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Important Tips for Choosing the Perfect Domain Name

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Second Self Virtual Assistance

Choosing the Perfect Domain Name for Your Business Website

Choosing the perfect domain name for your website can be challenging.  Is your choice is already taken?  How long should your name be?  Should you hyphenate it or choose a different extension; .net, .info, .org? Here's four tips to consider when choosing the perfect domain name for your website  

 

Website Name and Domain Name

When possible, your website name and your domain name should be the same.  It will make finding your website easier.  For instance, find a domain name that matches your target market area.  You can see if that domain is available by going to a hosting company and typing your choice into the search box.

Choosing the Perfect Domain Name for Your Business Website

 

Length of Domain Name

Your domain name can be just about as long or short as you like.  Shorter domain names are easier to remember, but longer domain names have more opportunity for keyword usage.  Longer domain names also give you more opportunity to include your target market.

Unless you are known worldwide, it's best to use your market's keywords in the title instead of your name.  You can purchase additional domain names that include your name or other targeted areas and point them to one main domain.  For the best search engine optimization, have your main domain name reflect your target keywords.

 

Hyphenated Domain Names

There are advantages and some disadvantages in using a hyphen in a domain name.  It's easier for search engines to "see" keywords that are separated by hyphen.  Hyphenated domain names are more likely to be available than a non-hyphenated name.  The flip side is that it's more difficult for visitors to remember to add the hyphens.  I once used the domain, real-estate-support.com and found it tedious to always have to repeat it as, "real dash estate dash support dash.com".  Consider what will happen when someone forgets or misplaces a hyphen.  They will end up on someone else's website.

 

Choosing a Domain Extension

I checked GoDaddy to see how many domain extensions there are.  Turns out, there's quite a few.  We are creatures of habit.  Therefore, I'd recommend that you stick to the most familiar domain extension.  If you're concerned about your competition purchasing the same domain as yours with a different extension, you can always purchase .net, .info, .org.

Keep these four tips in mind when choosing a domain name for your website.

Comments (39)

Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Pamela

Great tips on domain names . . . .  Thanks for sharing the information.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludiwg

Feb 03, 2017 07:45 PM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Pamela

Way to go . . . . Congratulations on the feature for your post.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Feb 03, 2017 07:51 PM
Pamela Cendejas

Lou Ludwig - Thank you.  Have a great week.

Feb 06, 2017 08:36 AM
Kimo Jarrett
Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA
Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Simple and easy to remember domain names, so Keep It Short and Simple. Great post.

Feb 03, 2017 08:30 PM
Pamela Cendejas

Kimo Jarrett - Thank you.  Easy to remember works for me.

Feb 06, 2017 08:37 AM
Diana Dahlberg
1 Month Realty - Pleasant Prairie, WI
Real Estate in Kenosha, WI since 1994 262-308-3563

This was very interesting information on Domain Names.  Thank you for sharing about the LENGTH, HYPEHNATED and EXTENSIONS.  I can see why this was Featured!  

Feb 03, 2017 09:10 PM
Pamela Cendejas

Diana Dahlberg - Glad the information was helpful for you.  Have a great week.

Feb 06, 2017 08:38 AM
Rod Pierson
Wilson Realty Inc - Redding, CA
Northern California - An Agent you can trust

I can agree with you, years ago I used a similar domain name which represents our area and not everyone would understand a hyphen or a dash... anyways great article,  you can also personalize using domain services like GoDaddy to match your email to your web site url, and many spam sites treat it as a professional email and usually doesn't put it in the spam folder, many independent companies who specialize in SMTP mail servers prefer to use a personal owned domain email to broadcast news letters and or correspondence with your web site.  

Feb 04, 2017 01:02 AM
Anonymous
Julie Wanstedt

Great insight! I'd like to add that the naming of a business determines how it will also translate to SEO. It is critical to name your business in a way that tells prospects what you do. Inane business names are SEO killers. A business name like Concept Services, for example, provides no indication of what the company does continually leading to an explanation in the marketing of the company. Converting that to conceptservices.com provides no search engine "juice" as users are highly unlikely to search on that term. Just something to think about...

Feb 04, 2017 02:24 AM
#25
Chris Brennan
Boston, MA

It never ceases to amaze me that real estate agents and brokers cheap out on domain names. Looking for a great domain for ten bucks is like expecting million dollar listings to show up without ever working to get them.
No one seems to mind writing a yearly check to realtor who then sells your MLS listing data to your competitors at Zillow, homes,Trulia etc.
The reality is that the future of real estate is online, so do yourself a favor and get as many mini websites online as you can with geo targeted domain names
Remember that other than a renewal fee of ten bucks you only pay for a domain once but get to use it for a lifetime and then sell it on when you are done
In truth a website is more important than an office in todays real estate world.

