You have probably seen blogs that have domain names that are named after their owners. While that is undeniably a good move if you intend to market and brand yourself, there are certain factors that you need to consider first before using your name as the domain name.

Are you using it for personal or commercial uses?

If you are setting up a blog for personal use, you should use your name, unless it is already taken up. If you are doing it purely for commercial purposes, it would be advisable for you to get a more business and professional sounding name or a keyword rich domain name related to your niche. It will also helps in SEO (search engine optimization) ranking. In a way, it would be easier to brand your business. For example if you are blogging about photography, try to get a domain name that has photography related keywords in it. Try to separate your personal name from your business if you are using your blog for commercial purposes.

Are you going to sell the site later?

Selling blogs or flipping blogs are a relatively new concept to you if you are new to online money making opportunities. Similar to what investors do in property or real estate investments, flipping refers to the buying of a domain name, build up and brand the site and later sell it for a profit. If your intention is to sell the site later, it would be advisable to get a domain name that is easier to sell. Using your name as the domain name will not get you much offers, much less a good price. As your name is tied to the business, the new owners would have a hard time taking over the site.

While using your name may sound a very attractive proposition at first, you have to carefully consider and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using your name as the domain name. For me, I will grab the domain with my name and also get one for the niche that I am going into. While I may not have any use for the domain with my name right now, who knows in the future I may decide to create a personal blog to document my personal life.

P.S For your information, my name is already taken up. By who, I’m can’t really recalled, but it was registered till 2010, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that guy will give up the domain for good.