11:10
Faizan
If you're looking to create a personal blog as a supplement to your company's online presence, you'll have many decisions to make on how to make that blog into a brand: including timing of posts, the length of their content, ancillary media to include and ways to publicize it. But, before all of this, you'll also have to figure out what to name it. Choosing a blog title is an important process, and the title should be short, compelling and easy to find in search results.
Step 1
Define the focus of your blog -- what you plan to write about and what message you'd like to convey in a title. Don't get off-track by simply thinking up clever phrases. Write down your areas of concentration and the topics you would like to cover, and put together a core focus. Look at blogs with related content for inspiration; evaluate their blog titles against their content and note when the titles work and don't seem to work. Pay attention to what makes you different from them and how you can work that into the title.Step 2
Keep a running list of possible titles as you're brainstorming, and keep them organized so that they're accessible for review as you go along. Go for titles that are short, easy to read, catchy and descriptive. Get inspiration from song titles, ads, blog directory lists and other sources that you can use to give your brand a little zing. Research tactics in search engine optimization, but put your personal brand first. Matt Cutts, leader of Google's Web spam team, recommends focusing on your brand more than keywords. A short-term boost in traffic may be generated by keywords, but marketing a recognizable brand can bring you more long-term loyalty. Simply using your name -- especially if it's an uncommon name -- can work well as a title if you're willing to market your name and be the face of your company's brand. You might also consider wordplay with your title; for example, working in "assurance" with "insurance," or using "bizz" or "buzz" in a blog focusing on business news and trends.Step 3
Narrow down your choices. Suggest them to people you know -- professional contacts such as colleagues, as well as family and friends. Ask which titles pique their interests and would make them want to read more, and whether the title clues them in to the content. Pay close attention to the opinions of people whose work parallels yours, and try to envision the interest the titles would draw in you. Consider, also, whether title options leave room to grow with your blog content or when they might limit you. Once you choose the best title you can, publicize it on websites and social media networks, and start writing regular blog posts -- and pay attention to the titles of those, too!
Posted in: Blogging
