What is a domain name?
It's just the website address for your site, like www.TotallySuperAgent.com. You'll need to buy one, but they are inexpensive, usually under $15 per year for a .com address.
Where do I get a domain name?
There are many domain name registrars out there. I personally use GoDaddy.com. Even if you haven't used a registrar before, you’ve probably heard of them because of their Super Bowl and other commercials with GoDaddy Girls Dana Patrick, Jillian Michaels and others. They are very reasonably priced, and have an easy-to-use control panel for managing your domains.
Another well-known domain name registrar is NameCheap.com. They've been in the news a lot lately, as they took advantage of GoDaddy's initial support of the unpopular SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) to convince people to transfer their domains to them.
Either of these sites will provide everything you need to purchase and manage your domain names. You can also search for possible domain names to see if they are available, right from their main pages.
How many domain names should I buy?
You can get by with just your "main" domain name, and most sites do. You can, however, "point" additional domain names to your website. For example your main site could be www.TotallySuperAgent.com, but you could also buy www.janeyjackson.com, www.anytownrealestate.com, etc, and point them all to the same page. I would recommend buying your own name if it's available, plus a descriptive name for your site.
Is there anything obvious I need to avoid?
Yes! As you're looking up possible domain names, you will probably think of some with the word Realtor in them. Remember that this is a trademarked term, and the National Association of Realtors has some fairly strict rules on how it can be used in domain names. Check the NAR rules regarding usage before registering a name using that word! You don’t want to spend money and time creating and promoting a website, only to have to change your domain name because of a trademark violation.
Should I use .com, .org, .net, .info, or another extension?
For search engine purposes, there really shouldn't be any difference between www.TotallySuperAgent.com, www.TotallySuperAgent.org, www.TotallySuperAgent.net, and www.TotallySuperAgent.info. However, the .com extension seems to have acquired the image of the "standard" web site address (am I the only one old enough to remember when .edu sites were considered top of the line, and .com sites were considered, well... kind of crass?). I'd get the .com if it's available, and only get one of the others if the .com holder is not a local competitor.
If your site largely consists of podcasts or video, you might consider the .fm or .tv extension as well, although those are going to be more expensive than a .com address.
So, what do I do now?
Go over to GoDaddy.com or NameCheap.com, and buy a good domain name or two.
Next time, Choosing a Web Host...
Originally posted on my RealEstateToolsOnline Blog.
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