Your blog URL and name are basically your blog’s identity. You’ll use them everywhere—social media bios, email signatures, business cards if you’re old school. They’re also what people remember when they’re trying to find you again.
Here’s what you need to know upfront: On Badass Network, your blog URL follows the format badassnetwork.com/yourusername. You pick your username during signup, and that becomes your blog’s subdirectory. Your blog name—the title that appears across your site—can be different from your URL, and honestly, it probably should be.
Why does this matter? Because your URL is permanent (or at least a pain to change), but your blog name affects how people perceive what you’re about. Getting both right from the start saves you headaches later.
What You’re Working With
Before we dive into strategy, let’s clarify what we’re actually choosing here.
Your Blog URL
This is your web address—the thing people type in their browser. On Badass Network, it’s structured as:
badassnetwork.com/yourusername
So if you choose “travelblogger” as your username, your URL becomes badassnetwork.com/travelblogger. That’s how people access your blog, how Google indexes you, and what appears in browser address bars.
You pick this once during account creation. Yeah, you can technically change it later by contacting support, but it’s messy—breaks old links, confuses search engines, loses bookmarks. Better to get it right the first time.
Your Blog Name
This is your blog’s display title. It shows up at the top of your site, in browser tabs, and in search results. Unlike your URL, you can change this anytime through your WordPress settings.
Examples:
- URL:
badassnetwork.com/sarah-travels
Blog Name: “Around the World with Sarah” - URL:
badassnetwork.com/fitnesstips
Blog Name: “No-Nonsense Fitness”
Your blog name gives you flexibility. It can be descriptive, branded, clever—whatever fits your goals. Most people keep it shorter than 60 characters so it doesn’t get truncated in search results or on mobile screens.
Picking Your Blog URL (Username)
This part requires some thought. You can’t easily undo it.
Keep It Short and Memorable
Shorter URLs are easier to remember, type, and share. Aim for 3-20 characters if possible.
Good examples:
badassnetwork.com/fitjanebadassnetwork.com/techtalkbadassnetwork.com/urbanfarm
Harder to remember:
badassnetwork.com/thefitnessjourneyofjanedoewholovesrunning
Yeah, that second one’s technically allowed, but nobody’s typing that twice. Keep it snappy.
Make It Relevant to Your Content
Your URL should give people a clue what your blog’s about. Not essential, but it helps with branding and SEO.
If you’re blogging about cooking, something like /homecooking or /kitchenstories makes sense. Personal blog about your life? Your name works great—/johnsmith or /janelee.
Don’t stress too much about perfect keyword matching, though. /yourname is fine even if you’re blogging about woodworking. The blog name and content handle the heavy lifting for clarity.
Avoid Numbers and Special Characters
Stick to letters and maybe a hyphen if you absolutely need one. Numbers and symbols get confusing when you’re telling someone your URL out loud.
Clear:
badassnetwork.com/baker-streetbadassnetwork.com/fitnesscoach
Confusing:
badassnetwork.com/baker2street(Is that “baker-two-street” or “bakertwostreet”?)badassnetwork.com/fitness_coach23(Underscore? Dash? Wait, what was the number?)
Also, WordPress doesn’t allow most special characters in usernames anyway. You’re limited to letters, numbers, and hyphens.
Think About Longevity
Will this URL still make sense in two years? Five?
If you’re launching “My College Life Blog,” consider whether you’ll still want that URL after graduation. Maybe /yourname or something more evergreen would serve you better long-term.
Depends on your plans, though. If you know this blog’s got a specific lifespan or purpose, go for what fits now. Just don’t box yourself in unnecessarily.
Check Availability First
Pretty obvious, but worth saying: Your desired username might already be taken. Have 3-5 backup options ready before you start signup.
You’ll find out instantly during registration whether your choice is available. If it’s taken, you’ll need a plan B. Having alternatives ready saves time and frustration.
Real Examples from Our Network
Here’s what works well in practice:
Personal brand blogs:
/aronprins/sharonmiller/mikejones
Niche topic blogs:
/minimaliving/dailypoetry/techreviews
Descriptive/creative:
/wanderlost(travel blog)/pixelandpen(photography + writing)/kitchenchaos(cooking blog)
All of these are short, memorable, and give you a sense of what the blog’s about—or at least who’s running it.
Choosing Your Blog Name
This is where you get more creative freedom. Your blog name appears across your site and can evolve as you figure out your voice.
Be Descriptive or Be Branded
You’ve basically got two approaches here.
Descriptive names tell people exactly what you’re about:
- “Small Space Gardening Tips”
- “Tech News for Non-Techies”
- “Beginner Yoga Practice”
These work great for SEO and immediately communicate your topic. The downside? They can feel generic and limit how you expand your content later.
Branded names prioritize memorability and personality:
- “The Messy Baker”
- “Pixels and Prose”
- “Everyday Badass” (yeah, we see that a lot)
These give you flexibility and can grow with your blog. The downside? Takes longer for people to understand what you’re about—you’ll need your tagline or content to make that clear.
