What’s in a blog name… choosing a blog name

When I first started Life with Baby Kicks I was pregnant with the Baby who was busy booting me away on the inside, alongside his big brother who was merrily going through a kicking stage and booting me on the outside.  And so, in a hormonal state, I googled how to start a blog, how to go about choosing a blog name and voila “Life with Baby Kicks” was born.

That was nearly two years ago now, my Baby is no longer a baby but a toddler who is hurtling towards the grand old age of two far too fast for my liking, and my eldest has just about grown out of the kicking stage into the more delightful *insert your own expletive here* fours.  Life is still very much with my two little monsters (and my bigger monster) but “Baby Kicks”?  Just not cutting it anymore.

I should have taken on board all the advice that I read on choosing a blog name, does my name have longevity, will my name grow with me and my blog?!  I didn’t, I just ignored it and carried on blithely.  I am not known to keep hobbies up for a sustained period of time.  The cross stitch that should have been completed in time for the Baby’s birth but is still languishing on the top of the bookshelf is testament to that.  Plus I was hormonal.  And stubborn.  So it stayed Life with Baby Kicks.  Through a move to a vanity URL.  Through a transfer to being self hosted.  Life with Baby Kicks.  Life with Baby Kicks.  Life with Baby Kicks.

And now?  Now my life is less about baby kicks and more about toddlers and 4 year olds.  Then next year it will be about a pre-schooler with his school aged big brother.  The year after?  I will have two school aged children.  Then after that who knows.

I do know that it won’t be about baby kicks anymore.  That the Baby is my last baby.

Should I be choosing a new blog name?

Which brings me onto the BIG question.  Should I be changing my name?  Going through the whole process of choosing a blog name again?

I think the resounding answer is yes.

Something which grows with me, which makes for the eclectic mix that is my blog featuring all sorts of rambling.  Something which is both generic and essentially me.

The question is to what?

I toyed with using my name laurapowellcorbett.com but I’m not really a famous person, it’s not really searchable.

I toyed with using thepowellcorbettfamilyadventures.com but I wasn’t sure about using our surname.

I toyed with using my strapline adventuresfromthesandpit.com but it’s as limiting as Life with Baby Kicks.

I toyed with using lifeandlovesofxyz.com then immediately dismissed the idea as it’s twee and not me.

I toyed with thetrialsandtribulationsofexpatlife.com then dismissed it as negative, and limiting.

And that is as far as I have got.  Before you even put in the idea that you need to have a Twitter name (limited to 15 characters) an Instagram name and a Facebook page name.  Thanks to Prabs over at Absolutely Prabulous for pointing out that Twitter only allows 15 characters and adding to my woes!

Bloggers advice on choosing a blog name

So of course I do what all good bloggers do and asked some of my favourite bloggers what their top tips were and how best to go about choosing a blog name.

Being Tillys Mummy faces the same problem I do having outgrown her name now Tilly is 7, Vicky advises to choose a name that will grow with you and your family.  Chermaine from Chammy in Real Life agrees with this having picked a name that will take her through all areas of life.

Or if it doesn’t match your blog content make sure it’s still catchy says Lizzie from Firstooth.

Think about where you will be in the future and if the name still works, Emma says she would have changed her blog name “Me, the Man and the Baby” if that was the case, but that there was only one kid back then….

Keri who has recently undergone a branding change from Baby Globetrotters to Our Globetrotters says to steer clear of anything that is too specifically focused on one stage of life such as “baby” as she learnt the hard way.  Something Laura from Five Little Doves agrees with, after deliberating and choosing her name after being certain there would be no more little Doves!

Google it advises Jenny from The Brick Castle, a simple Google search will show you whether the name you are thinking of is already taken in a similar format.  Be unique!  A sentiment echoed by Sarah from Toby Goes Bananas who says there are so many mummy/mum/mommy named blogs out there it’s difficult to be unique.

Jenny also advises to check when you write it as a URL to make sure magic words don’t appear, “A Mum in Germany” sounds catchy right?  How about amumingermany.com?  Or is that just us…. Similarly check whether people will misspell or misunderstand, Jennifer from My Mummy’s Pennies has had so many misspellings she eventually bought the domain name for mymummiespennies with a redirect to her site.

Don’t name it after your dog and then cringe every time you say your blog name – though I think Plutonium Sox is a great name for a dog or a blog.

Be generic over niche but make sure that the name grows with you, Leanne from A Slice of my Life Wales has had her blog and name over 5 years which has seen her take blogging through from Beauty blogging to parenting now Aria has arrived on the scene.

Think about your audience, if you are targeting people who live in a specific place why not include the place in your blog title like Milla from Live Oxfordshire.

Make sure that your name is available across all social media by using tools such as namecheckr is sage advice from Keri over at Keri Consulting.  The same site is also recommended by Hollie from Thrifty Mum.

Take inspiration from those around you, from nicknames given to you like Tattooed Mummy and Vie Choufleur to switching up the names of DVD’s like Chasing Esme.

Or get someone else to come up with it like Chantal from Two Hearts One Roof.

Take your time and don’t rush into it. Write all the words that have a personal meaning to you, or words and saying you like then sit and try and put a few together advises Katie from Mami2Five.  And when you do get a name idea sit on it for a little bit as you don’t want to go through the whole process again in a year says Kirsty from Life with Boys.

Make sure you love it, no one wants to spend time on a site they don’t love says A Novice Mum. While Jessica from Beauties and the Bibs recommends saying it out loud and if you don’t love it don’t use it.

Above all don’t stress too much, you don’t always need to specify your niche in your blog title, focus on brand presence and quality instead – sage advice as always from Harriet at Toby and Roo, though she does have mum guilt that her third child Edie isn’t titled in her blog.

If you have any ideas for me – I’d love to see them in the comments, I still have no idea what I’m going to do!