The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Winning Course Name

We’re going to take a stance: A winning course name can either make or break your online course.

Yep, we said what we said.

It’s not that course content isn’t important. And it’s not that marketing funnels aren’t important.

But the wrong course name could end up attracting the wrong audience, making your course sound boring, de-emphasizing the importance of your online course, and/or making you sound like less of an authority than you really are. 

And that leads to fewer course sales. 

The right course name is an opportunity to grab attention, create intrigue, and set expectations for what students will learn. With a great name, your course will be more attractive and memorable. 

Can you hear the cash register dinging in the distance?

In this article, we’ll explore how to choose a course name that is creative and effective, we’ll go over some course name examples, and we’ll also suggest some course name generators you can use to find the perfect name for your online course. 

Let’s dive in!

The Importance of a Good Course Name

A fantastic course name can directly impact the success of your online course. You want something that’s clear enough to describe your course accurately, catchy and memorable enough so people who are considering the purchase won’t forget about it, and short enough that it’s not confusing.

Remember, a lot of potential learners won’t purchase after watching your sales video and reading your online course sales page for the first time. They won’t even purchase after seeing it for the second or third time either. 

In fact, the Marketing Rule of 7 states that it takes an average of 7 interactions before a new prospect takes action.

So what does this mean for you?

While a potential client or customer considers their decision, it’s important that your course name “sticks”. You want your course name to stand out from other courses, sound enticing enough to pique their interest, and sound juicy enough to hold their interest until they finally decide to buy. 

That’s a tall order for a mere 2-3 words, but if done correctly, it could lead new students straight to signing up for your course!

Tips on How to Choose the Perfect Course Name

Identify Your Audience

One of the first things you should do when choosing your course name is identify your audience. Consider who you are marketing to so you can decide on a course name that resonates with them.

For starters, think about what level of learner will be most interested in taking your course – is it beginners, intermediate or advanced learners? Is the level important to mention in your course name?

Consider also the niche, age range, educational history, and occupational backgrounds of those who might be interested in your course:

In addition, understanding your audience will help you create your course in an appropriate tone. For example, you might use different language or visuals if your course is created for kids versus adults. You may even mention specific interests your audience might have in your course lessons. 

By clearly understanding who you are teaching and what such students need from your course, you can create an appropriate title that will attract their attention and spark curiosity.

Brainstorm Keywords

Brainstorming keywords is an easy way to get your creative juices flowing. Simply write down words or phrases that are related to the topic of your online course and then use these words or phrases as inspiration when selecting a name. 

To start your brainstorming session, first take some time to think about the topics you will be covering in your online course, then think about words related to those topics. 

Write down all of your ideas – remember, all ideas are valid at this stage – and once you’ve exhausted your brain, start whittling your list down. 

Keep it Short and Easy to Remember

A winning course name should be succinct and easy to remember – something that potential learners can easily recall when considering purchasing your course or when they mention your course to others. 

Consider the following scenario:

Learner: “Guys, I’m taking this super cool hip hop course right now. You gotta check it out.”

Friend: “Awesome, where can I look it up?”

Learner: “Umm… it’s kinda long… Was it crazycoolhiphopdancingforbeginners.com or coolhiphopdancingforbeginners.com? Hmm… I’ll find it and text it to you.”

This is exactly the kind of word-of-mouth conversation you don’t want to happen.

An easy-to-remember course name will make it simpler for you to market your course to potential learners, and for your fans to recommend your course to others.

Clarity Over Cleverness

The unicorn of course name selection is one that clearly and succinctly describes what the course is about, and has an air of cleverness to it. Take these course name examples, Pat Flynn’s Amp’d Up Podcasting, or Chris Ducker’s Youpreneur. 

It's pretty easy to tell from the name alone that Pat’s course is about podcasting, and Chris’s course is about building a profitable brand around yourself. 

But don’t let searching for unicorns get in the way of moving forward. If unicorns aren’t coming to you, simply pick a course name and run with it. Many course creators out there just like yourself have managed to achieve success even without finding unicorn course names. 

The key is to choose clarity over cleverness for your course name.

Let’s take a look at an example course name… 

Amy Porterfield runs a multi-million-dollar business based on her signature course, Digital Course Academy.

