Have you ever noticed that many REALTORS^® have their own web site, separate from that of their broker? And don't those personal Web sites make them appear that much more professional and ready to use the Web as a business tool? And don't the sites with the best domain names seem to have the business sewn up?

When you are competing against Realtors who have domain names like www.bestagent.com or www.SeattleRealtor.com, you may think that by now, all the great names are already taken. If you decide to hop onto the Internet bandwagon, how can you determine which name to choose?

Good question. Great domain names like http://www.realtor.com, http://www.homes.com, http://www.njhomes.com etc., are already in use, but that doesn't mean that you can't find a domain name that can cleverly and clearly describe you and the services you have to offer.

When considering investing in your own personal business web site, always first determine the main message you want to convey. Then, use the following tools to ferret out a domain name that works for you.

One can be very creative when it comes to domain names. Do you service a particular city or state? Many REALTORS^® will choose names such as http://www.dallashomes.com, http://www.masshomes.com, and the like. Having your city or state show up in your URL can also contribute towards higher rankings in search engines.

For some great ideas in choosing a name, visit http://tabnet.com/whois.net/suggest.cgi. This site asks for your company name and one or two keywords, and then returns potential domain names that haven't yet been registered.

Go to that page now, and consider the following example. Let's say that your REALTOR firm is in New Jersey, and your name is Kelly.

Enter Kelly as the business or service name, and Realtors as one descriptive word, and NJ as another. You'll be returned potential domain names that include both your name, the word Realtors, and the word NJ.

The response shows you that names such as http://www.kelly.com, http://www.nj.com, http://www.kellyreators.com, etc., are already taken. However, the following names are still available:

• http://www.kelly-realtors.com
• http://www.nj-realtors.com
• http://www.kellynj.com

Thus, you could consider the above as potential domain names.

Another great site to check out is the Internet Gold Rush. This site gives you the insider edge about the whole domain naming business - how some companies have bought up dozens of names and are selling them to the highest bidder, domain lawsuits, and more.

Once you decide what name you'd like to use, the next step is registering it. If you already have an Internet Service Provider to host your site, you can register for free at http://rs.internic.net (the registration is free, that is, the Internic charges $70 for 2 years).

For additional help, some web site designers will bundle site design, domain naming hosting, and overall maintenance in one package.

Choosing the right domain name is one of the first steps towards successful Internet publicity.

Published: October 22, 1998

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Barbara Ling only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.

Barbara Ling, "The Internet Virtual Coach", is an Internet business and technology writer and trainer. She is the author of "The Real Estate Pro's Internet Edge." Contact Barbara at btl@virtual-coach.com.