Hi friend!
Notice a change around here?
Yep, I changed my blog name…again!
If you have been following me from the beginning, you know originally this blog was named Story by Stone Blog. It was horrible and I had no idea what I was doing. It was definitely a learning curve and I’m happy I’ve learned so much since then!
Next it was Organized Chaos Chronicles and it got so much better! My confidence has grown and I’m over the fear of posting and sharing. But something just wasn’t right with the name and I was being pulled to change it for the third time.
I talked about the meaning about then name in my About Me, but will do some overlapping in this post.
Why I Changed My Domain Name
Below, I share why I decided to change my domain name and what it means to me. Also, I share why you may want to change yours too and tips to follow in changing your domain name.
A Little Meaning Behind “Mustard Seed”
When I decided I needed to change my domain name for the third time, I knew it was the last. I knew it had to be good and mean something to me. I played around with so many ideas but one that kept sticking was “mustard seed”.
You see, the words “mustard seed” comes from Matthew 17:20 “Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
This has been one of my favorite bible verses since right before I was pregnant with the twins. At this time, we already had 4 kids and weren’t sure if we wanted anymore. Something kept nudging me that if I planted the “mustard seed” God would give me a daughter by birth.
Low and behold, the next month I was pregnant a few! And, a few weeks later we found out we were having twins, a boy and a girl!
“Mustard Seed Faith”
This isn’t the first time that I have had little seeds planted on my path.
My mother in law planted the seed of a blog a few years ago and I thought she was nuts! There is no way I, of all people, could create a blog. What!?
Then, after graduating college during a worldwide pandemic, the nudge to start a blog grew and grew and grew. So, I bought my domain and started Story By Stone Blog.
I had NO idea what I was doing and I fell off a month and a half after creating it. Feeling like a failure, I went down in a spiral of depression.
Fate Calling
As fate would have it, at the end of Summer, I was searching for a job and failed, miserably. Every single employer had sent me a “thanks, but no thanks” email. I felt like a failure, big time! Over a hundred applications put in and not one single offer.
Again, the nudge to start my blog back up was growing and growing. So, I jumped back into my blog and renamed it Organized Chaos Chronicles.
Originally, I was going to write about what it’s like to live the life as a family of eight. Well, turns out when you live it everyday, it doesn’t get you very excited to write about it every day.
Ready For The Good Stuff
Now, that I have a blog name that I truly fits me, I think I am ready for the good stuff. Really start showing who I am, my faith, and all the little “mustard seeds” that I have been planting.
And maybe you have been feeling similar and the name you chose for your blog just isn’t sitting right anymore.
Honestly, I think it’s a good sign that it doesn’t fit because that means you’re growing.
So, now that I have changed my domain a few times and know this one is going to stick! I have a few tips for you in case you are thinking the same.
You may not NEED to change your domain name…
If you are feeling iffy about the name you chose, ask yourself why you are questioning the name. Is it the name or is it the theme you are using? The colors, logo, font. Are you bored with the way your site is looking? Is your audience reacting positively to your content?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you may just need to do some updating on the appearance and not the name itself. Try this option out first.
Has your main topics changed?
For me, I was really looking into sharing about mom life and everything that came with it. But, as I grew within my blog, it quickly became bigger than just a mom blog.
Take a look at your topics and see if you can make your domain make sense. It’s possible you could just change your tagline and pictures.
If your topics have changed drastically and your domain isn’t fitting, go ahead and change the name.
Seven Tips If You Want To Change Your Domain Name:
- Use Bluehost! : I highly recommend using Bluehost for your domain name and everything related. Honestly, their customer service has been SO, so, so, so helpful and knowledgeable any time I have had to interact with them and their options are so plentiful. I have used Bluehost for hosting since the beginning. I even switched from another company to them for 2 of my domains and I couldn’t be happier! Couldn’t recommend more!
- Make sure that the new domain can cover a variety of topics: As I shared above, as I have grown, the topics have also grown so my previous names didn’t fit right. Make sure the new name can grow with you.
- Don’t jump the gun – Brainstorm new names until you can’t anymore. Start with the topics you are writing about and then branch off those topics. I’m telling you, it will be helpful in the long run.
- Ask for opinions: usually I would say to pick whatever you like, but that’s not what I did. I had 3 of my closest family members help me pick my new name. Thank God they did because I had some oddball names that wouldn’t have fit as well as this one.
- Make sure you can explain your name: When I had sent my mother in law some names, I was dead set on one and her response was “ok. Why?” When I had to explain it, it really got me thinking, and although what I was explaining fit, it wasn’t right.
- Confidence in an elevator: This is probably my biggest take away from what I have learned about choosing a domain name. If you are confident in it enough to explain/sell it in an elevator to a stranger, you are good to go!
- Have fun with it: The name that you choose doesn’t have to be boring and serious, it can be whimsical, funny, or even made up. As long as you can explain it, it is mostly short and sweet, and feels RIGHT, go for it!
Hopefully you have a better understanding of why I changed my domain name, for a third time. If you are here for the tips, hopefully those helped you too! Let me know if you have any recommendations I can add to my list!
Until next time!
