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I am King of My Domain!

I obviously own my name domain (LaneBailey.com). I think every real estate agent should make the attempt to own their domain... if for no other reason than it makes a great email domain. In fact, I think that the use as an email domain may be the most important.

Let's face it... new consumers aren't running around with our names on the tip of their tongues... but if they know us, it is VERY useful to say "Email me at Lane [at] Lane Bailey [dot] com." It is also good for our referral base to be able to have our name as a contact point. A client may find it easier to remember our name than our catchphrase or a funky-clunky website name.

So, how are we to remedy these divergent ideas? Actually, it is quite easy... Multiple domains.

For many, the options would be limited to their name with a .com, .net and .org extension. Personally, I think that the .net and .org extensions aren't all that great for our purposes. I administer a website for a charity event. We have the .com and .org extesions for the website. EVERYTHING that we have printed for the events has the .org extension, but hits to the .com redirect outnumber the .org.

So, I would say that it isn't all that beneficial to get the .org and .net extensions for a commercial website. But, despite not being highly utilized, it might be good to get the .mobi and .info extensions. I haven't purchased the .mobi for my name, but did pick up the .info for my name. Don't scramble, I don't have anything up there yet... and I will probably purchase the .mobi version at some point.

But the domain...

Don't chince... Get a couple. I have LaneBailey, GwinnettGarageGuy, GarageHomesUSA and LilburnDwellings (the last one I don't actually have... that is a company domain). Matt Fagioli, my broker, has hundreds... if not thousands... of domains. Aside from my name, each domain is designed to help the search engines figure out what the domain is about. In my case, each domain has unique content, but that doesn't have to be the case. A primary domain or two can be set up with unique content, and the secondary domains can be redirected to the primary domain. I actually have another domain, LaneGetsResults.com... it redirects to LaneBailey.com. It was the first domain I bought for my real estate business, and for a while, it pointed to my old broker's supplied website. When I left the brokerage, I was able to bring the domain with me... If anyone had that address and typed it in again, they would find me. I could also use it for a future project if that was a better fit.

Stategy points...

Own your name. If nothing else, use it for your email.
Get other domains that are appropiate to your farm, niche or marketing.
Make sure that you have a few options with extra domains.
Point old or unused domains to your primary.
Get a good analytic program and see if there is a star domain that gets typed in more.

Also, I don't get anything for mentioning that GoDaddy has some extensions on sale at the moment... I got my .info for $.99, and trasnferred a .com for $6.99.

I'd love to hear from you...

Posted by Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy on 02/22/2009 11:49 AM

Comments (70)

Domain Name Strategy in the Online Marketing Channel

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70 Comments on I am King of My Domain!

FEB

That's remarkable. I never thought that you can buy .info for 99 cents.

thanks for the post. I also have my domain.. www.darrenrevell.com and darren@darrenrevell.com is my email. I also have over 20 other domains.. and a number of websites.. I am amazed that there are still many great domain names still available. Within the last three weeks I have acquired www.real-estate-sell.com www.isellbc.com www.home-sale.ca .. Two of which I have parked right now until I decide what to do with them.

You never know what a person is going to respond to. Good luck in your lead generation...

Lane, good advice and information. Thank you for sharing it with us!

Lane, I would love to have my name as a domain, but somebody already has it. I have been constantly checking to see if it is going to expire, but no such luck yet. I am hoping that someday I will be able to purchase my name.

Lane great post about owning your own domain, what benefit is there to have other domain names? enlighten the ones that do not understand:))Thanx

Hi Lane - I had my own domain name for awhile, but with a difficult to spell name like mine it was totally worthless. Even agents that I have worked with for a few years cannot spell my name. I see new agents in my office paying for so many domain names that they are running off in all directions and get so confused that they lose their focus and effectiveness. I keep hearing they test their ad and marketing response with the different names, so I guess if it works that is a good thing.

