How to select a name for your network

Choosing a good network name may be one of the best things you can do to help your search engine rankings and increase visits (and hopefully new members) to your network.

A few weeks ago when we dealt with Search Engine Optimization, one of our tips was using relevant keywords in the titles of your posts, photos and other content items. This tip also applies to the selection of a name for your network.

Finding a good name for a social network is almost an art. It can definitely be a very interesting exercise as you create your social network.

A good name for a social network meets the following criteria:

1. It consists of both your network’s brand name and some keywords to describe the network. A good example of this is “Firefighter Nation – Social Network for Firefighters and EMS.” The name should consist of three to 10 words and use no more than 70 characters.
2. It is unique and targeted. The name of your network needs to be relevant to the niche around which your social network revolves.
3. It is catchy, but still easy to understand. It is great to come up with a fun or cool name, but don’t make your audience think too much.
4. Unless very applicable, avoid using just your name. Unless you are a Fortune 500 company or a celebrity, including only your name is a waste of valuable space in your network’s page title.

Here’s a list of a few other good names created by a few of the networks on the Ning Platform:

• A Netflix Community
• Hindi Lovers and Learners Social Networking Place
• Black Business Women Online
• kiwipulse – The New Zealand Social Networking website for Kiwis
• The Spill Movie Community