Comp. Explorer » domain

Expired Domain Names

explorercomp — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 19:57:41 +0000

Are you looking at putting your business online but do not have a domain name registered for it yet? Have you already found the right domain name but is it already registered to someone else? If these are a few problems that you face then you can get an expired domain name for your website.

There are many domain name owners who dont bother about renewing their domain names. They either let the domain name expire due to lack of interest or because they have many similar domain names. Sometimes they forget to pay the domain registrar to renew it.

A domain name becomes available to anyone once the registration expires or lapses. However, the domain name should go through a few steps before it can be available to anyone who wants to register it.

Owning an expired domain name is not bad. It does not lose its value just because its previous owner let it expire. Having an expired domain name can be helpful as the domain name has been around for sometime and hence has been aged in the eyes of the search engine. Also if a domain name has been previously used, then you may get all the links and traffic that used to previously go to the domain name if you register it to your name.

When a domain name expires it goes through a grace period before becoming available to be registered by someone. This grace period can last from a couple of weeks to up to a year. This is followed by a redemption period. This is usually 30 days. During this period all the owners information is removed from the domain. However, they still have the ability to reinstate it. At the end of these periods, the domain name can be purchased.

Some registrars let you backorder expired domain names. When you back order a domain name, the domain name in question will be monitored and as soon as it becomes available, the registrar will inform you about it or will attempt to register it in your name.

Your Website’s Domain Name

explorercomp — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:05:38 +0000

One important part of your website is your domain name. It’s a fundamental aspect that no Internet marketer should neglect, regardless of what they sell or promote. Take your time in choosing your domain name, because this is not something you want to rush. Inspire yourself, research what makes a great domain name, or you can even talk to your wife, children or friends about it. There is no greater opinion than that of your audience.

What Makes A Great Domain Name?

Although it is not necessary, it is still preferred that your URL is connected to the theme of your website. If you are promoting with Pay-per-Click ads for example, then the best domain name for that is bestptc. or if you are selling computers and computer parts, you can have a domain of compusale. Find an appropriate name for your website. Having a keyword in your domain name is helpful, but I can’t say it’s the sole basis of your page ranking.

Our online retail store (CactusCanyon) has no coordination with our theme, and is not associated with cactus or canyons.

However, it has an excellent ranking. Your page rank does not depend on your domain name; it depends on a variety of things including the proper keywords and optimization. Our site has a catchy name, and very easy to say and spell too, which is also important in choosing your domain name.

Spell It First

Let’s face the fact that most of us are not good spellers. In order not to lose important customers, your domain name should be simple in a way that anyone would know how to spell it. When they are typing your website, if they misspelled it, chances are they are going to type it one more time or worse, they’ll find another website.

Let’s say your last name is Dewey and you are selling pie on the Internet, and so do not make a domain name like www.deweypie. If someone hears from a friend that Dewey’s pies are fantastic, and tell them to visit at your website, how would they know how to spell it? Even if they search it, they won’t find your website because they misspelled it. A great domain name is one that could easily be spelled, typed and relayed to other people without any inconvenience.

Short Domain Names Are Best

If you have a short domain name in mind, then you are in the right direction. A domain name like www.bestpaidtoclicksites.com may not do very good. Aside from being bad spellers, we can also be very forgetful! If you have long domain names, most likely your website won’t be remembered. eBay has a very short domain name, but it is very effective because people remember it instantly, and it can easily be spelled, typed, texted or relayed. Remember though that short domain names are hard to get, so think carefully.

Domain Endings

Most of the websites in the Internet still end with .com’s. It is best to end your domains with .com compared to .net because most web users assume that your website will end in that. If you have chosen a domain name that is already taken, don’t think about using a different domain ending or hyphens (best-ptc) since that small change can alter results dramatically. Yes, hyphens are recognized and used in websites but unless your intention in using it in your website is entirely for search engines, like in Adsense sites, you need something that will put you to an advantage, not otherwise. It’s hard to relay information to people if your domain name consists of characters like this (Hey, try to visit my site, it’s “cactus dash canyon”) That would really confuse people.