I've got loads of domains. Most of them point to a specific pages on my website as a sub-domain. I have them for listings, for neighborhoods and for niche markets. THen of course there are the ones for my blog too. Fortunately you can usually find a sale or a coupon to reduce the cost but lets face it they aren't expensive. My sellers like seeing their address on a sign rider and it gives them a memento to take with them when the sale is over.

Lane....great post! I've got some of mine purchased and "on hold" for bigger and better things to come with our new website (hopefully this year!) But I like the Ericksons' above, cannot get my actual name .com. Somebody else has it!

I'm also going to buy a bunch more for something else, but that's a secret!

Raj - There are deals out there... When they pop up, use them.

Darren - There are a lot of great options. And there will be more that we won't even think of for years because of changes in technology.

Tony & Darcy - Thanks.

Troy - Look for an alternate. I just looked at "JustCallTroy.com". It is available...

Endre - That deserves a post all its own... But, there are SEO benefits to targeted names. Also, having something that people remember... I have people say "Hey, you're the Gwinnett Garage Guy..." And I own that one.

Jim - I understand. Maybe something like "JimInCanton.com)... which is also available.

Thom - I'm going to ply you with Moe's Burritos to get the secret out of you... ;^ )

We have a few and when I acquired some I just bought them from who ever came up high on the search to buy domains now I have several with different companies. I might suggest transferring all of them to one place so it is easier to administer.

Terry - EXCELLENT point. I am actually in the process of doing that right now. I am keeping all of my domains at GoDaddy... although NONE of my sites are hosted there.

dawnmaloney . com was taken, so I went with www.dawnsold.com, and it works great. The only thing that is funny to me anyway, is that if you split it up right, it says "dawns old" which will eventually be true...

Also, I have the same prob as Jim D - no one can spell Maloney right :)

We have 3 right now and are working on a couple of more.I agree with your strategy here Lane see you at tech south

We have prestrealty.com (our last name is Prest- Prest Realty is our ofice. Lots of people misspell it by putting an i in realty- reality. when we went to get that msspelling as a domain name we found someone already had it, and it goes to a "we'll find you a REALTOR" sort of site. Too late.

I think owning many domains is great! I have about 100 of them (well my husband and I do) some we use and some we are hoping people might purchase down the road. Having a .com for the main site is key in my opinion...most people are useto typing in .com instead of .net, .info or .org...so having those re-directed to one main place insures the consumer will get to the right place.

I like GoDaddy, that is what we have, although it is a lot of money to renew. They hook you on the 1st purchase and transfer...but it's not much money than my old company so "oh well"

Good suggestion....I am going to change my email address to my name.

Thanks for the insights, Lane. I have owned my name on a .net, but I don't think it did me much good...

Great information Lane. This should help a lot of people who are looking to extend their network. Thanks for sharing

Sincerely, ACtive CAstellum

Definitely you are right-- get ones own domain -- it is priceless.

I have had my own domain name for a great number of years now, www.luciabrooks.com. I have heard that the older your domain name is the better results you get in the search engines. I do pull very well with certain key words, like North Metro Atlanta Real Estate, so that may be true.

Also, my name combination is not very common so when anyone searches for my name I have the first page or two of results!

So, in summary, I am in total agreement with having your name as part of your domain!

Lane, thanks for the useful ino. My question is about the names like mine Faina Sechzer that are a mouthful to spell, let alone remember as a site. Any suggestions?

Hi Lane -- Good advice as the domain name space gets more crowded by the day -- even though there are new Top Level Domains (TLDs) out there, most really haven't caught on.

I had this argument with my broker. Spelling of my name is not always easy. My thought is once they try a few times and it is not it, they will give up and look up Johnsmith dot com. Its a good idea for exposure.

Good article- very thoughtful and felpful.

Thanks

Debra Cernick

Montanan Country Real Estate

lane --you are lucky you have an easy name -- when you have a name like whitebook -- it is a problem -- I get all sorts of mispelling of my last name - whitebrook, whitbook, whitbrook, whitlock, whiteboob etc etc etc.

