Looking for a way to come up with some ? If you’re the kind of that actually has the energy to put into a side hustle after you’ve been momming all day, I applaud you.
Chances are, the offers you an endless wealth of ideas, so blogging could be an easier side hustle than you think. blogs usually cover a range of niches, everything from toddler food hacks to postpartum fashion. To that end, starting a is a great way to earn side revenue, especially if you’re a stay-at-home.
25 Compelling Reasons to Start a
That said, one of the hardest parts of starting your very own can be choosing the . Here are a few tips and tricks to help you come up with that will stand out online.
Why Choosing the is Important
Choosing a great is an important step in the process of starting your own . Think of it as the first impression that you make on your readers. In general, the will set the tone for what people think and feel about your website.
Before you start brainstorming ideas, consider some of the do’s and don’ts of naming your blog:
DO make your
- Easy to remember
- Simple to understand
- Future-proof
- Brandable
DON’T:
- Be offensive
- Copy someone else’s name
Things to Consider Before Choosing the
1. Research Your
Before you can start calling yourself a mommy blogger, you need to pick a niche. Basically, you need to know what you want to about. For lots of new bloggers, this can be as hard as trying to pick a good blog name. blogs are a dime a dozen, so when you’re coming up with , think about what will set you apart from all the others.
is a broad subject. You’ll stand out better if you narrow down your target audience.
.
For that reason, choosing the right niche is important. If you choose an area you are knowledgeable and comfortable in, you have a better chance of resonating with people and being successful. At the same time, you want to choose a that has (preferably) growing traffic in order to maximize the profit potential of your .
2. Take a Look at the Competition
Once you’ve decided on a you want to target, you can start checking out the competition. Looking at other blogs in your market can give you a chance to decide what you like or don’t like about their and what successful blogs are named. You might even find some inspiration for your own .
While researching blogs in the same market, you’ll also find out what are already taken. There’s no sense spending three days agonizing over your only to discover that someone else owns the domain or is using the handles (and yes, you should check handles, they will play an important role in growing your ).
3. Think Carefully About Spelling
There are two reasons you want to consider your words carefully and think about things like spelling.
For one, you want your to be easily accessible to encourage as much traffic as possible. Therefore, it’s a good to avoid using commonly misspelled words like:
- Definitely
- Privilege
- Receive
- Experience
- Separate
On the other hand, you want to be careful what words you put together and what else it might spell or look like. Remember that your shouldn’t have any spaces or dashes in it to make your blog easier to find.
For that reason, words like “kids” and “exploits” probably shouldn’t be put together. I’m sure if you consider the domain www.kidsexploits.com, you can understand why.
How to Come Up With
1. Use a Generator
A quick and easy way to come up with ideas is to use a name generator.
Keep in mind that some generators are simpler than others. I’d recommend you opt for one that allows you to input a bit of information about your rather than just one- prompts to help you get more relevant results.
Likely, you won’t come up with the best name using a generator, but it’s a great starting point for ideas.
After putting in a few suggestions, here are some examples of what the generator came up with for :
- The M
- Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner
- Mommable
- Addicted to Momming
- Hasta La Vista Baby
2. Use Keywords
If you’re going to get into blogging, understanding keywords is important for driving traffic to your . As a result, using a powerful keyword right in your is great for organic traffic and visibility.
Ultimate Guide to Keyword Research
Consider the topic of your and do some research to find keywords that relate to the aspect of you want to focus on. that use keywords might not be the most catchy or brandable, but they are a good place to start if you’re goal is organic traffic.
For example, if I was going to start a about weaning or toddler recipes, I might consider like:
- Weaning Babies
- Food for Toddlers
- What to Feed My Baby
- A Day in the Life of Toddler Meals
- Baby-Led Weaning Life
There’s nothing wrong with getting straight to the point and letting people know what your is about.
Keyword Search Tools
There are lots of great keyword search tools out there, each with its own ups and downs. If you’re just starting out, you’ll probably be leaning towards looking for a free tool. Here are some great suggestions to get you going:
On the other hand, strong keyword research is the cornerstone of any . It doesn’t matter how great your content is if you haven’t targeted the right keywords and no one ends up reading anything you’ve written. While free tools are great, the bottom line is they can’t really compare to the extra statistics and features that premium tools will offer.
With that in mind, if you’re planning to invest in a good keyword search tool to help you build your , you might as well start now and use one of these to help you decide on your name. If you’re ready to go premium, I’d recommend taking a look at one of these tools:
Choosing a keyword as part of your doesn’t automatically mean you will rank higher, but there are still benefits.
If you’re stuck for , here are some of the reasons why using a keyword in your name can be beneficial for starting your :
- Signals the topic to the reader right away
- Readers might assume your content is more relevant to their search
- Higher traffic will eventually lead to a better ranking by Google
Tip: If you’re new to SEO, you might find it all a little bit intimidating, especially with everyone telling you that link building should be your primary focus to rank on Google. Little fun fact, long tail keywords can be just as effective, if not more so, in helping you rank well and build a profitable business.
3. Use Literary Techniques
One way to grab people’s attention is to use literary techniques to come up with a catchy name. Having a can help your be memorable. In addition, catchy can often invoke an emotional response from people.
Alliteration
that use the same letter or sound repetitively are using alliteration. A great example of this is Coffee & Coos, a successful with a .
Some other examples of alliterative you can use are:
- Bumps, Babies, and Breastfeeding
- Modest, Modern Mom
Puns
Honestly, who doesn’t love a good pun? Punny are probably my favorite by far. Generally, they come across as quite clever and often humorous. More often than not, a good punny name can make people warm up to your right off the bat.
