but they are unavailable.

Feel free to match these highlighted words with your niche words. Pretty sure you get some cool names out of it, we have also tested another word. These domains are available but they are expensive.

Maybe it works for your niche, and we found success with ThinkYacht, Yachtella, and Yachtvoy. So to speed things up for you, these are the highlighted words we have matched. I’ve sorted them out by the number of characters and in alphabetical order, so feel free to mesh them up with your niche words, and hopefully, you will find an awesome domain name for your blog.

Best Place To Buy A Domain Name?

Where’s the best place to buy a domain name? In This comparison section, I’ll show you why it’s important to pick a good domain registrar, where to buy a domain name, and what to look for before making your purchase.

Why Is The Domain Registrar You Pick Important?

So why is the domain registrar you pick important? After all, a domain is a domain and they’re the same everywhere, right? And that’s correct. The domain itself is gonna be the same no matter where you buy it, but there are a couple of things you need to look out for when picking a domain registrar. Things like the UI.

• How is the management panel?
• Is it easy to use? Is it easy for you to connect your domain to your website?
• What is customer service like?
• What is the ecosystem like?
• What do they offer as far as web hosting and email hosting if you’re planning on buying all those things from the same place?
• And lastly, what is the price for domain names?
• Is it reasonable? Is it affordable?

GoDaddy

So GoDaddy is a popular place to buy domain names, and that’s because everyone’s heard of them. They spend a lot of money on marketing. And if you go to your computer and Google where to buy a domain name, chances are, GoDaddy comes up as the top result,

but does that mean you should buy a domain from them? I honestly see GoDaddy as a car dealership and not the one you wanna do business with.

First of all, their base prices are already expensive. GoDaddy charges $19.99 a year to renew a .com domain, making it the most expensive registrar on this list. And on top of that, GoDaddy is constantly trying to sell you overpriced add-ons and stuff that you probably don’t need.

Now, GoDaddy finally includes free WHOIS protection, which means that they won’t leak your private information without you having to pay a fee every year. But they are still trying to upsell you this privacy protection plan.

What does this do? Well, they say it prevents your domain from getting stolen by hackers by requiring two-factor authentication to make changes to your domain name. And I’m like, wait a second.

Why would somebody pay yearly for this? GoDaddy already lets you set two-factor authentication on your account for free, so I don’t quite understand the differences.

I really think they’re selling some snake oil here. It’s definitely not worth buying, but so many people fall for it. And that’s really the gist of GoDaddy here. They really push hard to sell you stuff you don’t need. Look, I made a test purchase and I put this 99-cent domain name in my cart.

And what happened? Somehow my cart total ended up at over $200. They put the domain name in my cart for five years of registration and added five years of domain protection. And that 99-cent domain that I clicked add to cart on was a $200 total.

I mean, what on earth? Perhaps the only unique benefit to GoDaddy is that they offer phone support. This is not something a lot of registrars offer. So if you really would like to be able to pick up the phone and speak to a human about your domain name, maybe GoDaddy is a good option, but I would strongly caution you to consider other options.

I have a whole blog post on why you should stop using GoDaddy that you can read with a lot more details on the things that bother me about their practices. But in general, I do not recommend GoDaddy and I would stay away from them.

Google Domains

Next up is Google Domains. Google Domains is a simple, no-nonsense domain registrar offering .com domains for $12 a year. They give you free WHOIS protection and the only upselling they even offer is a subscription to Google Workspace, which is their custom email hosting.

The thing that I really appreciate about Google Domains is its simplicity. You can easily link your domain name to Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, and other partners.

As according to Google another post for Picking The Right Domain Name is:

“When you search for a domain, Google Domains automatically checks all your available search results for these factors and uses them to give you some information to consider about each name.”

And when I say easily link it, you don’t have to worry about changing the domain’s name servers or managing DNS. All those concepts that you typically have to deal with at other domain registrars, you do not have to deal with at Google Domains as long as you’re linking to one of their preferred partners.

For example, you could just sign into your Wix.com account at Google Domains and they do some magic and boom, your domain name is linked to your Wix site and you don’t have to think about it ever again.

Google Domains is my top recommendation for those who are using Squarespace, Wix, Shopify, or another Google Domains partner and want to save some money on your domain name.

Instead of paying $20 a year to Squarespace or Wix for your domain, buy it at Google Domains, use their simple integration to link it with your account, and then you’re saving money. You didn’t have to go through any complicated DNS process to link your domain and you’ll thank yourself later.

Namecheap

Next up is Namecheap. Namecheap is a great one-stop shop if you’re looking for a domain registrar that can do it all. If you wanna have your domain name, web hosting, email hosting, and other products all on the same website, Namecheap is a great place to do that. They offer .com domain names for about $14 a year.

