We all can agree that if you are looking to be succeed in blogging you should invest in your own domain name, right? I know there are exceptions and I do know a few high quality bloggers that blog on free platforms but the majority of serious bloggers shell out the 8 bucks for a domain and 66 bucks a year for hosting.
plug alert- if you are looking for $66 a year blog hosting, check out Fatcow…here is a link..
Now that I got my affiliate plug out the way (It just seemed to fit right in) I want to discuss the three main options that bloggers have when deciding which blog name to choose. In my opinion selecting a domain name is one of most important decisions you can make and has the potential to make or break you in the blogging world. I know several bloggers who have regrets about the name they chose but are in to deep to change now. My advice is to think long and hard before settiling on a name for your blog. Most blog names fit into three categories:
Keyword Rich Domains- These domains contain keywords that describe what your blog is about. For example, MakingMoneyOnline.com or BloggingTips.com. The obvious advantage here is that this will help with SEO and your ability to rank high for those keywords.
Brandable Domains – These are domains that are catchy or easily remembered and lend themselves to being able to be branded over time. I would put sites like Blogussion.com and BlogFluence.com in this category.
Your name as your blog name - Some of the most famous blogs actually take the name of the blogger who owns it, like ChrisBrogan.com or Serradino. Over time, your name becomes your brand. I like this option, the only problem is that DanKeller.com is already taken.
I thought it would be fun to add a poll to this post to see what types of domain names you like best for blogs.
If you are looking for some brandable blogging domain names, take a look at some names from my portfolio that I am willing to part with..Let me know if interested.
BlogOlympics.com
BlogsoftheWorld.com
DailyBlogContest.com
DoFollowMovement.com
PimpBlogger (I loves this one 
)
SubmitMyBlog.com
VlogHub.com (any vloggers out there?)
I’ve chosen to get my nickname as my domain.
selurus´s last blog ..Popurius
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Very healthy post..
now i will choose keywords as my domain name.
thanks
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And i have letupdate as my domain name while blog about blogging. I know it seems not match, but i will stick with it and look how it affect my blog.
Dana @ Blogging Update´s last blog ..Effective Way to Learn From Favorite Blogs
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Domain names are important, however others have been able to establish themselves with pretty lame domain names. In my opinion through quality content, you’re able to build a general domain into something of great value.
I’m interested to know, what do you think on my parked domains:
AdKraal.com
BloggingDollar.com
wpwires.com
Muzi Mohale | AlreadyInspired.com´s last blog ..Interview with Andy Bailey, CommentLuv founder
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dankeller (149 comments) Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
I really like BloggingBollar.com!
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i love brand able domain names because like you said it grows your name as a brand…
mk akan´s last blog ..10 Ways Bloggers Can Build Reciprocity
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I’m into brandable URLs. If you use your name, it makes the blog more difficult to sell, in the event you decide to do it. You can cover your keywords using categories in your permalinks. If you stick with a brand, and you’ve chosen a unique name, at least you know people won’t have trouble finding you when they search out your name.
will@laser hair removal´s last blog ..Is Laser Hair Removal Too Expensive? The Lowdown on the Price of Laser Hair Removal
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The domain name is just a minor impact in SEO. Title tag, H1 tag, and anchor text links are the 3 big factors.
Kai Lo@humidifiers´s last blog ..Honeywell Warm Mist Humidifier
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I had a domain name remained spared for long and wished to develop as a blog. I wish it is not too irrelevant.
Liked the style you developed this post. It is entertaining and an occasional interruption was enjoying.
Suresh Khanal´s last blog ..Reader-friendly Blog Design – Checklist.
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I’ve choosen an brandable name and domain for my blog …
NiceBlogger´s last blog ..Free article submission – Review
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dankeller (149 comments) Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
@NiceBlogger, I really like your blog name, very easy to remember and super brandable
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Very healthy post..
now i will choose keywords as my domain name.
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I personally put brandable/memorable first and foremost. As you know, I’m moving everything to my name blog for branding reasons (among others).
I may be interested in 1-2 of the domains there, shoot me an email.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..The Time Has Come. The Deal Is Done. It’s Time To Move!!
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Yeah domains are important. i research the truth about stuff and bought the domain thetruthway.net which some people associate with religion. Originally i wanted the nakedtruth.com but it was gone…
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dankeller (149 comments) Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 7:30 pm
@Claudia, I like that name, catchy and related to your niche.
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Domain names are crucial to having a successful blog. Personally, I believe keyword rich is the way to go… but thats just me….
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I like PimpBlogger for branding purpose. Brandable domain names are easy to remember and will bring passive traffic or readers once it’s been exposed and discovered.
Keyword rich domain names usually have a longer length to take advantage in search engine results.
Personally, I prefer a brandable domain name.
Kevin Tan´s last blog ..10 Reasons Why You Need A Blog and How Does It Benefit You
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While keyword rich domain names can be very strong – IF you can find a great domain name available – I went with a brandable name for my own primary blog and also for all our Joint Venture blogs because they’re short, catchy, and memorable.
Apparently I preferred brandable names over keyword rich names and didn’t realize it.
Gail @ Do Follow Lists´s last blog ..By: Cash online easy
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I always used a subdomain for my blog and just receltly realised that domain name is much better. But I can’t find a suitable but available one..
