Choosing an Effective Domain Name for Your Real Estate Website
A rose by any other name smells as sweet. A domain name for a real estate website, however, isn’t so interchangeable.
It’s a small piece of your realtor website, but it communicates volumes about your business: who you are, what you offer, where you’re located, and who you serve, among others. Chosen well, your domain name will not only engender trust but it can also enhance your visibility online.
For this reason, choosing a domain name is both an art and a science – and this guide will show you how to arrive at one that puts your brand in the best light.
How to choose the perfect domain name for real estate websites
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What exactly is a domain name?
If you were a driver and the internet was a highway, the domain name is the address you key into the navigation system to reach your destination. If your address is www.renoluxuryliving.com, its three components are:
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www – the subdomain
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renoluxuryliving – the second-level domain
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.com – the top-level domain
Take note that you can’t change the subdomain, but you are free to choose the second-level domain (which you can brand) and top-level domain (for example, .net is less common and, thus, less expensive).
How to choose the best realtor domain names
As you’re brainstorming domain names for real estate websites, keep the following tips in mind.
Keep it short
Shorter is better: about two or three words max. The shorter your domain name, the easier it is to both remember and type into a search bar.
Focus on simplicity
Avoid complicated or uncommon words. For example, “Renaissance Abodes” has a deluxe ring to it, but both words are not exactly common and might be challenging to type out. Avoid quirky or non-standard spelling of common words (e.g. “haus” instead of “house”) as well.
If everyone misspells your name, it might not make for a great domain name. Instead of Joachim Czaplinsky, you can opt for something more branded like “Vegas Luxury Realty.”
Identify your target market
Choose a descriptive domain name that identifies your target market. Those who deal with high-net-worth clients would be wise to include “luxury” in their domain names, for example. Do you deal in a specific kind of property, such as condos or commercial real estate? That’s something worth adding to your domain name, too.
Location, location, location
For greater search visibility, you could also include the market you specialize in. This is especially helpful if name recognition or branding alone can’t get you the visibility you need. It’s also good SEO practice since your domain name reflects the search phrases prospective clients use.
Keep SEO in mind
Speaking of SEO, incorporating niche keywords into your domain name can make your website easier to find online. For example, agents who specialize in ranches or ski resorts would do well to reflect that in their domain names.
That said, DO NOT overstuff your domain name with keywords for the sake of search visibility. Google has sophisticated algorithms that can identify such cheap tricks, which is why keyword-stuffed domain names tend to perform poorly on search engines.
No idea where to start with keyword strategy?
Check for unintended meanings
You may have already decided on your real estate company name. Write down the name in small letters and without spaces. Examine your domain name closely to see if it forms unintended words. For example, domain names like mitchellhousemavens.com inadvertently contain the phrase “hell house.”
Verify availability
The last thing you want is to fall in love with a domain name only to discover that someone already owns it. Before committing to a domain name, type it into a search engine and see if it brings up results. You could also check the availability of domain names via registrars such as Domain.com.
Should your desired domain name turn out to be unavailable, don’t despair: just change the top-level domain, provided it fits your brand. If LuxeRealtyATL.com isn’t available, for example, LuxeRealtyATL.homes might work as an alternative.
Check social media compatibility
Also check availability for social media handles. The idea here is that your domain name is the same (or nearly identical) as your social media handles for brand cohesion. This way, prospects know they’re dealing with the same agent or brokerage no matter which platform they find you in.
Shortlist various options
Because availability is not always guaranteed, it helps to have a handful of domain name studies on hand (if not more). That way, if one isn’t available, you have options and variations to work with.
Buying a real estate business domain name
Once you’ve decided on the perfect real estate website domain name, it’s time to make it officially yours by purchasing it. Here’s how:
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Go to a domain registrar (such as Domain.com)
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Input your desired real estate domain name and see if it is available
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Purchase it or choose another one that’s available
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Fill out the online information
Congratulations! You are now the proud owner of a domain name. But now there are several other steps to protect your name.
Buy your domain name and ALL its alternatives
To protect your online branding, it is advisable to purchase all the common extensions of your domain name such as “.com”, “.org”, and “.net.” This will protect you from unscrupulous people who might buy a similar-sounding domain name who could compete with you or ride on your brand’s relevance.
Buy commonly misspelled domain names
When people misspell the website they’re looking for, search engines like Google usually suggest the correct one. But since there’s no guarantee they’ll be redirected to your real estate website, you should also buy the domain names that are misspelled but very close to yours. For example, if your domain name is “YourNewYorkHaven.com”, you might want to buy the domain name “YourNewYorkHeaven.com” just to be safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some agents have become the go-to person for their respective property markets. If you’re blessed with this name recognition, by all means, use your name in your domain. After all, a name is more personable and relatable.
Fairly new to the industry? Or have a name that’s common or similar to another professional in your area? Going the branded route might be more strategically sound. Name-based domains are only really effective if the name has clout and cache.
Yes, but only if you’re a member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). And yes, you can use the lowercase version with no registered mark (“realtor”) in your domain name because that’s the worldwide standard for URLs. Other guidelines exist for using this term in your domain name, such as not pairing it with descriptors (number1realtor.com). Read more here.
The short answer is yes; Google doesn’t see .com websites as more credible than .net ones. That said, the ubiquity of .com websites might make them more credible in the eyes of the public. As a general rule of thumb, strive to get the .com version of your domain name first before considering alternative top-level domains.
You can use domain registrars like Domain.com or NameCheap to verify availability. Simply type in your domain name and see if it is already claimed or not.
Prices vary but expect to shell out about $20 a year. Do note that cost depends on a variety of factors, including your domain name registrar, your preferred top-level domain, bundled services, and premium add-ons (like security features).
That said, you typically get a better deal if you reserve your domain for multiple years instead of renewing yearly. It also ensures that your website doesn’t inadvertently go incognito because you forgot to renew your domain name registration.
Agent Image can handle this highly technical and cumbersome process for you – yet another reason to hire a website design agency! Moreover, we will make sure that your SEO value will be retained even after your website changes its domain name.
Luckily, companies like DreamHost.com have a generator that you can use to come up with real estate website names. Similarly, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can brainstorm real estate website domain name ideas for you.
Your Next Step
Now that you have a great domain name for your realtor website, it’s time to actually build your online presence. Agent Image offers flexible packages that range from stylish theme-based websites to fully bespoke creations. Our project managers can also give you step-by-step guidance on purchasing your domain name.
For a FREE consultation, call 1.800.979.5799
or send a message here.