And that is a bit on the pricier side, but I think it’s worth it to have that ecosystem of quality products and services under one roof. Namecheap does offer quite a bit of upsells in the cart section, but I think they’re pretty tasteful about it. And at least they’re not adding five years of a domain name to your cart when you only ask to add one year.

Oh, and WHOIS protection is included. They’re never gonna try to sell you some privacy protection or any shenanigans like that. The Namecheap management panel is decent, although I feel it could be a little bit simpler. I think it’s still a good match for beginners. And again, the entire Namecheap system is designed around you having multiple products with them.

This is where the management panel really thrives. It’s easy to get to your cPanel and your inbox and your domain renewal and everything right from the same screen.

Overall, Namecheap is a good starting place for beginners who want it all. If you want your WordPress website your custom email address and your domain name to all be under one roof and have one website you go to to renew your plans at an affordable price, Namecheap is for you.

Let me tell you, finding the right domain name for your business is essential for people to see the vision of your company when they look at your domain. Just like finding the right pair of glasses is essential to your vision and style.

Porkbun

Now we’re gonna take a look at Porkbun. Porkbun is a low-cost no frills domain registrar offering .com domains for $9.13 a year with free WHOIS protection. Porkbun has no aggressive upselling, though they do offer web hosting and email hosting.

I personally wouldn’t recommend these products. I don’t find that they’re very high quality. And if you want that stuff, definitely stick with Namecheap.

Porkbun’s management panel is a little bit scary. It’s not too much to deal with if you just put your mind to it, read the options, and find what you’re looking for. But I do wish that it was simpler and easier to understand and I stare at it and go, wow, that is a lot of switches and text on one screen.

What do I need to click to do? But overall, I think you can use the Porkbun management panel if you just put your mind to it. Porkbun is primarily a good option for those looking to save money on domain renewals. Domains can start to add up. If you have 5, 10, 15, or 20 domain names, saving $4 or $5 a year on each domain becomes significant.

And I think that’s who Porkbun is really meant for. Porkbun does offer live chat and email support, though it’s not 24/7. So if you ever run into an incident like a domain suspension that requires immediate attention, unfortunately, you’re gonna have to wait a few hours to get help.

Porkbun is especially great for anyone who has been using domain names for years and you’re comfortable with concepts like changing name servers and managing DNS and you’re just looking to save some money on domain renewals.

I’ve personally been transferring a lot of my domain names to Porkbun because I’m just interested in saving money these days, as prices at other registrars keep creeping up year over year. The only cheaper registrar on my list is CloudFlare, but they don’t support every TLD. Porkbun has all the TLDs I need, and that’s why I find myself using them most often.

Hover

Next up is Hover. Hover reminds me a lot of Google Domains. It’s simple, straightforward, and easy to connect your domain name to services like Squarespace and Shopify.

A .com domain will cost you $16.17 a year, which is a bit on the spendier side. But Hover gives you that Google Domains experience without it being owned by Google. And I know that’s important to some people.

I know there are some people out there that try to avoid Google. And I understand that. So if you’re saying, I really like the appeal to Google Domains, but I just wanna stay away from Google, Hover is for you.

Really, the main appeal to Hover is that simple integration. It’s the ability to easily link with Squarespace, Shopify, and Etsy. However, they are missing Wix integration, which I think is a big shortsight because Wix is a very popular website builder. For the most part, the point still stands true that if you want the Google Domains experience without Google, Hover is a great option.

However, it becomes harder to recommend as they’ve increased their prices over the years. At $16 a year for a .com domain, you’re only saving about $4 a year over just buying your domain straight from Squarespace Wix or Shopify.

And although you are saving money, that’s $4 a year. Is it really worth the hassle? Not that it is much hassle, but is it worth the extra step? Is it worth the extra login and the extra renewal every year instead of just buying your domain name at your website builder?

I don’t know, I think that’s something that only you can decide. Overall, I am a fan of Hover. I like what they’re doing. I just wish their prices were a little bit cheaper.

Domain.com

Next is Domain.com. Now, Domain.com is like a slightly less horrible GoDaddy, but they’re still being compared to GoDaddy, so that probably means you should stay away.

A .com domain will run you $15.99 a year. And I know what you’re thinking. Wait a second, Bro, you were just saying that you kind of liked Hover and Hover charges $16.17 a year for a .com. So what’s the problem with Domain.com? And hold on a second, Domain.com is the only registrar on this list that doesn’t offer basic WHOIS protection for free.

Yes, that’s right. You will have to pay an additional $8.99 a year just so that they won’t publish your personal information publicly in the WHOIS database. This means the effective cost of a .com domain is $24.98 a year.