Lane, I use to have my name as my domain. I then left the business let it expire and when I came back I was told not to use it. But now I am thinking that it would be great as my email address and it would also be great as just a "landing page". So if a person could remember me they would find all my other sites on that landing page. So I am going to do it and just have a one page with links to my other sites. Thanks for helping me make the decision!

Thanks Everyone... One thing I should make clear is that I don't think that having your real estate website at yourname.com is the most effective thing to do. First... How many people actually would think to look there? Second... It isn't the most effective for SEO.

It is a good place for a blog, or even just as a domain to use for mail... with the actual domain pointed to another site.

Dawn - My first website was (and I still own it...) LaneGetsResults.com. It would have been better if I had made it LaneGetsResultsInLilburn.com... And I wonder if there might be a negative conotation about sales with the public...

Charlie - I'll see you there.

PrestRealty - There are a lot of companies that have been scrambling in the last couple of years to pick up popular misspellings of their names.

Kristina - My old host wanted $15/year to renew... I was outta there.

Rebecca - I don't know that changing is the right thing to do... maybe just add...

Brian - For direct type in... .new isn't the key. Search Engines don't care.

Castelum - Thanks.

Bob & Carol - I think it is good to control..

Lucia - You might consider some other domains, too...

Faina - Own it if you can. But maybe using something a little easier would be better. CallFaina.com is available... And I bet you could come up with something better. JustFaina.com is too.

Chris - We fear change. We are comfortable with .com, .net, .org... Some of the others will catch on.

Marty - Either you could own a few common misspellings, or you could use something based on Marty...

Debra - you are welcome.

Lane - Great points and good tips for domain names ! I think we own close to a dozen names which is not bad... maybe it is time to get some more !

Joan - Don't JUST have one domain. You could get a few of the common variations, or you could play off of your area and just use Joan@JoanWhitebook.com for email.

Jo - I am going to be doing something like that with LaneBailey.info.

Chris & Stephanie - I have a few more than that... and then there are property sites...

Lane - I have a lot of domain names too including my own name. Many of them point to my primary website and others I use for specific niche markets. If there are keywords that are highly searched in your market area, it's a good idea to see if those domains are available too. I also heard long ago that purchasing misspelled keywords are a good idea too because you just never know what someone might be typing in the search bar.

Good information. I also use domain names for specific address listings. My sellers love that too.

Yep, I have a lot of domains, and I point them to my main site.

My question though is, if it is just a pointing domain, it doesnt carry much searchability (or findability) without content right ?

That piece I'm not so clear on ?

But for marketing, yes, owning a domain that you can promote for a niche, is definitely good IMO.

Cheers !

Sheldon

Dear Lane,

Very nice concise post. Periodically, I worry about these things. I have several domain names up for renewal. With all of that, I haven't claimed my own name.

Guess I better do it!

Thanks,

Barbara

I finally cleaned out my domain account this past fall. I had many names which I had bought for purposed and events which either ended or didnt ever happen. I had all set to auto-renew, which is a nice feature, as long as you purge your useless domains before paying for them each year.

Lane: Great post... I have my own name.com and this is a great idea to use it for e-mail. Just need to set something up.

Thanks for the info. I have my own domain name, but for my website, not my e-mail. I should prob. check into that. Thanks!

I am the King of my domain and a few other Agents domains as well.

great topic. i own 72 of my own. One for every town in my county. the question is whether they'll payoff. we shall see.

That was a great post and I have always thought about owning my own domain for my name but never really saw how advantageous it could be. Your blog has brought me over the edge and I will now get it.

I'm a domain jukie, Lane. I bought like 15 for my husband and I last year. I haven't used them yet, but I own them if I need them. They are too cheap to have someone else snap them up and compete against me.

It is a great point. I am just using it as a blogging platform for the time being....but it works......

Your name as a domain name is okay but it is better to have your keywords that you want to be found in as your domain name.

