Once you’ve decided to launch a blog – whether for personal or business purposes – one of the first decisions you have to make involves your domain name selection.
When it comes to creating a blog, customizing the URL is one of the most important steps.
It is simply using a custom URL that helps potential readers to easily identify your blog and also lends credibility to your site.
In this article, we will show you how to create a customized URL for your blog.
We will also walk you through the process of setting up your blog’s domain name and hosting.
So, let’s get started!
What Is A Customized Blog URL?
A customized blog URL is a blog address that you can personalize to reflect your brand or identity.
It is your customized short URL.
For example, if your name is John Smith and you want to start a blog about travel, you could create a customized URL that includes your name, such as johnsmithtravels.com.
Having a customized URL can make it easier for people to find your blog and can make your site look more professional.
If you’re serious about blogging, then creating a customized URL is a good way to show your commitment to your site and to building an audience.
Reasons To Create A Customized URL
There are a five important reasons why you might want to create a customized URL for your blog.
1. It Makes Your Blog Easier To Find
If you have a generic URL (such as yourblog.wordpress.com), it can be difficult for people to find your site unless they already know the exact address.
However, if you have a customized URL (such as yourname.com), it will be much easier for people to find your blog.
2. It Makes Your Blog Look More Professional
A customized blog URL is a must if you want to look like a professional blogger.
It only takes a few minutes to set up, and it’s well worth the effort.
Having a customized blog URL gives your blog an air of legitimacy and professionalism that can be the difference between success and failure.
If you’re serious about blogging, then you need to have a customized blog URL.
It’s one of the most important steps you can take to make your blog look more professional.
3. It Can Help You Build Your Brand
A customized URL can help you to brand your blog and build recognition for your domain name.
A custom domain name is a great way to create a unique identity for your blog and make it easier for people to find you online.
In addition, it can make it easier for people to find your blog through search engines.
Customized URLs also make it easier to share your blog with others, and they can help to create a professional image for your blog.
If you are serious about building your brand, then a customized URL is an important tool to have in your arsenal.
4. It Can Help You To Rank Higher In Search Engines
If you want your blog to be successful, then you need to make sure it’s easy for people to find.
One way to do this is to rank high in search engine results.
And one of the best ways to improve your ranking is to have a customized URL.
This is because search engines often give preference to sites with customized URLs.
So, if you want your blog to be successful, make sure you create a customized URL.
A WordPress permalink structure is the organization of your blog post URLs.
It’s important to have an SEO-friendly URL structure for your blog posts.
The ideal WordPress permalink structure for SEO is the post name permalink structure.
Customized URLs can make it easier for people to share your blog with others.
For example, if you have a customized URL for your blog, people can easily share it on social media or via email.
This can help to increase traffic to your site and can lead to more success for your blog.
Selecting a Great Domain Name for Your Blog
A domain, as you may already know, is a set of characters that maps a website to a particular Internet address. The domain for Google is Google.com. The domain for the New York Times is NYTimes.com.
Just like a great name is important for your blog, having a great domain name is also very important for any website or blog, but it is not completely necessary for success. There are several websites out there that are very successful, even with less than perfect domain names.
On the flip side, there are countless websites with fantastic domains that are anything but successful. A domain name is only one part of the equation, but it can be a very important part.
Blog name and blog URL are two different things
Your blog’s name should be the same as your URL. This is beneficial in 2 ways:
- Helps readers have a strong recall for your blog
- Makes it easier for search engines to crawl, index, and rank your blog
Many new bloggers make the mistake of having a different name from the URL. That’s fine because it’s always the blogger’s choice. But to get indexed quickly and enjoy a good ranking at the search engines, it’s better to have the same blog name and URL.
This may seem like an obvious tip, but you’d be surprised by how many people use separate names.
“It’s confusing to have a blog named one thing, but a domain or URL be something completely different,” as this writing guide reports. “The big idea behind choosing a domain name is this: Choose a domain name that is the same as your blog name.”
This simplifies things for both you and your audience. You don’t have to deal with two names in branding and advertising, while your audience doesn’t have to remember two different names when trying to find your blog.
Keep It Simple And Descriptive
A great domain name is something that describes your blog without having to go into much explanation.
If you had dictionary.com as your domain name, for example, it would be pretty obvious that your blog was based on the concept of a dictionary. Keep this concept in mind when choosing your domain name.