Feb 04, 2017 06:50 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Chris Brennan - I think the issue boils down more to not realizing the importance of the domain name than it does cost.  You don't know what you don't know.  Thanks for commenting.

Feb 06, 2017 08:43 AM
Michele Connors
The Overton Group, LLC Pitt & Carteret County - Greenville, NC
Your Eastern North Carolina Realtor

great advise I didnt think about the hyphenations.. Ive got to look and see what I can do to increase traffic

Feb 04, 2017 06:53 AM
Teri Pacitto
Compass - Westlake Village, CA
Real Estate, Your Style...Your Home...My Specialty

Really good info.  We target many areas and neighborhoods and wedo use this system.  

Feb 04, 2017 07:07 AM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Great information and spot-on, Pamela Cendejas!  The dashes are sure to lead others to the 'original' sites with no dashes but, the keyword factor is important for those just searching and finding those dashed sites.  It's a mixed bag, for sure!  Congrats on the feature too!

Feb 04, 2017 09:25 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Debe Maxwell - You're on top of your game with this.  Thank you.

Feb 06, 2017 08:44 AM
Bunny Terry
Keller Williams Santa Fe - Santa Fe, NM
A Different Kind of Realtor in the City Different

Great post. I chose "I Love Santa Fe homes" which has served me well in a very crowded market where the Name "Santa Fe" is used over and over. It was a nice segue as I also write a blog called "I love New Mexico," for which I am very marginally locally famous. (Mostly famous for once inciting on online riot about whether the green chile was better at Sadie's or Tomasita's. . .)

Feb 04, 2017 09:31 AM
Pamela Cendejas

Bunny Terry - Don't mess with the chili in NM.    Sounds like you've got the domain name stuff figured out.  

Feb 06, 2017 08:50 AM
Anonymous
Debbie Grimaldi

I did enjoy reading this information and found it to be very insightful and helpful.

Feb 04, 2017 11:51 AM
#31
Greg Mona
West USA Realty - Scottsdale, AZ
Professional Real Estate Representation for YOU!

Great post Pamela Cendejas! We currently have 22 domain names, and fortunately only two of them have a hyphen in them. We found with the domain names that point to a page that contains information only, the .info extension made the most sense, and is WAY cheaper than a .com domain name. It is a good idea to see which domain names are more effective than others to make an informed decision if you want to renew them or not.

Feb 04, 2017 12:28 PM
Pamela Cendejas

Greg Mona - Doing an inventory of the success of each domain is smart.  Good job!

Feb 06, 2017 08:58 AM
Irina Tibbits
Panhandle Real Estate, Inc - Panama City, FL
Investment, Sellers, Buyers,Relocation

Thank you for the tips !

Feb 04, 2017 02:02 PM
Dorte Engel
RE/MAX Leading Edge - Bowie, MD
ABC - Annapolis, Bowie, Crofton & rest of Maryland

Dear Pamela,

Yes. Having more than one for different purposes makes sense.

Feb 05, 2017 06:34 PM
David Fox
Progressive Lending Solutions - Saint Paul, MN
Mortgage Loan Consultant

Thanks for the great post Pamela! I just went through the very same process of choosing a domain name for my work as a mortgage broker here in Minnesota.  I chose a .com domain name and kept it short and simple. I also combined a key word with my last name, hoping to make it memorable for my clients and friends. I agree with Chris Brennan, the future of this industry is online! Now my new passion is to boost up www.mortgagefoxes.com!

 

Feb 06, 2017 10:35 AM
Pamela Cendejas

David Fox - That's a memorable domain name for sure.  Good luck with your new passion.

Feb 07, 2017 08:37 AM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Excellent advice!  I've thought about mine and it is kinda long, www.relocatingtoscottsdale.com, but it's also easy to remember.  Extensions can be tricky!

Feb 06, 2017 07:02 PM
Pamela Cendejas

Jan Green - One of the things to consider when choosing a domain name is that it contains keywords for your target market.  I definitely can see people searching relocating to scottsdale.

Feb 07, 2017 08:38 AM
Dan Derito
Success! Real Estate - Brockton, MA

Thanks for posting this Pamela.  I'm due to update "Dan De Homes" with Go Daddy and will check to see what other options they have.

Feb 07, 2017 05:01 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Hi Pamela - I love your discussion here.  I think a few domain names with keywords are a great idea.

Feb 11, 2017 08:39 AM
Ann Nguyen
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Truckee, CA
Lake Tahoe Truckee Homes For Sale

Some domain names are expensive though. Ownership of these domain names are not as simple as it sounds.

Great article you have here Pam.

Dec 26, 2017 03:45 PM