How To Choose A Domain Name – by Saul Klein

by James Robert Deal | Sep 15, 2018 | Real Estate Broker | 0 comments

Choosing Your Domain in the Age of Dot ANYTHING

Written by Saul Klein Posted On Friday, 14 September 2018 13:00

· https://realtytimes.com/real-industry-news-articles/item/1019999-choosing-your-domain-in-the-age-of-dot-anything

As the Internet continues to mature, the addition of more TLDs will continue. What that means for businesses large and small, is that it is time to develop an alternative domain name strategy, or more correctly, a parallel domain and Internet strategy.

Begin by finding a domain name that is creative, memorable and relevant to your brand. A key part of a domain name is the top-level domain extension, that is, the part coming after the dot, such as .shop for eCommerce; .press for media and news; .loan for finance; .law for legal; .bank for banks; or .me for personal; etc.

It is a safe bet that some of the most desirable names may already be taken, so be creative. Your domain name may very well become how the world refers to your company both online and in the real world. Don’t make it confusing for website visitors to figure out what your business does. Say it all with a great domain name.

Choosing the right domain name for yourself or your business is a big decision. Your domain name is more than the words you type into the browser, it’s the foundation for your online identity. Here are some tips:

1. Once you choose the most relevant top-level domain extension, then focus your creative juices on crafting the best description for the words in the domain that come before the dot, such as commercial.loans or beachfront.realestate

2. The easier your domain is to communicate and remember, the better. Shorter is better. Make it pronounceable. Don’t include hyphens; don’t include numbers (because people will forget whether it is the number 7 or the word seven); don’t include words that are not spelled how they sound; avoid difficult abbreviations just to make the domain shorter; same with text slang like U for you or 2 for to.

3. Be memorable. Your name should come to a person’s mind after they have seen it on a billboard or the side of a truck, even if they lost your business card. Customers will be finding your website URL address on email, flyers, newsletters, search queries so make it stickable. The more you or your company can tell a story with its domain, the better. Put on your marketing cap and make a list of five possible choices.

4. Your domain is one of the best places to use keywords. You’ll want to condense them and place them closer to the beginning of your domain; SkyDivingTours.com is better than ToursForSkyDiving.com

5. Be careful about trademark or copyright violations– another reason why it might be safer to use your personal name or business name as part of your domain.

6. Double-check social media to make sure any relevant social media handles are still available, thus making it easier for visitors to find your business on social media. Use “namcheckr” to quickly check the availability of your name across a wide variety of social sites.

7. Once you decide on purchasing the domain name you want, act quickly because it is “first come first served”—also, consider selecting “auto-renew” or registering for multiple years so you don’t forget to renew; also, if you opt for the Privacy feature, anyone searching the Whois records will not be able to find your name, address or phone number.

8. Do it today.

Now is the time to take advantage of the opportunities opening up on the next generation of the Internet. Even if you have a well-established .com domain, consider the opportunity to be among the first to obtain an additional digital identity, one that has semantic value and stronger marketing appeal for you and your brand. Once again, it is “First Come, First Served” in the domain world, so explore and reserve your new TLD domain name of choice now and not wait until someone else grabs it. There is a domain land rush going on. With more choices, it is just more subtle. If you previously failed to secure the .com name you wanted, don’t miss the boat this time.

You can read more from our series: "From Dot Com to Not Com in the Age of Dot Anything"

Article 1: A Brief History of “Domain Names” as the Evolution and Acceptance of “Not Coms” Continues
Article 2: Domain Names Represent Brands and Virtual Destinations…And Can Have Huge Value
Article 3: Navigating the "New Internet" and Why We Need New TLDs
Article 4: A Thousand Plus Top Level Domains for What? Who Cares? Google Does!

Article 5: Driving Awareness and Adoption of New Top Level Domains (TLDs)

Saul Klein

In 1948, doctors told my father that his life aboard submarines on war patrol in the South Pacific and the depth charging he experienced had rendered him sterile. Although controversial and not widely applied, he was treated with an Ayurvedic therapy called “shivambu.” If you are unfamiliar with this term, I recommend you Google it because against all odds, I came to exist.

That was a loony segue into my life but is a fitting precursor to a career that would be just as incredible.

Like my father, I joined the Navy. However, due to a medical inconvenience, I was honorably discharged after 6 years of commissioned service, all on Sea Duty. This was an opportune misfortune that led me down the path to a successful career in real estate. Both my father and grandfather flirted in real estate brokering and flipping part-time, and I followed suit but making a lifelong career out of it.

With over 40 years in real estate, it is impossible to talk about my experiences in this small window. But I can proudly say that I am well-recognized as an industry pioneer, especially in real estate syndication and education, and one of the few luminaries that paved the way for real estate’s transition to the online world.

Some highlights of my life’s work:
● Co-created ePRO, technology certification course that certified 70,000 students
● Created the first online communities for real estate professionals to network, learn, and sell
● Created "Opt Out" Listing Syndication, aggregating over 1.4 Million Listings in 18 months
● Built the #2 National Listing Syndication Service, Point2 Technologies, sold to Yardi in 2010
● Founder of the California Association of Buyer’s Agents
● Member of the first REALTOR.com Team, pre-IPO, responsible for obtaining first 500,000 listings
● Helped Zillow and Trulia build up their MLS data inventory