Most people land somewhere in between. Something like “Sarah’s Travel Stories” is both personal and descriptive.
Keep It Under 60 Characters
Search engines typically display 50-60 characters of your title in results. Longer names get cut off with “…” at the end. Not the end of the world, but shorter’s better for visibility.
Also, shorter names fit better on mobile screens, social media profiles, and your actual site header.
Make It Easy to Spell and Say
If people can’t spell it, they can’t find you. If they can’t say it, they can’t tell their friends about you.
Test this: Would someone hearing your blog name at a party be able to search for it later? If you’re using creative spelling, made-up words, or complex phrases, you might be making things harder than necessary.
Easy:
- “Urban Kitchen”
- “Fitness for Busy People”
- “The Daily Writer”
Potentially confusing:
- “Fitniss4U” (How do you spell that again?)
- “Xtreme Lyfe Hacks” (Which letters are replaced?)
Yeah, creative spelling can be memorable, but it’s a gamble. Most people find it’s not worth the hassle.
Consider SEO (But Don’t Obsess)
Including relevant keywords in your blog name can help with search rankings—sometimes. “Vegan Recipes” as a blog name might rank better than “The Green Spoon” for recipe-related searches.
But here’s the thing: Your content matters way more than your blog name for SEO. A well-named blog with mediocre content still won’t rank. Great content with a less optimized name? You’ll do fine.
I’d recommend thinking about keywords but prioritizing what sounds good and feels authentic. Don’t sacrifice branding for a keyword-stuffed name that sounds robotic.
Add a Tagline for Clarity
Your tagline sits right under your blog name and explains what you’re about in one sentence. It’s a great safety net if your blog name is more branded than descriptive.
Examples:
- Blog Name: “The Daily Grind”
Tagline: “Coffee reviews, brewing tips, and cafe culture” - Blog Name: “Sharon’s Space”
Tagline: “Thoughts on minimalism, travel, and intentional living”
You can set your tagline in Settings > General under “Tagline.” Change it anytime.
Aligning Your URL and Name
You don’t need these to match, but there’s something to be said for consistency.
Matching approach:
- URL:
badassnetwork.com/urbankitchen
Blog Name: “Urban Kitchen”
Clean, simple, easy to remember. People see your name and instantly know your URL.
Different approach:
- URL:
badassnetwork.com/sarahcooks
Blog Name: “The Messy Baker”
More creative, gives you branding flexibility. The URL is straightforward (your name + topic), while the blog name has personality.
Both work. Depends on whether you value simplicity or branding flexibility more.
Technically yes, but it’s complicated. You’d need to contact Badass Network Support, and even then, it breaks all your existing links and messes with SEO. Better to treat your URL as permanent. Your blog name, though? Change that anytime through Settings.
Depends on your goals. If you’re building a personal brand or writing about professional topics, your name works great. If you want anonymity or you’re focusing on a niche topic, a descriptive URL might serve you better. There’s no wrong answer—it’s about what feels right for your situation.
Get creative with variations. Add a word, try a hyphen, use your location, switch to your name. For example, if /fitnessblog is taken, try /fitnesstips, /fitness-coach, /denverfitness, or just /yourname.
A bit, yeah. Including relevant keywords can help, especially early on when you don’t have much content. But content quality, post frequency, and your actual blog posts matter way more than your name. Don’t overthink it.
Absolutely. In fact, that’s probably the simplest approach. URL: /urbangardening, Blog Name: “Urban Gardening.” Keeps everything consistent and easy to remember.
If you’re planning to build a presence beyond Badass Network, yeah, worth checking if your username’s available on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Not critical, but consistency across platforms helps with branding. Most people check this after they’ve chosen their URL, though—don’t let it paralyze your decision.
Setting Your Blog Name
Once you’ve decided, here’s how to actually set or change it.
Log into your WordPress dashboard
Navigate to badassnetwork.com/yourblog/wp-admin
Go to Settings > General
Find this option in the left sidebar
Find Site Title near the top
That’s your blog name
Type your blog name
Enter it in the Site Title field
Add a tagline (optional)
Look at Tagline right below it—add a short description if you want one
Save Changes
Scroll down and click Save Changes
Your new blog name appears immediately across your site—header, browser tabs, search results, everywhere.
What Happens Next
After you’ve chosen your URL and blog name, you’re set. Your URL’s locked in (unless you go through the hassle of changing it), and your blog name’s displayed everywhere on your site.
From here, you’ll probably want to start customizing your theme, adding your first post, and building out your content. Your blog’s identity is established—now it’s about filling it with stuff people actually want to read.
We’ve seen people agonize over these choices for weeks. Honestly? Most visitors won’t notice or care whether your URL perfectly matches your blog name, or if you used the optimal keyword. They’ll care about your content. So make a smart choice, but don’t let perfectionism keep you from publishing.