Do most of you use your name for your website address? I thought of a name but I have seen most realtors use their personal name. I want to create my website & I want some input on this subject.

Thanks.

I actually chose not to use my name for my website. I think that in my marketing/promotional materials, it is much easier to market DreamLV.com rather than market firstnamelastname.com (which to me, screams that you are really desperate for business, even if you aren't).

The name of the website also allows me to attach marketing themes and/or slogans (like "Live the Lifestyle of Your Dreams") to the site, without having to look for a creative "play" on my first or last name...

I currently use my name for my website, but I am thinking about changing it to my business name. I think that it would fair better in the search engines. Right now it is nancyruben.net , but who is going to search for that right? If I change it to anassistantoncall.com , my business name, it would come up for people searching for assistants.

Likewise, putting a website in your name is not a bad idea, but I have found that with some of my agents, it is "search engine helpful", to put the area you serve in your website title. For example, if you serve Augusta, Georgia, your title could be augustageorgiahomes4sale.com (dont know if this is taken, sorry if it is! just an example!) and when someone searches for Augusta homes in Georgia, it will scream to the search engines, PICK ME!

Also, when people plug names into a search query, you get this long list of results back, your name may not jump out at them as much as a location would.

Just some of my thoughts! Hope it helps!

I think the yourname.com is good if your name is short and memorable.

Domains like cityrealestatehome.com or wesellcityhomes.com are too generic and easy to forget. I noticed this when I was doing research in my market and looking at the PPC advertisings. There were so many of them that just sounded all the same that I ended up click on the same old ones without realizing I've already been there. It'll be the same problem with your visitors.

Unless you can get cityhomes.com or cityrealestate.com or something similarly short and memorable, or if you have a different name for your business than your real name, I would advise on yourname.com

Yeah, Ron, that is a good point. You dont want too over used and memorable is the key.

You can always have a few domain names and have them re-directed to your main site. That's what I do.

My website is either:

www.LenMcGuirk.com
www.LasVegasUpscale.com
www.UpscaleLasVegas.com

There is so much competition locally that I don't necessarily expect to come up in the top of search engine results on a search for my area; I expect to send out farm cards with mynamesells.com and an email addy of me@mynamesells.com. It will be easy for them to spell, remember, and pronounce. All the "localized" domain names are taken and have been for some time. One of the pioneers in the area gobbled up twenty or so domains (back before they were cheap!)

I expect though that my name, will come up in the top. I have heard that name recognition is key - so if they remember my name from my business cards, car signs, postcards, or ads, then they can type in my name and "realtor" or "real estate" and find me pretty easy.

Plus, my domain name and email address will be 100% portable if I relocate.

I use shankhomes.com.