Possible Name change...Need Your Opinion | Bloggers Lair | Yakezie Forums

I started blogging with the address AccountingElf.com

I thought it sounded pretty silly, so I decided to switch over to AccountantByDay.com, where I planned to be able to write about things other than just accounting too.

I switched in… October? November? but my biggest "keyword" for people searching for my site is still people who just type in AccountingElf.

The point is, the traffic you've built on your current domain is valuable, the name is memorable/recognizable. I'd say – yes, get a new domain, but keep the old one up. Possibly think about keeping the first domain as a place to put some posts up, but if you just want to switch everything to the new domain, just leave a post at the top of your old domain saying that the website has moved.

It will take a little while to get the new domain to have the "google juice" that your old domain has (because it won't have been around as long and you won't have as much content at first). But I think as long as you link the old domain to the new one, and stay active in a group like Yakezie, you shouldn't have any problem pulling your readers with you.

This would take a lot of considerations.  I can't pretend to know where to start but hopefully some others (Suba? JT, Sandy?) who seem to know a lot, and have seen a lot, on the Internet blog side of things can chime in.

If I get any ideas for you i'll drop you a note, of course.

Agree with Forest.  If you do the redirect correctly you should be ok.  You will take a short-term hit though.

Plus to maintain existing links you'll have to maintain both domain names, the old one redirecting to the new one.

if you do all your redirect, you won't lose 1 search engine visits. I remember four-pillars.ca did it toward moneysmartsblog.com.  It worked out pretty well and was able to get a "better name" for search engine.

Prairie Eco Thrifter is a good brand and you won't run into any trouble keeping your branding. However, it may be easier for new readers to adopt a more "recognizable" name ;-).

It all depends on what you can find in your domain search!

Hi Miss T.,

My guess most people in Yakezie would tell you to keep your name since we are now quite comfortable with each other's blog identities.  If you survey a bunch of new readers, asking them about personal finance and going green and a potential new blog name, my guess is they would select a more searchable Google name.  Depends what's important to you.  My blog name (which may even more more unusual than yours ) motivates me to write and that's good enough for me, for now.  If you don't have or need that motivation, perhaps finding a more searchable name while applying the redirects is the best of both worlds.  Like everyone else, what name are you thinking of?  Sorry for rambling.  Good luck!

I'd stick with what you have. I think it's a good name and conveys a good message.

Miss T,

I, too, went through this very same dilemma. About a year and a half ago I decided to change my blog from a Wordpress.com blog called "Urban Homesteader" to a self-hosted site "Happy Simple Living." I wanted to broaden the topics I could write about and more accurately reflect my passion for simple living. I also thought the new platform would be a broader base for the January Money Diet my blog sponsors every year.

I posted a "we've moved page" on the old blog that you can see here, and this page is still my biggest referring page according to my Analytics report. Once I'd made the transition, I transferred all the content to my new site and removed it from the old site.

It was kind of a pain at the time, to be honest, only because I'd worked hard to build relationships and many bloggers had given me reciprocal links. Most of those have been updated, and now I'm very happy I made the transition. My traffic has increased ten-fold and I get a ton of traffic from people who organically search "simple living." So for me, it was definitely worth it.

I've always thought Prairie Eco-Thrifter was unique, but if you have a strong name in mind to transition to it could be totally worth it. That's my two cents worth!

All the best,

Eliza

It is easy to remember and helps you stand out from the crowd and if you changed you would have to start again with branding. As for Google if you set up your redirects correctly and change your domain in Webmaster tools you should be fine to carry on ranking near where you started. I would keep it as it is one of my favourite names

Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter said:

Hey Everyone

 

I have been thinking a lot lately about my blog name. I do like it and it started out as a unique way to describe myself. However now that my blog has grown and continues to grow, the more I wonder if I should change the name. Does my site name seem less professional, less valuable? Should I change it to something that readers and advertisers could relate to more or search for more on Google?

I don't think your site seems less professional or less valuable, but I think that the name is hard to spell and — just based on the name alone — someone might guess you were into strictly sustainable living out by yourself on the prairie. I think you might have a wider audience if you changed it, but who knows. You have to go with your gut. I restarted my blog with a completely new name (MoneyCrush) and it was a big help.