What’s in a domain name – Your Target Market

I have recently been working with a few agents on their websites, specifically blogs, and when it came to the URL, the debate began. Most agents have their own domain name, usually something like their full name or brokername/agentname and want to keep it that way. Well while it’s fine to keep it’s typically not what a person is searching for and doesn’t help too much in the way of Google ranking.

This might be obvious to some but it’s worth pointing out that since most people searching for properties online will be using keywords such as “bay area condos” or “new home in fremont” or whatever they are looking for and, as a result, domain names should reflect the keyword phrase versus a vanity domain.

Focusing on a target market is a fundamental principle of marketing and essential in any go-to-market strategy. It will force an agent to know who their prospects are as well as those that are not.

As an agent, you will use this as a guide for all of your branding, domain name, collateral and will ultimately help position you as the expert.

The reason you need to focus on a market is to:

• Have a compelling sales message (this is your message to market)
• Stand out from other agents in the area
• Know that prospects will continue to narrow down their search until they find what they are looking for in an agent or a property

As it relates to your online presence, I recommend a top level URL as your domain name. By this I mean something like www.bestsiliconvalleyrealestate.com and not just your name or a page buried deep down in a broker site.

In order best determine your domain name you need to focus on a set of keywords that pertain to your market focus.

Take the time to answer these questions as they will help you to come up with a relevant focus and possible domain name:

• Do you serve people in a specific area only?
  • i.e. bay area or silicon valley
• What type of properties do you specialize in?
  • luxury homes
  • waterfront or mountain properties
  • farms
  • income producing
  • condos or town homes
  • etc.
• Do you target a specific demographic?
  • first time home buyers
  • senior citizens
  • investors or hedge fund managers
  • empty nesters
  • spanish speakers
  • etc.

I would use the answers to these questions to start forming the foundation of your domain name.

There are plenty of places to research but a simple one to get started is Nameboy to  and enter in a couple of keywords and see what comes up – you might be surprised.