Domain.com has the most obnoxious upselling screen of any of the registrars on this list. They have a whole dedicated page, after you add a domain to your cart, trying to sell you web hosting, email hosting, SSL certificate, site log, and all this stuff that you probably don’t need.

If you can manage to weed your way through the screen without adding something extra to your cart, you can click continue to cart, but chances are they probably pulled a GoDaddy and added that domain to your cart for two or three years and included WHOIS protection when you were just trying to add the one year of the domain to your cart, to begin with.

The management panel on Domain.com is decent and they do offer free SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt, which I find really ironic because this is one of those registrars that is trying to sell you an overpriced SSL certificate. But hey, at least if you’re smart enough to turn down the upsell, they’ll help you out and give you a free SSL certificate.

But overall, I do not recommend Domain.com. I can’t respect any registrar who is still charging for basic WHOIS protection. For that reason alone, I would stay away from Domain.com.

Cloudflare Domains

And finally, I’m taking a look at a registrar new to the comparison post that I’ve never featured before, CloudFlare domains. Cloudflare domains sell you domain names at wholesale pricing. In other words, they’re not making a profit. You can get a .com domain for $8.57 a year.

Cloudflare is able to make money through its other enterprise products and services. So their domain registrar is a passion project. It’s clear that it is a passion project though because there are a lot of shortcomings.

First, several major TLDs like .co and .app, just to name a few, are not available at CloudFlare domains. Second, you have to use Cloudflare’s DNS management system in order to use CloudFlare domains. I want to be clear here. Cloudflare DNS management is free, so it’s not like you have to be a member or subscribe or anything like that. It is free to use.

However, if you’re not already using CloudFlare DNS for your domain name, I would be cautious and understand what CloudFlare is and what it does before just jumping into it and buying your domain there.

I have videos about CloudFlare that you can watch to get a better understanding, but overall, just be cautious and realize you cannot point a CloudFlare domain to another name server. You’re stuck with CloudFlare DNS management. So keep that in mind.

And lastly, CloudFlare domains have no live customer support. There’s no live chat, there’s no phone support, and there are no hand-holding resources that make it easy if you’re new to domain names. It’s really meant for advanced users who are already using CloudFlare and they’re looking to save some money on domain renewals.

Cloudflare is basically an if-you know, you know registrar. If you’re already aware of CloudFlare and the services they provide and you’ve heard of Cloudflare domains, well, you should probably transfer your domains there.

You’re gonna save a ton of money. You’re not gonna find cheaper domains anywhere else. And I think you’ll be happy. But if you were just thinking of trying CloudFlare domains because it’s cheap, I would probably recommend Porkbun instead.

It’s just marginally more expensive, but you have a lot more flexibility over where your domain name can be pointed and you also have live support available. Oh, and not to mention, Porkbun offers basically every TLD you would want. So overall, I’m a huge fan of CloudFlare domains for advanced users.

My Recommendations

We’ve looked at a lot of options for where you can buy a domain name, but I wanna sum it up into some categories. The best overall domain registrar that I can recommend, if you want everything under one roof, you want your domain, your web hosting, your email hosting, and all of your web products from the same website, I would recommend Namecheap.

They don’t have the cheapest prices for domain names, so it only makes sense if you do want everything under one roof, but if that’s the experience you’re searching for, I think Namecheap does it all pretty well and you’re gonna have a good experience there.

So what if you just wanna buy a domain name, but you still want it to be simple? For that, I would definitely recommend Google Domains.

You’re saving money by buying your domain from Squarespace Wix or Shopify, but it’s easy to connect to those platforms. And at just $12 a year for a .com domain, you’re saving some money over a site like Namecheap, but you’re still getting an easy, smooth, reliable experience. And I can’t say enough good things about how easy it is to use Google Domains. Now, what if you’re on a budget and you’re saying, SAM, cut the fluff? I just want a cheap domain name. Where do I go? And for that, I would highly recommend Porkbun.

Porkbun has very affordable pricing. A .com domain is just $9 and some change. And if you put your mind to it, you’ll be just fine navigating the management panel. So if you want to save some money and you’re willing to sacrifice just a little bit of that simplicity that a site like Google Domains would bring, that’s where I would highly recommend Porkbun.

And lastly, what if you say, SAM, I’m an advanced domain user, I’ve been using domains for years, I’m comfortable with DNS, where should I buy my domain? And for that, I would say go to CloudFlare domains.

Getting a domain at wholesale pricing is just crazy. You’re literally not gonna find a cheaper renewal price for your domain name. So if you know what CloudFlare domains are, if you’re familiar with manual DNS management, just make the switch.

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