Lane - I'll never forget when I got my first domain. I had that "kingly" feeling for awhile. That was until I asked myself the question, "Now what the Hell do I do?" It was right after that, I realized how heavy the head is, that wears the crown:-)

Lane, thanks for bringing up this important topic. I agree with you completely. I love GoDaddy.com's great price and awesome service! They are certainly the best in the field. Your point about being able to control your domain name is critical. Dont' rely on your broker -- you should build your own business! I use domain forwarding just for that purpose.

And now I see why all the good domain names are taken -- between you and Matt! ;) Join my new AR group and post your blog at http://activerain.com/groups/virtualoffice

I let my broker buy my domain on an initial marketing package they offered. What a mistake. Your advice is solid and I am going to pick up a couple of domains to own myself. Sometimes a deal isn't really all that it is cropped up to be in the end.

Good post, I own my name and also several others that pertain to different cities. www.lawrenceburghomesinfo.com, www.lexingtonhomesinfo.com, www.versailleshomesinfo.com, and so on. I have nine right now and have been thinking of picking up some more. We have been listing and selling HUD owned properties so I am thinking of something to do with that, but I have to be careful not to misrepresent myself. Good luck to all with their domains!

Lane,

Having your name.com is great...but as you correctly point out, most people don't know to search by your name. Buying up the niche domains and pointing them to your main site seems to be the key to success here. Good post.

Lane, Ditto to what that crazy Brit, Sheldon said. I own several domain names, all pointed to my main site. Does that do anything? I'm a Godaddy fan as well! I should use my web site for email I guess. Hummm...Now I need to rethink that one. Great tips, as always :)

Hi Lane. Thanks for the great post. I also use my name BarbaraCanada.com for my website. I also want to purchase a few domain names that are specific to the neighboorhoods where I work.

I've had my name dot com for ten years and use it for my email as well. It's very easy for people to remember. To counter what some others have said, I've found it works very well for Google searches.

On a side note, someone above said they had purchased other agent's names. Many years ago a local team did that. Two of those agents (whose names had been purchased) sued the team and won. The courts ruled that it was stealing someone's name and not allowed.

Lane, I'm sorta a domain junky. I own many, not quite as many as matt obviously but when I think of one, I grab it so no one else can.

I do prefer agents use a professional email address. Fortunately my name is not that common so no problem getting it.

Unfortunately, there are a few other Tim Bradley's and all of them are more famous than me, at least according to Google. Sigh.

Hi, Lane - Cognrats on the little gold star. Good advice for all of us.

FEB

Last year when I was taking courses for my GRI, we were encouraged to get our domains for email, website or branding. Your email looks professional no ads in email from yahoo, hotmail etc or if you use your company's email. If you use brokers email then you leave and past clients try to reach you via email, your old broker would get the lead and not you. I'm still thinking about getting other domains for niche areas, working on variations of names of area.

great info on domain names - at the low cost today - they are a great investment and the longe ryou keep it the more valuable it becomes

Lane, good advice and thank you for the tip about the .mobi extension and GoDaddy sale.

http://www.PoconoLandAndHomes.com

Hi Lane,

First off, I love the name of this post, very funny from a Seinfeld fan! Just last night I initiated getting a new e-mail address of randi@randisteckler.com. I nevre thought of adding more domains that link to my site, but now I plan to do that also.It makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the great ideas!

I own my domain name, but nobody can spell it so I never did anything with it. But now you have me thinking of other options for a couple of m,arketing events we have coming up. Thanks!

Hi Lane,

Thanks for the information. I am new to the real estate business. We talked about the godaddy site in the ABR class I attended and Alex highly recommends that we as agents do get our own domain.

Thanks

I don't know that I'd recommend GoDaddy, as there are other registrars where you will 'own' your domain rather than renting it from GoDaddy. NetworkSolutions comes to mind. Its a little more expensive, but just like other decisions, it comes down to lease versus buy.