This doesn’t mean that you need to necessarily stick with real words that someone could find in a dictionary, but it helps when the name is as descriptive as possible. Groupon, for instance, is a portmanteau of group and coupon. Engadget, as an another exmaple, has the word “gadget” in it. These relate to the core subject matter on both sites, even though both domains by themselves are not real words.
Finding the right domain name for your business-based blog is just as important, if not more important, than your personal blog. The way you select your domain name for your blog can have a dramatic effect on your search engine rankings. It should be related to your topic and it is better if it is shorter.
If you stick to domains that are no more than three words, ideally with no numbers or dashes, you lend yourself to the greatest possibility at success.
For search engine optimization purposes, the more generic (but targeted) domain name is best. BloggingTips.com, for example, ranks first for the search term “blogging tips.”
Choosing the Domain Extension
You have a lot of different choices when it comes to creating a domain name for your blog. You can get varations of .com, .net and .org domains, as well as domain extensions (also known as TLDs or top-level domains) that are based on your country or specific type of business. Canadian sites, for example, can end in a .ca extension.
While it is perfectly possible to include dashes and numbers in your domain name, these are usually less desirable. You will also likely want to stick to the main .com, .net or .org models whenever possible, as other domain extensions can be less than optimal for a myriad of reasons. Unless your site is country-specific, you may not want a country-specific TLD.
While a .com extension is ideal, domain names don’t necessarily have to end in .com. Again, a site that’s optimized well will rank high in search engines, even if it ends in a .info, .biz or any other kind of “dot”.
Remember, search engines spider content. If you have relevant content on your site that incorporates well-researched, popular keyword phrases as it relates to your niche, your blog/website will get good search engine ranking – no matter what its named, or what dot it ends in.
How To Create A Customized Blog URL
Creating a customized blog URL is a simple process that can be completed in just a few minutes:
Step 1: Choose A Domain Name
The first step is to choose a domain name for your blog.
This is the address that people will use to find your site, so it’s important to choose something easy to remember and type.
You can use your name, your blog’s title, or even a keyword related to your blog’s topic.
Once you’ve chosen a domain name, you can check to see if it’s available by using a domain name checker.
If the domain name you want is not available, you can try adding a suffix such as .net or .biz, or you can try using a different domain name altogether.
Things To Remember While Choosing A Domain Name
You should consider the following things while choosing a domain name for your blog:
1. Keep It Short And Simple
Your domain name should be short and simple, so it’s easy to remember and type.
Avoid using hyphens or numbers, as they can make it difficult for people to find your site.
You can use URL shorteners to create a shorter URL for your blog on the WordPress site, but keep in mind that these can be difficult to remember.
A URL shortener is also not a good option if you want to build your brand, as it can be difficult to associate a short URL with your blog.
2. Make It Memorable
Your domain name should be something that people will remember.
If it’s too generic, people might have a hard time finding your site.
Usually, a shortened URL is memorable.
3. Use Keywords
If you want people to find your site through search engines, use keywords in your domain name.
For example, if you’re blogging about travel, you could use a domain name such as travelblog.com or johnsmithtravels.com.
4. Check The Availability
Before you settle on a domain name, make sure that it’s available by using a domain name checker.
If the domain name you want is not available, you can try adding a suffix such as .net or .biz, or you can try using a different domain name altogether.
5. Protect Your Brand
If you’re serious about building your brand, choose a domain name that is closely related to your blog’s title or topic.
This will make it easier for people to find your site and remember your brand.
Step 2: Buy Your Domain Name
The next step is to buy your domain name.
You can do this through a domain name registrar such as GoDaddy or Namecheap.
Once you’ve bought your domain name, you’ll need to set up hosting for your site.
Hosting is the process of storing your blog’s files on a server, so they can be accessed by people around the world.
There are several different hosting providers to choose from, but we recommend using Bluehost.
They offer great features at an affordable price, and they’re one of the most popular hosting providers in the world.
Things To Consider While Buying Your Domain Name
You should consider the following things while buying your domain name:
1. Length
Choose a domain name that is short and easy to remember.
Avoid using hyphens or numbers, as they can make it difficult for people to find your site.
2. Extension
The extension is the part of the domain name that comes after the dot, such as .com or .net.
