Exact match domain names for estate agents

One of the most common ways that people use Google is to search for companies by name. It's actually one of the things Google are very good at - listing the right site at the top for these kinds of searches.

And the way that they do it? Simple - websites with domain names that exactly match the search phrase are given a boost. Those with a partial match (perhaps one or two of the words) get a smaller boost too. What's more, it's a boost that is naturally amplified when people link to your website using your company name as the link text.

For those of you who think a little outside of the box, you might already have spotted the opportunity and be thinking "why don't I register the domain name that matches my main search phrase?".

Search for "Brighton estate agents" for instance and Sawyer & Co come up third with their domain, http://www.brightonestateagents.com/. Not bad in a competitive area.

The value of exact match domain names has been well known for some time, and because of that, you won't necessarily be able to register a similar .co.uk or .com domain in your area. Indeed, several of the portals have been snapping up these sorts of domain names as part of their SEO strategies.

However, if your local equivalent is available, it would be worth snapping up for a few reasons:

• You could use it to develop a second website to sit alongside your main own. Showcase your company in a different way, be informative about the local area and win extra traffic. Perhaps even do something innovative like an 'Ask Your Local Agent' service.
• Adding a link back from that website to your primary one with the same phrase will give your main website rankings a boost.
• By getting the domain yourself, you'll stop any of your competitors doing it - or indeed a start-up coming along and getting an easy jump on you in the ratings.

You don't have to build a second website straight away - you can always just ask your web hosting company to redirect it to your main one in the short term, exactly as we have done for Redditch Estate Agents, Arden Estates.