One of the first steps in creating a successful internet marketing campaign is to choose a domain name that accurately reflects your real estate business.
The process of naming your domain can be creative and fun, but you need to be careful, or you might use strategies that will turn people away from your website.
There are some easy mistakes to make, but it’s just as easy to avoid them.
Definitions
This part can be skipped if the reader is completely web-savvy. Otherwise, the following terms will be explained using Fictional Properties as an example.
A domain name is a name that is associated with an IP address. For example, if you type in “Fictional Properties” into a browser, it will look for the IP address that is associated with that name.
After the browser performs some magic, it takes you to the webpage.
Domain names are important. The different levels of domains will be discussed later, but you generally only have to worry about the top level domain, “Fictional Properties.”
An IP address is a unique identifier assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing.
VPNs have become increasingly popular as they allow users to hide their real IP address by assign them an IP address from another region or country.
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is a complete web address that directs people to a specific page. It contains a protocol, a domain, and a path.
For example, the protocol is https://, the subdomain is www, and the domain name is fictionalproperties.com.
The path is the route you take to get to a specific page on a website. For example, the path to a home page is typically the shortest and easiest route to take.
If you put all the parts of the website address together, it would look something like this: https://www.fictionalproperties.com/home-page.
If you enter only the subdomain and domain name (www.fictionalproperties.com), you will be taken to the home page.
The extension of a website is used to identify what type of website it is. For example, a .gov extension means that the website is run by the American government.
The most common website extension is .com, while .edu is specific to educational websites. .net is less common, and generally cheaper to buy. You can also choose to create your own extension, such as .broker.
Would you like to have https://www.fictionalproperties.broker as your website? The .broker extension is a top level domain extension.
There are other top level domains, but unless you are selling properties overseas or have a compelling reason, you don’t need to worry about any of the others.
A web host is a platform where your website lives. The web host provides the technologies and services that allow your website to be viewed on the internet. Websites are stored on computers called servers.
This text offers tips on how to select domains for a real estate company that will attract visitors to the site. Some of the suggestions include conducting research on popular keywords and using relevant terms in the domain name.
Guide to Choosing the Right Real Estate Domain Name
First, does your domain name matter for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?
A domain name that is optimized for SEO is one that is more likely to be clicked on when it appears in search engine results.
When you are thinking about your brand, you should also think about your keywords and how they can influence your search ranking.
Exact Match Domain Names
An exact match domain is when you use the same words in your domain as the phrase you’re looking to rank in Google for.
For example, if you want your website to appear as one of the top search results for the phrase “Las Vegas foreclosure properties,” and you own the domain LasVegasForeclosureProperties.com, which I do, then I can tell you from experience that it is possible to achieve a high ranking for that phrase… Las Vegas foreclosure properties at one time.
A 2012 Google update resulted in low-quality websites being banned from search results. This website had the same keywords in the domain as the keywords I was looking to rank for.
Google believes that having your exact keywords in your domain name will not improve your SEO unless you also have high-quality, unique content on your website.
How Do You Choose the Right Real Estate Domain Name?
Choose domain names by thinking of a topic that you are passionate about and then find creative ways to describe it.
If you think that there are no good domain names left, think again. There are still plenty of good domain names out there.
Try not to overthink when choosing a domain name. If your keywords are in the domain, that’s great, but it shouldn’t be the only reason you choose the domain.
Buy a domain that you like, buy a domain that kind of follows some of these criteria:
- It’s simple.
- It has as few letters as you can get in it.
- Try to avoid dashes.
- Include your location.
- Make it easy to remember.
- Use a .com or .net.
Best Advice for Generating Catchy Real Estate Domain Names
A domain name is your identity on the web; it’s how your website will be found. So take some time to choose a name that reflects your business or personal brand, and is easy to remember and pronounce. Domain names can be up to 63 characters long, and can include letters, numbers, and hyphens. Some domain name ideas to keep in mind: -Your name or a variation of it -Your business or brand name -Your product or service -An industry keyword -A city or geographic location -A hobby or interest -Something memorable or catchy Consider the following when choosing your domain name: -Keep it short and easy to remember -Make it relevant to your business or personal brand -Use keywords that describe your business or industry -Avoid using hyphens
Length — Keep it Short
Choose a short domain name that is not already in use. Try to find a name that is two or three words long at most. Look up your chosen domain name on Google to see if any other businesses in your area are using it.
It’s important for your realtor domain name to be easy to remember, since you want people to be able to recall it easily. A shorter name is also more practical, since it will fit more easily on a business card. The goal of an effective realtor domain name is to create a professional impression.
It’s important to have a domain name that is consistent with your brand identity. A domain name that is short, but well-chosen, will help to create a strong brand. Your brand will be enhanced by having powerful content on your website. This will help you generate leads.
Simplicity
Use simpler, more common words in your domain name to make it easier for people to spell and find.