It’s important to choose an extension that is relevant to your blog’s topic.
For example, if you’re blogging about travel, you might want to use a .travel extension.
3. Privacy
When you buy a domain name, your personal information such as your name and address will be made public.
If you’re concerned about privacy, you can use a domain name privacy service to keep your information private.
4. Price
Domain names typically cost between $10 and $20 per year.
However, the price can vary depending on the extension you choose and the registrar you use.
5. Renewal
Most domain name registrars will automatically renew your domain name for you each year.
However, some registrars will require you to manually renew your domain name.
Be sure to check the renewal policy before you buy your domain name.
Step 3: Set Up Hosting For Your Blog
The next step is to set up hosting for your blog.
Hosting is the process of storing your blog’s files on a server, so they can be accessed by people around the world.
There are several different hosting providers to choose from, but we recommend using Bluehost.
They offer great features at an affordable price, and they’re one of the most popular hosting providers in the world.
Things To Remember While Setting Up Hosting
Keep the following things in mind when you start setting up a hosting:
1. Choose A Plan
The first thing you need to do is choose a hosting plan.
Bluehost offers three different plans: Basic, Plus, and Prime.
We recommend choosing the Prime plan, as it includes unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts.
2. Enter Your Domain Name
Once you’ve chosen a plan, you’ll need to enter your domain name.
If you bought your domain name through Bluehost, you can select the “I have a domain name” option and enter your domain name.
3. Choose Your Billing Cycle
The next step is to choose your billing cycle.
We recommend choosing the 12-month cycle, as it offers the best value.
4. Enter Your Account Information
The next step is to enter your account information.
You’ll need to create a username and password for your Bluehost account.
5. Choose Your Payment Method
The final step is to choose your payment method.
Bluehost accepts credit cards, PayPal, and AliPay.
Step 4: Choose A Theme For Your Blog
Once you’ve set up your blog, it’s time to choose a theme.
A theme is a collection of files that determines the look and feel of your blog.
There are thousands of free and premium themes available for WordPress, so you’re sure to find one that suits your needs.
Things To Keep In Mind While Choosing A Theme
When you’re choosing a theme for your blog, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Responsive Design: Choose a theme that is designed to be responsive, so it will look great on all devices.
- SEO Optimized: Choose a theme that is optimized for SEO, so your blog will be more likely to rank high in search engines.
- Compatibility: Make sure your theme is compatible with the plugins you want to use.
- Updates: Choose a theme that is regularly updated, so you can be sure it will work with the latest version of WordPress.
- Support: Choose a theme that comes with good support, so you can get help if you run into any problems.
Once you’ve found a theme you like, click on the “Install” button and then activate it.
Step 5: Install Plugins For Your Blog
Now that you’ve installed your theme, it’s time to install some plugins.
Plugins are small pieces of software that add features to your blog.
There are thousands of plugins available for WordPress, so you’re sure to find ones that suit your needs.
Here are a few plugins we recommend installing:
- Yoast SEO: This plugin helps you optimize your blog for search engines.
- WPForms: This plugin lets you create forms and surveys for your blog.
- Gravity Forms: This plugin lets you create complex forms for your blog.
- Contact Form 7: This plugin lets you add a contact form to your blog.
- Jetpack: This plugin provides several features for your blog, including social media integration and security.
To install a plugin, click on the “Add New” button and then search for the plugin you want to install.
Once you’ve found the plugin you want, click on the “Install” button and then activate it.
Step 6: Configure Your Blog Settings
Now that you’ve installed your theme and plugins, it’s time to configure your blog settings.
To do this, click on the “Settings” link in the left-hand sidebar and then select the “General” tab.
Here, you’ll need to enter your blog’s title, tagline, and URL.
You’ll also need to choose your time zone and date format.
Once you’ve entered all of your information, click on the “Save Changes” button.
Step 7: Create Your First Blog Post
Now that you’ve set up your blog, it’s time to create your first blog post.
Your blog posts can be published on your blog’s homepage, as well as on their separate pages.
To do this, click on the “Posts” link in the left-hand sidebar and then click on the “Add New” button.
You’ll be taken to the WordPress editor, where you can enter the title and body of your blog post.
Once you’re finished, click on the “Publish” button to publish your post.