Searching and thinking of the best domain name is not an easy feat. You need to consider a lot of factors and you also need to give yourself some time. When your perfect domain name is taken, don’t give up and most of all, don’t settle for something you’re not confident and happy with. There are a lot of alternatives out there.

As soon as everything is settled, you can start your marketing campaigns to promote your site. All marketing is related to your URL, so if you have to change anything, even a one-character change, you have to repeat your marketing campaigns all over again. You’re also going to repeat saying and typing that website, so be sure before you commit yourself. That one small part of your website can contribute more than you think it can. You’re going to use it until your business is up, so choose something you’re comfortable with, and don’t forget to follow my guidelines.

Irish Domain Names

explorercomp — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:35:08 +0000

Irish domain names – Ireland’s domain name

General overview – IEDR

The country code top level domain (ccTLD) for Ireland is .ie. This ccTLD is managed by a not for profit organization in Dublin, Ireland know as the “Irish Domain Registry” or IEDR. The IEDR is not a regulatory body and provides the service to the public and internet community. The registry is responsible for the provision of IE names and the rules relating to their registration. The IEDR implements a dispute resolution policy for domains through the WIPO and unlike other registries operates Monday to Friday during business hours.

Requirements to register

The IE domain itself is a restricted domain in that only applicants who meet certain criteria may register this name. The two main requirements are: Being based in Ireland or having a strong link to Ireland (both northern and southern Ireland). Where the applicant is not based in Ireland information showing this connection must be provided. Secondly the entity registering the domain must have a connection to the name and where this connection is not obvious, must provide evidence of this connection.

Resellers and registration process

Domains are registered through approved domain resellers and are passed to the domain registry directly for approval. The approval process is carried out by a team of people known as IEDR Hostmasters. It is their responsibility to ensure the registration requirements are adhered to. Communication is passed to the approved reseller in the case where more information is required. This thorough process of vetting has led to both positive and negative effects on the domain name’s reputation.

Positive and negative aspects to the domain

On the positive side the domain was recently voted the second safest domain in the world after the Finnish ccTLD. Generally speaking IE domains are held in high regard by Irish based internet surfers. It is seen as a mark of quality or authenticity when doing business online and as a result .ie based websites are trusted over their .com cousins. Very rarely are large spam attacks initiated through an IE domain and the rate of hacks and other internet attacks from IE hostnames is quite low.

The price of .ie domain names are higher than the average TLD or ccTLD, but this price has been significantly reduced over the past 2 years, from an average of around €65 to as low as €19 today. This is due to the traditionally large human input required to approve and manage a domain portfolio. Recently the domain registry themselves have implemented an API mechanism to fast track registration, billing and modifications of domain names. This was carried out by liaising with the reseller community to assess their needs on a day to day basis. Because of the successful implementation of this API amongst the community the price of registering IE domains has fallen with some suppliers leading the way in the price reduction.

Future of the domain

The future of the .ie is bright. New technical advancements in the API as well as the continued reduction in the Irish domain price mean the number of registrations is increasing constantly. Increased promotion of the domain brand by the domain registry and reseller community alike has also led to increased registrations.

Choosing a Domain Name – An Easy Way to Create Perfect Domain Name Ideasâ?

explorercomp — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:47:26 +0000

Domain name is the most important factor for generating good volumesof web traffic to your website. A good site name is the key to goodrevenues for your business. However, choosing a domain name is a sortof challenge and requires a great deal of research and patience. Adomain name, also known as URL (Universal Resource Locator), is theweb address that Internet users type in to go to a specific website.In today’s fast changing tech-world, people have extremely shortmemory span as far as remembering website names is concerned.

As a website name leads potential customers to a website that promotes your business, it is a vital component of online business. Hence,choosing a domain name becomes even more important. Moreover, it is imperative that the website name reflects the kind of business in which you are dealing. For instance, if you deal in selling “usedautomotives”, then the name of your website should contain the word “automotives” in it, either as a part or whole.

The name chosen should be short, simple, and point towards the business nature. In the above example, the domain name”usedautomotives.com” seems to be good as it is pointed and direct.You should be innovative and think “out of box” domain names. However,innovations should be based on industry specific keywords and not be generic in nature. Again, if you consider the above example, the namecan be “usedauto.com” or “usedautomobiles.com”.