Is her course name particularly clever? Not really.

Is it clear what her course is about? Absolutely.

Another course name example is Katie Steckly’s The Instagram Road Map. It’s clear – and definitely not clever – but it works well to communicate what the course is about and pique a potential learner’s interest.

Now what if you’ve thought up a course name that has clarity, but you want to give it a bit of chutzpah? 

Try Alliteration

Using the same consonant sound at the beginning of a series of words is a fantastic way to easily create memorable course names. 

Take for example, our very own Shane Melaugh’s Course Craft. 

Notice the C___ C___ ?

If all you can think of is a clear but boring course name, crack open that thesaurus and see what alliterations you can create using the keywords you brainstormed earlier.

Google Your Chosen Course Name

Before you settle on a course name, be sure to see if anyone else has created a course with the same name by giving it a quick Google search. The last thing you want to do is to spend weeks creating an online course, only to discover that someone else has already created a course with the exact same name. (Cue facepalm.)

Is it the end of the world if someone has already created a course with the name you want to use? 

Check Domain Availability

Be sure to also check the domain availability of your chosen name. For example, if your course name is Care for Cats, then check to see if careforcats.com is taken. 

You can check domain availability at any domain registrar such as Google Domains.

If the domain is available, bingo! It’s yours to create your awesome new online course on.

If the domain is already taken, consider choosing a different name – one where the domain is available.

But what if you don’t plan to create an entire website for your course, and instead your goal is to host multiple courses on one main website?

Consider checking the availability of (and purchasing) the domains for each of your courses so you can redirect visitors to your main website instead.

Imagine Actually Using Your Proposed Course Name

By now, you’ve probably got a good idea of the course name you want to use. Before committing to it, imagine actually using your course name. 

What will your introductory email for new enrollees sound like? 

Let’s say your course teaches ballet to small children, and you’ve named it Toddlers in Tights. Fantastic course name example! It’s clear, concise, and short. 

How will you address your new enrollees? Maybe use an acronym?

“Hey T.I.T.’s …” 

Nope, that’s not going to work. (Cue second facepalm.)

Take a few minutes to imagine what your proposed course name will sound like in practice. If you have several options to choose from, you may discover which course names have a special ring to them; ideally, you’ll eliminate any potential booby trap names from your list. 

Get Feedback

Finally, get feedback from potential students to ensure your chosen course name reflects your course content and resonates with your target audience. 

Try asking questions like:

The right course name can make all the difference in whether a prospective student enrolls or not, so it's essential to reach out to your target customer group and ask for feedback. 

The Best Course Name Generators

To help you find the perfect course title, we’ve compiled a short list of the best course name generators available today. With just a few clicks, these course name generators can quickly generate dozens of possible titles – saving you time and energy in brainstorming the perfect name for your online course. 

1. Looka

Looka’s brand name generator is great for choosing course names. Simply type in one or two keywords, and Looka will generate dozens of names in a variety of categories including invented names, compound words names, and multi-word names.

2. Namelix

Namelix is actually a business name generator, but can be used for online course names as well. What’s nice about Namelix is that you can select the randomness level of the results and the name style you’re seeking. For example, you can search unique spellings like Lyft and Fiverr, or you can stick to real words such as Apple and Amazon.

3. DesignBro

DesignBro’s business name generator will help you find short, brandable course names. Type in a keyword, and DesignBro will add words to the beginning or the end to create a brandable name. Click on one of the search results to find out whether the domain is available. 

What’s Next After Choosing a Course Name?

So, how did it go? What course name did you choose? 

Now that you’ve chosen your course name, it’s time to start creating your online course! If you’re building your online course business on WordPress, be sure to check out the best online course building and LMS plugin – Thrive Apprentice. 

We think it’s the best learning management system ever created (admittedly, we may be a bit biased), thanks to a plethora of innovative features that only Thrive Apprentice offers, like:

Plus, Thrive Apprentice comes with several professionally designed and totally customizable online school templates. Check out all the available Thrive Apprentice template sets here.

Now what about selling your online course? 

Thrive Apprentice has you covered there too! Click the button below to learn how to sell courses from your WordPress website using Thrive Apprentice and WooCommerce.