Naming your blog

If your blog was a book, what would the title be?

When you walk into a book shop what is the first thing you see? Often it’s the side of the book and what can you see on that? Maybe some colors from the book cover but mainly just the title. That title needs to be enough to entice you to take the book off the shelf and read it. It’s no different with a blog.

So what title should you pick to get people “opening” your blog?

This lesson will help you work that out.

Creating a site title

What is a good title?

A good title grabs people’s interest. It’s something that connects with them and what they are seeking in their lives.

If I called my blog “Diary of a bricklayer” and you had no interest in construction, would you read it? No, but a bricklayer might.

What about if you loved arts and crafts and you called your blog “The secrets of arts and crafts influencers”? You would certainly be more likely to.

Now think about your content.

What are you trying to say in your blog? Are you giving advice? Are you documenting a project like sailing around the world?

What can you say in your title that sums this up? Maybe, for example, “100 days in a sailing boat”.

What about if you just want to have some fun and use a playful name that has no clear topic?

This is great, but think about whether someone coming across your blog will ever discover just how much great content you have if they are confused by the title. People’s attention spans can be very short so if you want to attract people you’ll want to pick a name they can understand or “get” quickly.

Another important reason for choosing a title that is easy to understand is SEO. If your blog is called “Thoughts on my job” but your blog is all about accountancy, which blog do you think Google will show to people, yours or the one called “Great Accountancy Tips”?

It’s okay to change your title later if you want to! If your readers tell you they were confused by your title, feel free to try something else.

Stuck? No problem.

What sort of adjectives do people use to describe you and your interest in the topic? For example, do friends say, “Janet, is always on the go”? Maybe your blog is called “Always flower arranging”? Or maybe they describe you as a patient math teacher? Then your blog might be “The Patient Math Teacher.”
Would a pun work? Try to stick to puns that people in your topic area would know. For example, if you are writing about deep sea fishing, how about a blog called “For Heaven’s Hake!”
Check out the Thesaurus. What other words exist for your topic?
What about basing it on a song title that could be connected to your topic? How about changing Tina Turner’s “We don’t need another hero” to “We don’t need another chess player!” if your blog is all about chess.
If you are completely stuck, then just use your name for now. As you start blogging, you will find more and more creative ideas start to pop into your mind.

Domain names

Your domain name is the URL address that appears at the top of your browser when people are visiting your website. It does not need to be the same as your site title.

Here are a few things to think about. While changing your site title might have a little impact on your ranking with search engines, changing your domain can have a big impact.

So, it’s best to pick a domain name that is relevant, makes sense, and is easy to remember but without getting too specific.

If you can include relevant keywords, that’s great, as it can help your blog be indexed, but it’s not as important as having great content and a good site title.

So, if you’re unsure what domain to choose, pick something simple and memorable. Even your name is okay! E.g. maryjanesmith922.wordpress.com

All WordPress.com sites come with a free site address that can be used publicly. It will include “.WordPress.com” in the URL. You can also change the beginning part of this free site address.

If you want to remove the “.WordPress.com” portion from the URL then you’ll want to purchase the plan upgrade that will allow for the use of a custom domain, and then purchase the custom domain of your choice, provided it’s available. You can add a custom domain at any time, so it’s not something you need to rush.

Of course, if you already know the perfect custom domain that you want to use, it’s better to purchase it right away so that no one else can.

Creating a tagline

Now that you have created a site title, let’s think about the tagline.

What is a tagline? A tagline is a short description of your blog in a few words.

You can see it on blog sites such as in the image below.

Screenshot showing where the title and tagline of a WordPress site can be added. This image shows how to use the customizer to add these details.

Screenshot of a demo blog displaying an example Site title and Tagline.

What should you be putting in your tagline?

Think about the same things we talked about before. What can you say in a short sentence that tells people what your blog is about?

“Reviews of modern bricklaying techniques”

“The best deep sea fishing in the world”

“How to 10x your sales for your business”

Here are a few tips on creating a tagline that can help you stand out in the crowd:

Keep it short and sweet.
- People read taglines in a glance. You have 1-3 seconds to get their attention. The easiest way to come up with yours is to first write it out in full and then start editing it down until you sum it up in 3-9 words. Keep tweaking it until you get there.

Avoid repeating your site title.
- Think about what is going on in your site visitors’ heads. They have read the title already and now they are curious and want to know more. Your tagline’s job is to give them a bit more information and tell them why they should keep looking.

Be clear, original, and genuine.
- When you start a blog it is very common to feel unsure about what you will be writing. The problem with a vague tagline is your visitors will also be unsure, and you risk losing their attention. We see taglines like “musings about thoughts.” but it’s better to pick a clearer tagline and decide to change it later than to choose something random. For now, just make a best guess. Think about what you normally talk about to your friends, or colleagues. What are you as a person most passionate about in life? You will inevitably write more about that right? Focus on this and if you need to change it later then do.

🗒️ Note that there are some themes that don’t display taglines; if you enter a tagline and don’t see it on your site, you’re probably using one of these themes. You can browse different themes in My Site → Appearance → Themes to see which ones display taglines, such as this demo site for the Twenty twenty theme.

Learning Action

Step 1:

Let’s get this all set up on your website.

Make sure you are on your blog website.
Go to Appearance > Customize > Site Identity (or Settings > General).
Enter your site title in the first box.
Enter your tagline in the second box.
Save changes.
You are done!

Step 2:

Admire your work! And don’t worry if you are unsure about your choice. As you start writing, things will get a lot clearer, and you can update this information at any time.

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