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About a year into starting my blog, I started thinking about changing the name of my blog. It took almost a year to figure out a name and to change it, but I changed the name of my domain about a month ago. Today I want to share with you how to change your domain name if and when you decide to do so.
Pick a Domain Name
Picking a name can be fun, just make sure to pick a name that fits you and your blog. Don’t rush when picking a name either. When I first started Gardening Limited, I was so excited about starting a blog I chose the first name I could think of.
I wish I would have thought more carefully about a name, but that is part of my learning process and okay. I know of bloggers who changed names several times. Some bloggers pick a name and stick with it.
Even though I knew I wanted the main niche of my blog to remain gardening, I was exploring other topics such as home decor and blogging tips. I wanted a blog name that could be flexible with this change as well.
It took about a year and several conversations with my creative husband, but I decided on Blooming Anomaly. It has a reference to gardening with a hint of my name in it. Read more about how and why I changed my blog’s domain name on my About Me page.
Buy Your New Domain Name
Once you pick your name, you want to make sure it’s not taken. There are several places where you can get great deals on a domain name. I bought my new domain name on Namecheap for only $9! It even came with a free WhoisGuard for the entire year!
Point New Domain to Blog
This step took a little bit of time for me to do, but has to be done so that everyone that was following me would be directed to my new blog’s domain. My host did a great job helping me point Blooming Anomaly to my WordPress site, which is Siteground.
If you are still deciding on starting a blog, I highly recommend being self-hosted, since you are free to do all kinds of things on a self-hosted blog. Check out my post on How to Start a Blog!
Inform Your Blog’s Followers
This is such an important step, especially if you have had your blog for awhile. You don’t want to start from scratch if you already have followers to your blog! Let your followers know beforehand that you are planning on changing your domain name so that they aren’t surprised or leave when it happens.
I gave hints about a blog name change months before I did it, as well as a week and days before the change. Also, I put up reminders on all my social media so that all my followers knew about the domain name change before it happened.
I also let my email list know by giving reminders in my newsletters. So far, everyone seems to like my new domain name and I continue to gain followers on my email list and social media!
Change Social Media Links
Changing my social media links didn’t take long to do, at least with the social media platforms that were easy to change. I was able to change my domain name on Twitter and Instagram with no problem.
It took me a few days to change my domain name on Pinterest, but their customer service were wonderful to work with and helped me through the process. I recently updated my Pinterest page with board covers. Don’t forget to check out these changes and follow me on Pinterest!
Do you want to get more traffic to your blog? Utilize Pinterest and watch your traffic numbers go up! Get some tips by reading about them on Using Pinterest for Blog Traffic.
I was unable to change the name on my Facebook page, so I started a new Facebook page for my new domain name, Blooming Anomaly. You can join in for more tips on gardening, home decor, and blogging here!
Want even more tips to drive traffic to your blog? Read all about these tips in 10 Awesome Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Blog!
Update Blog Links
This step is taking me the longest. It’s been a little over a month since I changed my domain name and I’m still updating my old blog links. I’m also making new Pinterest images for old blog posts, but with my new domain name.
Being a one woman show, I can only do so much while juggling several jobs. I’m updating my most popular blog posts first, then updating the others a little at a time.
I have been blogging for almost two years, so this feels like a lot, but doing a little at a time is helping. Hopefully, I’ll have this step completed soon!
Change with Your Blog
The next step I plan on taking soon is changing the theme of my blog.
Update: I did and I’m so happy with my new blog theme! You can read about it in my post, How to Find the Best Blog Theme.
The work on our blog is never done, is it? I’m always looking for ways to change and update my blog.
There is always room for improvement, and since the blogging world is always changing, I try to keep a flexible mindset when it comes to my blog and try to make little changes along the way.
How to Change Your Domain Name
Learning how to change your domain name may sound like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. It took me awhile to decide to change my domain name, but I’m glad I did! I hope you were able to gain some insight by reading about How to Change Your Domain Name.
Let me know your thoughts about changing your domain name in the comments section below!
Jill says
Thank you for sharing! I just bought my own domain and this was super helpful 🙂
Jill
BrokeDolly.com
Ann says
You are welcome! I’m glad you found this helpful! Buying and setting up a domain can feel overwhelming but doesn’t have to be. Have a great week and thank you for stopping by!
laura says
HI Ann, I am featuring this on Inspire me Monday at my new blog, Everyday Edits. This is so timely and I was so happy to read about your challenges with links and pins. This is a full time job right now! ha! laura (formerly, notatrophywife)!
Ann says
Awesome! Thank you so much for featuring me! I’m still working on changing my links and updating pins on Pinterest. Hopefully I’ll have everything done soon. It can feel like a full time job! I’m just doing a little at a time, since that’s all I can do right now. Thank you for stopping by!
Yaya says
I found this post very helpful as I’m starting a second blog and am thinking of changing my main blog’s domain name. Thanks for sharing your advice!
Ann says
I’m happy to help out! I wanted to share my experiences and figured this could help other bloggers who are changing their domains or even starting their first! Thank you for stopping by!
Gina | Steps to Self says
Very useful. I recently changed my link structure (didn’t think about this when setting up my blog) and had to set up redirects. I thought I had everything fixed and tested when I saw a bunch of 404 errors in my analytics. Turns out Pinterest blocks redirects – agh! Are you having an issue with this? I’ve updated my pins but can’t update other people’s who have pinned them previously. I hate that people might be sharing older ones and continue to get errors. If you’ve found a solution, I’d love to hear it! I like your new blog name!
Ann says
I haven’t gotten 404 errors yet. I’ve been updating old pins for my new blog name. I also added a plugin that redirects my old blog articles to the my new domain name. BUT I’ve noticed a drop in my traffic since my name change, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that is due to old pins being shared. Ugh, I’ll let you know if I find a solution! I’m glad you like my new name! I feel like it fits me and the blog better than my previous name.
Vishaka says
Thanks so much! I am also going to change my domain name and your article was helpful..
Ann says
That is great to hear! Let me know if you have any questions I did not answer here.