Once you get the domain(s), you can get hosting for very reasonable prices these days. I recently moved over to a new company where I paid under $60.00 per year, and that includes multiple email addresses. Yourname@yourname.com is much more professional than yournamerealtor@yahoo.com , don't you think? And you can set it up so you can check your email via Outlook, or on a Windows Mobile phone or other smartphone. I actually can check my email on my iPhone.

These are some very important steps to starting your online presence.

Lane,

This is great information. I own my own domain, www.lisaudy.com, it really helps people remember my email address (lisa@liasudy.com). I just bought five more domains, and am in the process of getting them set up. Thanks for the great tips on how to use them.

Donna - Keywords in the domain are powerful tools. Of course, they don't replace content... But they are a STRONG addition.

Tammy - I have done a couple of single property blogs.. And sellers love them... and so do buyers.

Sheldon - I wouldn't hold it for searchability as much as memorability. But, I have a domain that is pointed to a subdomain in my site. It ranks.

Barbara - I always sweem to have a domain name up for renewal... I need to start renewing them for longer. That also helps SEO. But then I would forget about them.

Robert - That is very true. Maybe have specific ones auto-renew and others... not so much.

Roland - Email... blog... resume... tap it in to all of your social networks...

Kristi - It is a good presentation for a prospective client.

Scott - Be careful with that. Owning their names could get you into trouble... Dominating search terms ethically won't.

Jaime - 72 towns would be too many for me to really know well enough to be an expert.

Fred - Have fun.

Karen - I might buy the domain names for my kids... just so they will have them.

Tim - That is what I use my primary name domain for... works for me.

Russ - Do both. One multiple domains.

Myrl - That is funny... and some of us wear a LOT of crowns.

Regina - There are plenty of names. It just takes a little creativity... and terminology changes too.

Sabrina - I think it is a place all of us pass through before we become domain hogs.

Melinda - Having domains that are tasked to special things is a good idea...

Hal - I agree.

Elizabeth - Thanks.

Barbara - I think that you would NEED to have some neighborhood sites so you don't get leads from Canada. ;^ )

Elaine - I think in your case that quality content may be overpowering any lack of SEO from an unrelated name. I rank pretty well on my name... But it isn't because of my name.

Missy - I learned something new today...

Tim - What about using your name and adding something to it...

Margaret - I was starting to wonder about all of these comments.. ;^ )

Eva - Exactly.

Randall - Some pick up value... some, not so much.

Renee - You are welcome.

Marlene - I'm glad to have sparked some creativity within you.

Brenda - After a while, they are like potato chips. You can't have just one.

Dan - Odd. I can take my domains and leave GoDaddy... I don't understand why you think I am just leasing them there. And I don't know if you recall the front running issue with NS. They would lock you out of buying a domain elsewhere if it was searched for on their site. That's who I would rather do business with..

So, why do you refer to GoDaddy as leasing domains?

Ed - I think so.

Lisa - Cool, and you are welcome. sh

Lane: Thanks for the info. I have my own domain name but haven't really used it. Guess I'll rethink that now. Also, I purposely set up all of my domains to be consistent with the .net because some of the names I wanted with .com were taken. So, my thought was, trying to keep it less confusing, just go with all .net I realize it may not be as great as .com but I've done ok with it. I try to use a catch phrase such as, remember me as your safety net and then you will remember that all of my websites end with .net Seems to work ok. I do wonder though how much better I might be coming out if I could have gotten all .com extensions.

Very interesting.....I have purchase many domain names, and they all point to one website. I probably should scout out somemore! Thank you.

FEB

Lane,

congrats on the post. I had been pondering whether to buy more domain names. I went to godaddy.com today and bought a few more. I was glad when I saw your post. It made me feel better about the money I spent. Thanks for sharing.

FEB

Thanks Lane for the advice. There are several names I have been thinking about. I just need to go out and get them. Then think of something else...

I only have a few names, but they all tye into my company name (I'm the broker/owner). I don't need hundreds and intodays economic environment I don't care for those large renewal fees when you have a multitude of domain names. But the post brings out good points that can be learned from.