Here are some punny name ideas to get you started:
- -ologue
- A Woman Like No M-other
- Womb and Board
Rhyming
If you’re looking for that are easy to remember, picking something that rhymes is a good way to go. Rhyming are catchy, fun, and memorable.
Some good rhyming for a might be:
- Undercover Mother
- Call Me Mommy
- Big Bum and a Mum Tum
4. Don’t Constrain Yourself to Related Words
When choosing the right name for your , you want to consider your audience and what you plan to about. But don’t let that hold you back. The name Fireflies & Mudpies doesn’t sound like it has anything to do with parenting, yet it’s a hugely successful craft for moms.
Think about big brand like Google or Apple. Your name doesn’t necessarily need to relate directly to your topic. Instead, consider whether or not people can spell it, pronounce it, and possibly resonate with it.
Try coming up with something silly or something that you just think sounds nice. You can just use a .
Here are some examples of that are totally unrelated to parenting but could still be good :
- Ickle Pickle
- Mooj
- Chasing Tigers
- Wishing Well
- Sprouted
5. Let Your Personality Show
At the end of the day, what’s going to set you apart from the other blogs out there is you. Whatever you can bring to the table is what will drive people to your site. So why not let a little bit of that personality show through in your name? After all, it worked for Honest Mum.
Try writing down a list of things you love and a list of adjectives that you would use to describe yourself. Then try picking and choosing words from both lists to see if anything sticks.
- Happy Mommies Drink Wine
- Cheeky Chocolate Moments
- Funny Mummy
- Gin for the Win
- One , Two Boys, Three Cats
Tip: You can even try just using your own name. It’ll be easy for people to find you, and you won’t inadvertently be constrained to a specific because of your . This is a great option if you’re struggling to really nail down your as it leaves your possibilities really open-ended.
Protip: Buy An Expired
Sometimes, the isn’t one you came up with yourself but one that already has authority and quality backlinks. For this reason, buying an expired domain can help you gain somewhat of a headstart on building traffic to your .
Expired domains come as a package deal with all of their previous SEO scores and ranking power. Here are some reasons to consider looking for an expired domain to build your new :
- Established traffic
- Older domains tend to rank better on Google
- Pre-existing backlink profile
Domain Hole is a great site to look for that are expiring which you can quickly try to snap up.
Tip: Another great option is to buy someone else’s . You can check Facebook and other sites for people who are selling their because they aren’t able to maintain their site anymore.
This is what Spencer did when he bought a to run with a partner.
Register Your
Once you’ve decided on the you need to register your domain. The first step to setting up your is registering your and getting set up with a web hosting provider. Often, you can get package deals with host providers to also purchase a . Bluehost, for example, provides hosting services as well as domain registration.
Personally, I think for a lot of people just starting out, Bluehost is a great option. It’s really affordable (even more so with the hefty Pursuits discount, you’re welcome), has a really easy-to-navigate user interface on the backend, and 24/7 customer support.
Once you’ve registered your and signed up with a shared host, you can jump right in and start setting up your . Generally, the best way to do this is with WordPress. About 40% of blogs online use WordPress, including this one right here. Additionally, if you choose a shared host like Bluehost, the setup is really easy as they offer one-click install options.
There are lots of benefits to using WordPress, including how easily you can monetize your site.
How Blogs Make Money
So, now that you’re set up and ready to go, the last thing to consider is how you’re going to make money. Even if your is just a hobby, it never hurts to monetize. Indeed, lots of bloggers make money on the side or eventually replace their full-time income. There are a few ways to start generating income from your site. Some of the biggest money-makers include:
If you take a look at some of the blogs that bring in a substantial amount of revenue, you can get some tips and tricks for how to monetize your own website. The Realistic Mama is not only a great blog that earns a substantial income but a fantastic resource for others looking to learn how to monetize their own mom blogs.
Tip: You can find out more about how to monetize your blog here.
Ads vs. Affiliate Marketing
For lots of new bloggers, setting up ads on your site can seem like an easy way to monetize. However, if you’re just starting out, I would suggest keeping ads to a minimum, if you decide to have them at all. While there are definitely benefits to running ads on your site, when you’re blog is still small, the cons can sometimes outweigh the pros.
Firstly, ads can actually direct traffic away from your site. When you’re just starting out, you need to focus on building a consistent audience and driving traffic to your site. Clicking on ads takes your potential audience away from your blog and any other posts you might have shared with them.
Additionally, to make any kind of substantial income from ads while your blog is still small will mean you need to have several on any given page. This can quickly start looking unattractive and spammy to readers.
Consider introducing ads on your blog once you can rely on consistent search engine traffic. You’ll lose fewer readers and make more money from ads once your blog is established.
Ultimately, affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to earn money, primarily because you don’t need any money to get started. It’s a revenue stream that’s worked well for lots of blogs, both big and small. It can also be less intimidating than sponsored posts and less tacky than having lots of ads.
20 High Paying Affiliate Programs
Get Blogging!
You’ve picked your name, you’ve set up your blog, now it’s time to really get started. Your first blog post is a great opportunity to introduce yourself and the blog or just dive right in with content. At any rate, getting a post up is a major milestone in your path to becoming a full-time blogger.
Keep in mind that while blogging might seem like an easy job, it does require a lot of work—especially in the early days. Building up traffic to your website and fine-tuning your look can seem never-ending. The good news is, once you put in the initial work, things do become easier. Undoubtedly, one of the hardest parts of running a blog is coming up with a good to kickstart your vision of the perfect .
