Five Tips on Naming Your Blog & the Story of Dossier

I recently read a really candid blog post about how someone named their blog, and it inspired me to post about how I came up with Dossier and some tips for naming your own blog.

The struggle is real – Coming up with a blog name is one of the hardest parts in starting a blog, especially if you’re a little indecisive like me! Fortunately, I’d been through this stage once before, with my first blog Young Married & Traveling. This gave me a bit of a head start to know what I should and shouldn’t do in naming my new blog. In fact, that name was a huge motivator for me to revamp and restart my blog as Dossier!

When I started YMT, I spent so long tossing up whether to blog or not, that by the time I started, I didn’t have much time to pick a blog name before we set off on our Europe trip (a main motivator for starting a blog). Julian and I had been using Young Married Traveling as a hashtag on our previous travels, so it made sense at the time to just use this as my blog name and URL.

But we couldn’t keep traveling forever and so my blogging focus changed, making the name redundant. If you want a name with longevity, that you won’t get sick of in a year or more’s time, here’s some things to consider before deciding on and locking in a blog name:

1. Is it available?

It is pretty easy to find out where the name you like is available as a URL. If your name is taken on a .com site, there’s always the options of .net, .com.au, etc but the most common is .com and this was a priority for me (and should be for you too, so that you’re easy to find!)

Similarly, check social media channels to see if the name is available on main channels such as Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. This one can be a little easier to get around by placing the word ‘blog’ at the end (like I do), but if you’re looking to monetise and turn your blog into a business, be aware of any other businesses that may kick up a stink if you start sharing or trading under the same or similar name.

I use the word ‘blog’ a fair bit on the end of Dossier as it is short, and it also identifies my channels and pages as a blog, rather than a word people don’t know that could be anything – like a business, etc.

2. Cheese Factor

Some people like working their name into a heading in a cheeky or play on words type of way, but that just isn’t me. Think about whether you’ll be happy with the name in 1-5 years time.

3. What does your name says about your blog?

Think about the topics you plan to write about. If it is strictly fashion, beauty or travel, you can get away with a more specific blog name (eg, Emily’s Travels or Carry-On with Carrie). I made this mistake with YMT and therefore wanted a name that was not too specific, even though I knew I wanted to mostly post on DIY.

4. Uniqueness

You want a name that stands out from the sea of bloggers. This might be catchy, a play on words or just something completely out of the box. Think about how many Instagram users you come across with ‘style’ in the title. Do you really want to be competing with them all?

5. What feelings do different words evoke?

Different words can have stigmas or ideas attached to them, and its important to keep this in mind when considering a name. You know what I’m talking about – words that make you cringe vs. words that make you dream of a tropical holiday! What does your name evoke to others? Of course, you want your name to bring up good feelings!

How I came up with Dossier Blog:

Keeping in mind the above thoughts, I wrote down a bunch of words and general ideas that inspired me. These included:

Tea at Eight – We generally have a cup of tea at night time just before 8pm. A bit of a personality name but doesn’t say what the blog’s about.

For the love of making – A bit long, a bit specific and a bit too cheesy for my liking.

Glasshouse/Garden – Words I just like and that have a nice ‘feel’ about them. Never figured out how I would use them in a blog name, though.

The Spare Room – The thought behind this was that the spare room in the house is where all the creative projects take place. But it didn’t feel catchy enough.

Collection/Files/Dossier – I liked the thought of the blog being a collection, or a gathering of notes on my favourite topics. I looked up synonyms for these words and found the word Dossier: A collection of notes on a particular person or subject. I liked the meaning and that it was a bit exotic (its a French word but I hadn’t actually heard the term before!), it was unique and it could mean anything I wanted it to.

That’s how Dossier Blog: Notes on Creativity, Travel & Style was born!

How have you gone about naming your blog? Or are you in the process of trying to find a name? I’d love to hear your thoughts!