Do not use non-standard spellings of common words in your domain name. Additionally, do not use double letters such as “SS” or “LL”. If many people spell your name incorrectly, do not use it as your domain name.
Naming protocols
Unless you have a famous name or are a high-profile real estate agent, using only your name in your domain name won’t improve your website’s search engine results. Avoid using generic names like “John Smith” for your domains.
Most people still use location-based keywords when searching for available properties.
A name such as “Homes in Your City” is an excellent choice for a domain name, because it is very likely that prospective clients will attempt to find you online using a search engine such as Google. Even if you are not the company that they are originally looking for, a generic name such as this may help generate new leads and customers.
You don’t need to use the word “real estate” on your domain name for your website if you’re a realtor, but it might help. It’s probably not necessary to use the phrase “real estate agent,” though. You can focus your website on a specific location and use words that people would use when they’re searching online for properties that are for sale.
Names You Cannot Use
If you want to use the word “realtor” in your domain name, you will need to get permission from the National Association of Realtors. This is a trademarked term and the NAR does not allow it to be used by anyone except their members.
Choose a descriptive name
You should choose a realtor domain name that describes your target market and contains keywords that potential clients would search for. This is a common but very effective SEO practice.
If you want to create a name that is both unique and searchable, you should focus on choosing a keyword that is relevant to your brand or target market.
Many realtors find that common, effective words to use in their brand name are words like “homes,” “source,” “properties,” and “real estate,” which can be combined with their brand name or initials and the name of the local area they specialize in.
Keywords
People nowadays use google to search for things instead of using the yellow pages. For example, if someone is looking for a real estate agent, they would type in “real estate agent” or “listing agent” into the google search bar.
Using keyword generators will help you to improve your ranking on search engines. This is because keywords are relevant words that are frequently used by people when searching for something. Therefore, by using keywords, you are more likely to appear higher up on the list of results that a search engine provides.
A good way to come up with a real estate domain name is to think of a name that would be easy for people to search for on Google. For example, you might want to choose a name like “Big Apple Properties” because it would be easy for people to find when they search for that term.
Brand Name
Use your brand in your real estate domain name to create a strong marketing presence.
Check your domain name for unintended meanings
You need to decide on a real estate company name which won’t form any unintended words when written down in small letters without spaces. For example, you need to avoid domain names like mitchellhousemavens.com which inadvertently contain the phrase “hell house”. Keep in mind that real estate companies need family-friendly domain names.
Get a trusted friend to look at your planned website name. If they react with amusement or confusion, you might want to start again.
Website name
If you want people to be able to find your real estate website easily, it’s important to have a website name that matches your brand name as closely as possible. You can check to see if any expired URLs would work as domains.
Good Enough
It is better to have a basic domain name than to have no domain name at all. Do not spend all your time coming up with a complicated but great domain name; catchiness is helpful, but simplicity is better.
Getting Ready to Buy Your Domain
Now that you have considered all the various factors, come up with several concepts for your real estate domain names. The next step is to make sure that the internet will accept your options.
Use a domain authority checker to see how a domain name might be perceived by search engines like Google. If the checker gives your first choice a low rating, choose a different domain name.
Buying a Real Estate Business Domain Name
After you have your real estate business set up legally, you will want to buy a domain for it.
If you’re confident that your chosen domain name is a good fit for your business, begin the purchase process.
- and buy the domain name you want Visit a domain registrar site (such as the one run by Google) and purchase the desired domain name.
- Type in the name you want for your real estate website and see if it can be used.
- Purchase it or choose another one that’s available
- Fill out the online information
Congratulations on your new domain name! However, there are several other steps you can take to protect your name.
Lock down your primary domain name and its alternatives
To protect your online branding, it is advisable to purchase and take control of all the popular extensions of your domain name such as “.com”, “.org”, and “.net.” This will protect you from people who buy domain names with the intention of selling them for a profit.
If, for example, you own the domain names of fictionalproperties.net and fictionalproperties.com, but you use fictionalproperties.broker, you can set things up so that the .net and .com URLs are redirected to your .broker page.
This will also ensure that other company websites will not be able to rank higher on search results by buying variations of your domain name.
If your domain name is bought by other companies with different extensions, your market might get confused about which website is yours and you might lose potential business.
Buy commonly misspelled domains
If someone misspells the website they’re looking for, search engines like Google usually suggest the correct one. However, since there’s no guarantee they’ll be redirected to the real estate website, it’s important to also buy domain names that are very close to yours.
If you have a domain name with a common misspelling, you may want to buy the domain with the misspelling so that your website can still receive traffic from people who enter the URL with the incorrect spelling.
If you want to buy the real estate domain names of fictional properties, you may want to buy the domain names of fictionalproperty, fictionproperties, etc., along with all their .com and .net iterations.
After completing the aforementioned steps, you can then proceed to creating your website.
