One of our readers left us a comment a few weeks ago, asking us for advice about naming her blog. The comment wasn’t particularly relevant to the post, so we’ve decided to write a whole post about it instead. Hopefully it was worth the wait!

Hello, I am thinking of blogging about my life struggling with depression and how it has affected my family. Our home is full of depressed people; my father is bipolar, so are both my sisters. My grandma is a schizophrenic with bipolar disorder. Can you suggest a good name for my blog?

- Jennifer A.

The idea behind her blog sounds like something she seems passionate about, and for better or for worse, she has insight that many other people don’t. I’m sure there are many people out there who could gain some valuable information and inspiration from the blog Jennifer has described.

Finding a perfect-fitting name for your blog can be a stressful process, but it’s an extremely critical part. If you want to set your blog apart from the others, come up with a name that you and your audience get excited about.

Unfortunately for Jennifer, this post isn’t going to give any specific potential names for her potential blog. Instead of using Jennifer’s comment as a specific case study, we’re going to go over a variety of techniques and tools that make the process easier.

The large majority of our readers already have at least one blog set up, but for the “real estate bloggers” looking to expand their collection, hopefully this post will provide you with some tips as well.

1. Make sure the domain name is available

This is arguably the most important tip there is. The name of your blog and its attached domain name are the cornerstones of a well-established brand. The ideal situation is for the blog name and domain name to be the same, and for the dot-com to be available.

Make sure the dot-com is available. While sometimes a .org or .net is a suitable second resort, there’s no need to settle for anything but the dot-com, even if you consider yourself to be an “organization”. Many people will automatically assume your blog is a dot-com, so you don’t want to be sending away potential readers. In fact, you may want to consider a different name if the dot-com is taken.

Instant Domain Search is my favorite site for checking domain availability. It’s nice to have the results instantly, and be able to check the availability of a list of names without starting over.

2. Find a relevant name that stands out

While some blog names seem to be complete rubbish altogether, most names are based off keywords from the blog’s topic. This is extremely useful because visitors should immediately have some suspicion of what the blog is about. Keyword-based names are the way to go, but sometimes difficult to come up with.

One of the useful tools out there is Nameboy. The site comes up with random domains based off the keywords you provide. There are several other sites similar to Nameboy, check them all out before your make a final decision.

If you are looking for a mundane name on the verge of nonsensical, there’s MakeWords.com and the Web 2.0 domain name generator. A few quick clicks at the Web 2.0 generator provides some brandable options: browsenation, brainster, thoughtwire, and topicpulse. A lot of the best names may not be available, but it gives some interesting options.

When choosing a relevant name, don’t just focus on the keywords themselves, but what they connote. Does the name sound professional, crude, humorous? A name that relates to your audience and their bias will help them better connect with the author.

3. Keep it simple, stupid

The name should be easy to remember. Even if you want to append a more descriptive motto or slogan, don’t include it in the “main name”. Two or three words would be the best option. It’s short enough to remember, but still has some description to it.

Speaking of description, a catchy name is important, but don’t be overly creative with your name. By “overly creative,” that means intentionally misspelling word, such as replacing an “s” with a “z” to try being cutesy or creative. The letter “s” is also a problem when placed next to each other in different words.

Don’t be overly scientific about it. Just remember that your visitors may in fact want to come back to your blog later. If that’s the case, make sure the name is easy to remember.

4. Get it right the first time

Hopefully once you get started on your blog, you’ll begin to develop some credibility. Find a name that you can stick with, so you don’t have to restart and lose what you’ve built. Even if you are able to transfer the content over to the new blog, refer your readers to the new site, and write under your same pen name, it’s still going to be a costly mistake if you have to start voer.

Once you start blogging, it’s recorded on a virtual “credit report,” which can be a double-edged sword. If you decide to scrap your old name, a lot of that success will disappear with it. Other web sites and blogs that link to your blog will no longer link to the correct place. Technorati, Alexa, and PageRank are all lost, for whatever it’s worth to you.

It’s worth the hassle

By now, hopefully you understand that selecting the best name available is worth the trouble. It can be an intimidating process, especially if this is your first blog, but take the time do it right. Even if it delays your initial launch for a few days, even possibly weeks, it’s important to start a blog off on the right foot. A poor choice of name can cripple a blog, just like a great choice enhances the blog itself.

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