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dankeller (149 comments) Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 7:27 pm
@Web templates, why not buy one from me
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Dan,
I think have a good or catchy domain is important. However, even if you have a good name, you can still have a depressing blog that no one wants to read. It talent to write a successful blog, not just a good name. =)
As for parked domains. How do use them? Do use google adsense on them? If you part with them, do give them up, try and sell them, or what? I have no idea how this works.
I was planning to buy several domains, for future use, but didnt really want to purchase them and spend the money if I never use them.
element321 @ evolutionary designs´s last blog ..Blogging Tips – Starting a New Blog
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For anything except for keyword rich domains accessed through search engines one should stick with .com extensions, the extension people automatically type in.
If I may suggest 2 resources for those searching for a branded domain:
wordLab.com has huge lists of name and phrase ideas.
lingzini.com provides a novel name discovery interface employing a dictionary and thesaurus.
Jake´s last blog ..Fake Work at Home for Google Offers Continue
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dankeller (149 comments) Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
@Jake, Thaks for the resource suggestions
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I think it is easier in general to rank when you shoot for not just keyword rich domains, but exact phrase domains if they’re available. Doesn’t do much for branding, but building a brand often takes the kind of time niche bloggers aren’t willing to invest.
Chris@Tires on Sale´s last blog ..Bridgestone Motorcycle Tires
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Also, should I contact the current owner directly since their registration info is listed publicly and ask if they want to selll it to me? What would be the procedure to do that?
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I find BustAName to be a really useful tool for finding a good domain name. Definitely worth a try at least…
Fool´s last blog ..Article Submission Helper Review
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dankeller (149 comments) Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 6:07 pm
@Fool, I will have to check that out..thanks for the share.
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Very healthy post..
now i will choose keywords as my domain name.
thanks
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hi,
great to know u got a domain name, the nest step is you need to find a host, where u can float your website on the cyber space.
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Technically, if you want to calculate the name correctly and since http and www are actually anagrams, should you calculate using “hypertext transfer protocol” and “world wide web”?
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will from laser hair removal (19 comments) Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 7:51 pm
@share trading strategy, Acronyms, no?
will@laser hair removal´s last blog ..How Do You Feel About Your Body? Is Your Body Image Positive?
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Blogger is an absolute free service provided by google, anybody can make free blogs on blogspot, only thing is that the blog name should be available.
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I noticed that on large niche sites keywords in the domain do not make a huge difference. I am sure they are a factor, but other things matter more. However in a very small niche market keywords in the domain name are huge. So I feel it really just depends on how big your niche is.
Matt McGuire @ Oracle DBA´s last blog ..How to export with data pump
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I would like to pick a brandable domain name, but when I first started blogging, I didn’t know much about choosing a domain name, and my mind pop out “MyBlog2Day”, so I just registered it, I don’t know whether it’s brandable or not, but I’ll try to build a brand for it.
You have a great collection of domain name, I like the pimpblogger as well.
I bought a domain name “ThemeBlogger” few weeks ago, how do you think about this domain name Dan?
Cheers,
Lee
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Dennis Edell (114 comments) Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:31 pm
@Lee Ka Hoong@How To Blog, It might be an excellent blog if you want to sell or give away themes.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog!
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Post contents nice information
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I lke the Brandable Domain because choosing domain name is really a factor. It gives a roof to product in market.
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I think when it comes to a blog that you want to build up seriously over time, a brandable kind of blog name works best – something catchy and uniqhe that stays in your mind.
Rachael@Valentine Gifts For Him´s last blog ..About
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Dennis Edell (114 comments) Reply:
February 3rd, 2010 at 12:47 pm
@Rachael@Valentine Gifts For Him, Exactly right. The trick is to use the same or very similar name, EVERYWHERE.
This gets real screwy for those that change blogs AFTER joining 47 social sites, for example.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Welcome Aboard Part 2! All The Info You’ve Been Waiting For…
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I think that to pick the domain name you need to know your focus, do you want to be famous and brand yourself? Or rank easier to get lots of search traffic that buys, these can be key points when choosing a domain.
JR´s last blog ..19 Social Web 2.0 Sites To Promote Internet Marketing, Blogging, Make Money Online Content
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what do you think about long blog domain names? most of my blogs have long urls but they are just the right words to be specific on what my blog is all about. should i make it shorter or just keep it that way?
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Dennis Edell (114 comments) Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
@amber@petsafe, One of the prime keys to domain names is “memorable”.
If someone was to spread your site via word of mouth, would anyone remember it easily?
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Here We Go! Theme Construction Part 1 – Your Participation Is Wanted-Needed!
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A brandable blog name is definately the best from my view – and if you want to make more money of it by selling it in the end – it’s no use if it has your name written all over the domain name..
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Yeah now days finding a good domain is a hard thing. It really depends on what you are doing. Are you doing website design, development…etc?
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I’m very pleased reading the different articles, thanks!
buenos aires real estate´s last blog ..Punta del Este – Seaside Luxury Property
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Get a list of what you do, words you like. Maybe even your name. Start putting some together. Lots of time you can find a good name that way!
Cheat codes´s last blog ..Cheating for fun
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I always try to go for domain names that are both brandable and are keyword rich.
Trevor@Increase Website Traffic´s last blog ..Using Google Alerts To Increase Website Traffic
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keyword plays important role in driving traffic for a blog. It is likely that the more keyword centric your domain name is, the more likely the visitors will click and go through the blog and trust your website. Amazing article with good points in it.
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