How to Name Your Blog and Choose a TagLine

Sometimes we come up with a blog name that we think is great, create the blog and follow that up with a long description in the space provided for the blog description. Very often new bloggers will create a blog on a whim without thinking things through and then wonder why they are not getting any readers. If you are thinking about creating a blog, or already have one but are looking for a way to improve it, it is best to start at the very top and pay attention to your Title and TagLine.

Twice I came up with a blog name, build the blog and then realized the name was completely wrong for me. Twice I named the blog a very popular already over used blog name.

One of them was my first version of the The Nut House, which was "Welcome to The Nut House." After a few months I was doing Google searches for myself and came up with dozens of other sites that were using that name. For awhile, I worked at finding a way to make my "Welcome to The Nut House" stand out from the others. But since it was already so over used, I was wasting my time and going nowhere.

I didn't want to completely change it, so I shortened it to The Nut House. Simple enough and it really seems to work for me.

I didn't have trouble with my TagLine for The Nut House, or Welcome to The Nut House when I first started this blog, I have been living by my motto of "there is nothing wrong with a little Crazy in your day" for even longer than we have been The Nut House.

My 2nd over used blog title was "From My Kitchen to Yours." Not only is it used all over the place, there is a much more successful blog with that same name and since my recipe blog was not something I worked on very often, there was no way I could even think about standing out or making myself known as "the other" blogger with the same name.

My TagLine for my recipe blog changed several times. I think it started out something like "I'm Not Cheap, I'm Frugal, Feeding my Large Family on a small Budget." That was too much and when I stared another blog I called it "I'm Not Cheap, I'm Frugal" and dropped that from my recipe blog TagLine and kept Feeding my Large Family on a Small Budget. Now I have moved my recipe blog to a dedicated page over on The Nut House blog and it is called "Feeding The Nut House" with the TagLine ".....cooking for my large family on a small budget."

I like my recipe blog being on The Nut House blog and am in the process of moving that and my frugal living blog over as well.

Just because you already have a blog title and tagline, doesn't mean you can't change it.

You can learn from my blog naming mistakes with just a few simple ideas!

1. When you are thinking of a blog title, brainstorm and come up with several ideas. Try to make them fun and catchy and something that you can build off of to separate yourself from the rest of the blogging world.

2. After you come up with a blog name, Google it! Do your research, if several blogs come up with that name, forget it and see if you can change it or pick another one on your list. Even if there is only 1 or 2 blogs with the same title, try to find a way to make it different, especially if they are well established.

Once you come up with a good blog name that works for you, that gets your message across and is not way overused, you will need a TagLine. A TagLine is basically a simple description or catch phrase that works with your title to describe the overall theme of your blog.

There is a place to add a blog description to your header when you set up your blog. You don't really want to add a full on description. You don't really even want to use full sentences, they are an expansion on your blog title, an extra blurb.

You do not want your "blog description" which is your TagLine and part of your header to say:

Welcome to my recipe blog, here you will find all of my recipes that I feed my growing children. I love coming up with my own recipes and cooking with my kids and sharing my kitchen with them. Join me in my kitchen while I share my favorite recipes. Sometimes I make doggie treats too.

That is something that should be expanded on in your "About Me" page.

Instead think of a phrase that describes the overall theme and feel of your blog in as few words as possible.

1. Think in terms of incomplete sentences.

2. Is your blog title too long? Think about dividing it up between the title and the tagline.

3. Literally think of "catch phrase" when doing the tagline, it should be something catchy, like a single line ad for you blog.

4. One someone reads your title, give them a little splash of excitement to keep them on your page and keep them reading.

You should also do a Google search for your TagLine as well. You want to be as unique as possible while still working with your theme.

For both your title and your tagline, think of something that you can pull on from to use around the rest of your blog. I love blogs that have themes running through out the entire blog that comes from the title and tagline. Work with a theme that you can add to your social media widgets, followers, archives or favorite blogs lists.

When creating a good blog title and tagline, think about the blog as a whole and how you will build it, that way you wont have to back track and figure out what to do with it now that you have a title.