Selecting the Right Domain Name

RECHANNEL Communications is a leading Verisign (Network Solutions) Partner.   VeriSign started managing the original .com domain name registry in 1988. Since then, they have registered over 25 million domain names, and handled literally billions of Internet transactions.  RECHANNEL’s partnership with Verigign ensures that you have access to the broadest inventory of available domain names and that the domain names you register are protected and secure.

• Click here to contact RECHANNEL about purchasing a domain name
• Click here for examples of current RECHANNEL customers domain names
• Click here for a list of special domain names for sale from RECHANNEL

What is a domain name?
A domain name is the website address (.com) that web users will type into their Internet Browsers (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, America Online) to open your website.  For example, RECHANNEL’s domain name is rechannel.com. 

Your domain name is also used for your email address.  For example the email address for RECHANNEL’s Real Estate Marketing System HelpDesk is HelpDesk@rechannel.com.

It is important that you have a good domain name since that is what consumers and co-workers will remember you by.

What makes a good domain name?
There really is no single definition of a good domain name.  However, there are some general guidelines to follow.

• Easy to Remember.  Good domain names are easy to remember and can be typed by prospects and co-workers without spelling mistakes.  You should be able to tell a prospect your website address while you are showing them a property and they should be able to remember it when they get home.
• Fits on Printed Materials.  To make the most out of your website, you will want to include your domain name (website address) on your business cards, flyers, For Sale Signs, mailers, classified advertisements, and other printed materials, which may have limited space.  Long names such are often hard to accommodate on the many printed materials.
• Highly Relevant.  Good domain names are highly relevant to your market and specialty.  In most markets, the #1 search term is ‘[geography] real estate’ such as Miami Real Estate, Orlando Real Estate, Portland Oregon Real Estate.  Web users who are searching the Internet are looking for websites that match those search terms.  The closer your name matches the search terms, the more likely the web user will perceive that they have found what they were looking for and click on your website.  Examples of highly relevant domain names are palmbeachrealestatecompany.com and uniquehomesofmiami.com.

Should I use my name for my domain name?
If your name is short and easy to remember and spell, you may want to consider using it for your domain name (website address).  That is especially true if you have an established client base and name-face marketplace recognition.  It is very easy to instruct a prospect over the phone to visit your website at donaldtrump.com.

However, many of the web users who find your site will not know your domain name when they start their search.  Most web users start with a Search Engine such as YAHOO, GOOGLE, AOL, or MSN and enter a search term for what they are looking for.  In most markets, the #1 search term is ‘[geography] real estate’ such as Miami Real Estate, Orlando Real Estate, Portland Oregon Real Estate.  Web users who are searching the Internet are looking for websites that match those search terms.  The closer your name matches the search terms, the more likely the web user will perceive that they have found what they were looking for and click on your website. 

To best position your website in search engine results, RECHANNEL often recommends selecting a domain name that includes keywords for your market and specialty such as palmbeachrealestatecompany.com and uniquehomesofmiami.com. 

In such cases, you may want to consider selecting both vanity (your name) and affinity (your market and specialty) domain names for your website.

What is the difference between .com, .net, .biz, .info, and .us?
During the Internet BOOM in the ‘90s, authorities worried that the supply of available domain names wasn’t sufficient to support continued growth.  Similar to adding area codes to telephone numbers under the new 10-digit dialing system now in place, the authorities created new ‘extensions’ such as .net and .info to expand the pool of unique addresses.  In most cases, RECHANNEL does not recommend purchasing domain names with extensions besides .com.  .Net extensions are also fairly common but should be used with caution as most web users will assume your website address is a .com and will find your competitors website instead.  In rare cases only do we consider registering a name in all extensions to ‘protect’ the name.  It simply is not financially feasible to do so.

Should I have more than one domain name?
In many cases, RECHANNEL recommends that you register more than one domain name for you website.  If you would like to use your name for your domain name, for example, you may also want to consider selecting a second name that includes keywords for your market and specialty such as palmbeachrealestatecompany.com.  If you specialize in more than one community, you may also want to consider selecting a domain name for each community.  Our Real Estate Marketing Specialists will evaluate your particular situation to help you select the right domain names for your website.

How do I know which domain names are available?
RECHANNEL’s Real Estate Marketing Specialists are always available to help you select the right domain name for your website and can tell you if a particular domain name is available. 

You can also check on the availability of domain names by using Verisign’s (Network Solutions) domain availability lookup tool.  (It is important that you do not purchase any domain names directly from Network Solutions or another registrar.  All domain names that will be linked to RECHANNEL websites must be registered by RECHANNEL.)

How do I purchase a domain name?
RECHANNEL Communications is a leading Verisign (Network Solutions) Partner and will register domain names you want linked to your website.  To purchase a domain name, simply notify your Account Executive of the name(s) you are interested in or contact our Real Estate Marketing System HelpDesk.  Our Real Estate Marketing Specialists will guide you through the process of selecting the right domain name for your website.