So you finally decided to start a blog, but got stuck with domain name selection?
Even though you may have read our earlier guide on how to pick a great domain name, you are still stuck in this one big question:
Should I use my own name as a domain name or should I use a creative name?
Do not worry, because you are not alone in this dilemma. A student at ShoutUniversity asked the same question, and let me help you find an answer.
There are advantages and disadvantages to choosing a domain name as your own name, and then there are some workaround.
Let us look at both aspects and then we will come to the conclusions.
Pros: Use your own name as a domain name
There are some clear advantages to using your own name as a domain name, such as:
Personal branding:
You are your own brand, and if your goal is to establish yourself as a brand, you can always choose your name as your domain name. If your name is complex, you can be a bit smarter here, as you can use your first name + niche “in any order” as your brand name.
Example: DigitalDeepak, FoodieJeevan
Donna Merril recommends using a catchy tagline to complement if you decide to use your name as a domain name.
Here is what she suggests:
I think using your own name is great for your domain name in your blog. Just write a good tagline that describes what you do. I use my name with the word “tribe” after it. My tagline says “blogging and internet marketing made simple” Works for me.
The hardest thing is to go to a blog and not know the name of the author, so don’t forget that you don’t know the author, just in case you decide not to use your name.
Increases confidence:
Using your own domain name also increases confidence as you become the face of your brand. People like to connect with people, and nothing beats when the person behind a website is in front.
Ideal for Portfolio / Resume website:
When you build your portfolio or resume website, it makes sense to use your own. Indeed, many freelance authors, designers, and digital marketers prefer to use their name for the same purpose. It also satisfies the need for branding and helps attract more clients to their freelance business.
Cons: Why not use your name as a domain name
Let’s see if the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
Your domain name may fail the “Domain Phone Test”
The Domain Phone Test is a smart way to find a domain name.
If I give you my domain name on the phone, you should be able to type it without asking me how to spell it.
So if I say “Visit HarshAgrawal.com” on the phone, you probably won’t be able to type it without asking me to spell it. Agrawal is not common enough and can cause confusion.
“Visit ShoutMeLoud.com.” When I tell you on the phone, there are no spelling mistakes.
Domain name is hard to sell later
This is the only reason why I recommend to my students not to use their own name as a domain name. Although you may have simple plans for your website, many people start, but it could be the next big thing, and if you plan to sell the business you might have in a few years, it would be difficult to sell. Buyers prefer a tradeable domain name that is not associated with a name.
Conclusion:
There are many schools of thought here, and my task here is to make you aware of all the advantages and disadvantages.
If your purpose is purely personal branding and does not intend to sell your website, then using your own name is fine.
If your goal is to build a business and you might consider selling it in the future, using a creative name is the best approach.
What you could do is: You can have a creative name for your business “ex: ShoutMeLoud.com” and a personal name for your personal space “ex: Harsh in.”
Since all good hosting companies can host multiple domain names in the same hosting, it wouldn’t cost you extra apart from the cost of domain names, and it meets your two needs.
Note: Bluehost is one of the best WordPress hosting that offers a free domain name with multi-domain hosting.
What if you are already using your name as a domain name?
Well, if you recon with the advantages that I have mentioned above, then continue using your domain name. However, if you feel you made a mistake with your domain name selection, you can always change your domain name, and set the redirection. For example, recently I redirected my domain name “denharsh.com” to “Harsh.in” and previously “Wpfreesetup.com to WPSutra.com”, as I become more aware of benefits. When the domain name change is done right, it does not impact your traffic, and you also enjoy the benefits of new branding.
Well, I leave this discussion open to all and would like to hear your opinion on Do’s and not use your own name as a domain name.
What do you prefer and why?
Thanks Harsh. I think you’ve summed it up nicely. Personally, I’ve decided to use my own name as my domain, but that’s largely driven by the fact that I’m not interested in monetizing.
No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Nobody is going to search for Jeff Bazos when they are looking to buy something in Amazon.
I was thinking to start my Own Named Blog but was confused due to some doubts and this Post helped me a Lot.
Own one is to share your experience…
But generic is preferable.. you wont see any big site with people name…
it looks like egoistic 😀 😀
i think domain should be related to your niche that will helpful according to SEO.
When you take pen in your hand to test it, the first thing you write on the paper is your name or signature. Likewise, many people when they first plan to buy a domain name, they go with their own name. And, thats what I did back in 2013 when I registered my first domain. I wasn’t even sure what would I be actually doing with the domain. Well, time passed and I no more own that very domain. I have registered many different domains later on for different types of websites and blogs. They work well.
So yeah, you should be very careful and be sure about the purpose of the domain you are registering. All the best!
Hi Harsh…
I Belive to Go with Multiple Domain…
A Digital Entrepruner should Take care of His Personal Brand as well as his Professional Brands…
Who succeeded with his First Domain?
My Opinion is, if Anybody Expecting a success in their Journey… Then First Book Your Personal Domain ( Don’t Regret Later )
and…
Start Your Professional Brands ( one by one until you succeed )
Then, Finally Build A Pages for Your Personal Brand.
First Create Something Valuable, Then Create Your
I am using my name as a Domain name on my website. I think having personal name as a domain name gives you freedom to work in multiple niches.
Thanks for this piece sir. I am thinking to buy domain of my own for personal branding. But according to me, we need to have good investment and budgets for personal branding.
I believe Harsh it’s depend on the niche if you are a digital marketer or a lawyer or doctor you never would’ve thought of selling your domain. Maybe in some other niche for example if you are a plumber or gardener and later you don’t want to work in this niche you can sell your domain name. But personal branding is must if you want to establish yourself as a authority.
No. No. No. First of all, people will know your name. You might think that’s a great idea until people are looking up your address to find out more about you and weirdos show up at your house. Secondly, you name has no value unless you already have a famous name. Thirdly, the name in a blog helps identify what the blog is about for google and bing and so on. For example, “Doggroomer blog” and NewYork Hairdresser blog” titles tells google something about the blog; whereas, “John Doe’s Blog” doesn’t help search engines at all. My experience is that you should put the type of business your in, or the location of your business, in the blog title…unless… you are already famous. Cheers. Dave.
Very informative, you have shown a mirror to those who wish to put his name in domain, both advantage and disadvantage are placed here in this article. People may choose any one option why the name ? thanks.
This is actually an interesting topic. Whether we should include our name or not. I agree with you on most points.
The biggest example of creating a blog of his own name is probably neilpatel.com; hope you’ll agree with me. Neil is very confusing to write, still he uses for personal branding.
Hi Harsh, I had the same doubt when I created my first website after reading this blog now I understood the pros and cons branding my own name in the domain.
Good article, but I believed any meaningful word is best better than own name, this is my opinion