Fairly recently, it was announced that .blog domain names were available. This joins the official list of 1,519 Top-Level Domains or TLDs. A top-domain at it’s simplest is the last bit of a URL that follows the final period, .com being the most familiar.
Other early TLDs including .gov, .mil, .edu and .org. Then came a slew of country specific TLDs (the Netherlands (.nl) was officially the first. When the .coms were no longer available, .biz was opened up and then a slew of TLDs followed, encompassing everything from industries, to professions, to hobbies, to lifestyle choices. A few that might interest an insurance agency would be .agency and .pro.
So should you .pro or .biz yourself? It depends. If you can find (or already have) a .com name that is easy to spell and easy to remember, we recommend sticking with that (note we didn’t say short…. yes, a long URL can be cumbersome, but if they are easy to remember, its generally worth it to have the .com).
If you are the Smith Agency and another insurance agency already has smithagency.com we don’t really recommend using smithagency.biz. If, however, smithagency.com is a modeling agency, then perhaps smithagency.biz makes sense.
If you own a .com name that no one else has claimed in another flavor (.biz, .net), we do recommend reserving your name just to protect it. As for the newer TLDs like .agency? The jury is out. We’d recommend you at least consider registering the main version of your agency name to keep it for yourself. It would only take a State Farm or Nationwide to start using the .agency URL for its agents for it to become ubiquitous with insurance agency websites.
There’s no right or wrong answer. We do a survey with every new client to see if there is a different TLD that might serve them better, but in general that original .com is going to be one of the best options.
For an even more comprehensive look at choosing a domain name, check out this article by FirstSiteGuide.
About AgencyEvolved
AgencyEvolved provides personalized marketing and consulting services for independent insurance agencies, brokers, wholesalers, and other insurance organizations.
Founded by an insurance industry veteran with more than 40 years of experience, AgencyEvolved combines practical insurance knowledge with thoughtful marketing strategy. We help clients strengthen their brands, communicate what makes them different, and build lasting relationships with the customers and communities they serve.
We work with a limited number of clients, providing hands-on attention and customized solutions rather than standardized marketing packages.
Our services include website design and management, content creation, social media, email marketing, digital advertising, branding, and strategic marketing consulting.
Marketing built around your business. Not the other way around.