Another tip to help you figure out how to pick your blog name is to use the Google external keyword tool.  This is really handy and it will give you possible options that you may not have thought of before. You can find it here.

It is also great because you can actually see what people are searching for.  And if you pick something that people are searching for, then it will be that much easier for people to find your blog right?

Anyway, using the Google external keyword tool, you can start off with 5 key phrases or key terms (or any amount really) that best describes what you are trying to go after. This is helpful if you know what your blog message will be. If you aren’t completely sure, then this Google keyword tool can open up your thought process.  Try and pick a generic enough term that best describes what you want your website to be about.

So after you have 5 words or key phrases that you are interested in, put them into the keyword tool. Hit search.  Then you will be shown possible words or phrases that people are searching for related to your words.

Let’s use the example debt.  Put that into the search box.  Using the exact match, this is what I got below. Take a look:

I would suggest using the exact match rather than the broad match as you will get more accurate search results, but it is fine to use the broad search for a more general idea.  Or use the broad match if you just want ideas and don’t really care about ranking for a particular keyword.

Say you want to write about debt. But debt on its own is really competitive and too general to find an available domain name for it.  So looking at the options, you may want to write about how to get out of debt and that can be the name of your blog/website for example, ourdebtceiling.com or bigdebtconsolidation.com or howtogetoutofdebt.com.  If the domain name is taken, you can try getting the .net, .org or .info instead.

Using words that interest you, play around with them to get different combinations. Add words to the phrases shown.

If you have an eye on a blog name that is already taken, use modifiers in front or behind the blog or domain title.  Using the previous example, you would use howtogetoutofdebthelp.com or something like that. There are many options you can choose from, usually quite a few pages worth.  Below is just a small example of the front page:

Going with the suggestion above, say you wanted to give advice on getting out of debt, and debtadvice.com is already taken.  You would just adding an additional word that would make the domain available, such as easydebtadvice.com.

If you really have your eye on a domain that is registered and you visit the site and there is nothing there, it may be for sale.  Usually it will have some sort of contact info where you can buy the domain directly, so it is just a matter of inquiring.

But with so many options to choose from, hopefully you don’t have to go that route, unless you really have your heart set on a specific domain name or blog name. I hope you find using the Google external keyword tool helpful and it helps broaden your blog naming options.