If you have a website, then you're already somewhat familiar with domain names. Chances are, you had to scour GoDaddy.com to find your very first domain name way back in the day, right? I'm willing to bet that your domain name falls into one of three categories: it's cute and catchy, it's your name, or it's your company name. Well, while those are nice and easy to remember, they are not helping you at all. And I'm going to tell you why.

A domain name is your address on the internet. And while I would love for people to just write The Fogarty Residence on my mail and expect the Post Office to deliver it, I know that's not going to happen. Just like with you, a person can't just type in Real Estate Agent in their search box and find you. I am not the only Fogarty residence and you are not the only real estate agent. So you need to be more specific when you buy your domain names.

First let me tell you something many people surprisingly don't know. You can have lots of domain names and they can all go to the same website. And CyberSunshine will take care of the technical parts and make sure they all go to your website. Cool, right? So you can keep your catchy, cutesy url and not worry that it isn't helping you. In fact, I recommend that you have at least one cute domain name and possibly your name too if you're lucky enough to find it. You want people to be able to type in something short and sweet to find you as well. Plus, a long, annoying url won't fit too nicely on your business cards.

The purpose of owning numerous domain names is that you can have a variety of keywords. I'm going to make up a fake client and use them as an example. My client, Mary Mack, is a real estate agent in Oakland Park, Florida. That's a subdivision of Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County. It doesn't matter what company she works for. Her current (and only) domain name is MackRealty.com. Here are the additional domain names I would suggest she buy:

• MaryMack.com
• OaklandParkRealEstate.com
• BrowardFloridaRealEstate.com
• OaklandParkRealEstateHome.com
• FortLauderdaleRealEstateProperties.com

She can add words like Home or Properties to any of those domain names if needed. The reason she would need to do this is because sometimes, names like OaklandParkRealEstate.com are already taken. So in that case, I'd suggest she buy OaklandParkRealEstateHome.com or OaklandParkRealEstateProperties.com, or even OaklandParkFloridaRealEstateHome.com.

Here are some domain names I would not recommend:

• Oakland-Park.net
• OaklandParkRealty.tv
• Broward.County.Florida.com

There are several things wrong with these domain names. First, you do not want dashes or dots or anything else that is not a useful letter. The words should always be spelled correctly (unless you have a name that is commonly misspelled. In that case, buy the correct and incorrect spellings), and should never have anything in between them. Don't use the word Realty. That's not a great keyword. People don't search for Realty, they search for Real Estate. And finally, do not buy a domain name that ends with anything other than .com. If you learn nothing else from this, please remember that one. The .com names are the best.

Now for the reason why you actually want domain names that are long and obnoxious and full of keywords. Say you're looking for real estate in Oakland Park. You're most likely to type in Oakland Park Real Estate, right? Well if OaklandParkRealEstate.com is your domain name, that is the strongest keyword on your entire website. So in terms of SEO, that domain name is going to be very helpful.

So basically, when you buy domain names, try to think like a consumer. If someone were to search for what you're selling, what exactly would they type into the search box? That's the question you need to ask yourself. And if all else fails and you need some help, let me know and I will be happy to assist you.

Labels: Custom Websites, Domain Names, Real Estate SEO for Beginners

Earlier today I was browsing Facebook like I normally do, just to see what everyone else in the Real Estate blogging world was doing, when I came across this group. I found it to be a fairly interesting concept, so I did some additional research on the matter. It seems that people are using sites like Moniker.com to "flip" domain names.

No, I'm not kidding. Apparently there is a broad and vast market for domain names. Not surprisingly, either. I recently had a client who badly wanted to buy NaplesRealEstate.com, and of course, it was not available. She was able to find other domain names that were suitable to her needs, so it all worked out.

With the recent flux in SEO concerns, people are buying up domain names by the dozens just to keep their competitors from owning them. It's getting cut-throat out there, too! Since we're based in Fort Myers, FL, we have a lot of clients that are selling in Fort Myers, Naples, and other Southwest Florida communities (we do have clients all over the world as well, but I can't speak on their behalf since I don't see as much of the competition in other parts as I do in my own backyard). With our clients alone, I see the need for better and more keyword-rich domain names, simply to improve their searchability (is that a word?). So I know real estate agents all over the world are dealing with this issue too.

I find it fascinating that the market for a non-tangible item is so hot! It seems that the domain name market is most definitely a seller's market right now. So if you have domain names that don't benefit you (based on your keywords), and you don't want to hold onto them any longer, you could potentially turn a profit. There is always somebody, somewhere, that wants what you have.

Labels: Domain Names, News, Real Estate Blog