Different individuals may have different domain name ideas, but they all agree on keeping it short and simple. The major advantages with the short names is that they are easy to remember and less open to typing mistakes. A typing mistake can lead your clients to a different website that is owned by your competitor, thus defeating thevery purpose of owning a website.

Further, it is sensible not to use hyphenated domain names. Internet users are not used to in typing hyphenated websites names, and one silly typing mistake can lead them to some other website. Otherwise also, it is easy to type “usedautomotives.com” rather than”used-auto-motives.com”. Domain extensions also play an important role in making the names popular. People often get confused in choosing the right extensions for their websites. Since the inception of Internet,dot com (.com) has been the most sought after domain extension. So,you should opt for a dot com instead of dot net (.net), dot org(.org), or dot biz (.biz).

However, if you are dealing in products or services that are specific to a particular country, then using a country extension such as dot in(.in), or dot uk (.uk) is a good idea. It will attract customers belonging to that particular country. If you are finding it difficult to choose a name for your website, then you can ask for domain name suggestions from experts in this field. Once you have obtained suggestions for choosing domain names, test them by sampling them. It is known as test marketing and is the best technique to select a website name. This method allows you to confirm whether or not a particular site name will generate traffic for your site. Once you have test marketed the suggested names, select the best domain names out of them and use them for your website. After all, in Internet world, the name has it all.

About the Author

Domain name is the most important factor for generating good volumes of web traffic to your website. A good site name is the key to good revenues for your business. However, choosing a domain name is a sort of challenge and requires a great deal of research and patience. A domain name, also known as URL (Universal Resource Locator), is the web address that Internet users type in to go to a specific website.In today’s fast changing tech-world, people have extremely short memory span as far as remembering website names is concerned.

How to Conduct Domain Name Search

explorercomp — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:12:40 +0000

Creating a website is not just about creating your pages, designing them and including all the important information. It is also about creating a domain name

* That relates to your products and services

* That is easy to remember and spell for your customers.

A domain name that is easy to remember will have more return customers and more word of mouth advertising than domain names which are hard to spell, remember, or both. When it comes to searching for a domain name, all you have to do is go online and search for ones that you are interested in to see if they have been taken or not. There are a lot of sites that will let you search domain names.

First of all, prepare a list of domains you would like to register. Try to get several combinations, don’t register the first one you can think of. You need at least 10-20 versions.

If your site doesn’t necessarily need to be international, then you also consider buying a domain for your own country instead of .com – .de for Germany (Deutschland), or a co.uk for the UK, for example.

Stick with a .com, don’t opt for .tv, .biz, or any other suffix if at all possible especially if that exact domain name is taken as a com. You will end up losing business to that site.

Now submit a list of domains to some site to search for the available domain names.

If you are lucky, some domains are available. Register them and don’t wait until them get someone else.

Don’t set your mind on one particular domain name. Also remember that there are niches where every two dictionary words names are already taken. You may need a patience to find the available and good one.

Try to find synonyms for keywords you use, or try to remove some letters. For example, madconomist.com instead of madeconomist.

There is a way to simplify domain name selection – use software! Powerful software, such as Available Domains Pro can generate thousand of valuable domain names in a few minutes. It can be easily customized to fit your needs. Try this one and you won’t regret.

Turn Domains Into Dollars – 10 Hot Tips

explorercomp — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:12:48 +0000

Check out these recent ‘colossal’ domain name sale prices! Massive Profits are well and truly back in the news. (Truth be told, they’ve never really been out of it). With ‘big’ money at stake, it’s no wonder the Domain Name Barron’s prefer to keep an extremely low profile. Here are 10 Hot Tips to turn ‘your’ domains into dollars.

Tip 1. (More a ‘revelation’ than a tip). Did you know that there are now businesses specially set up to ‘finance’ those looking to buy domain names? Were you aware that there are multi-million dollar companies, whose sole activity is buying, selling, parking or leasing domain names? Why is this relevant? Well, these ‘major players’ are not in it for fun. They know (for sure) there’s ‘big bucks’ to be made from domain names.

Tip 2. When it comes to turning domains into dollars, names ending in .com are still ‘king’. The two word domain name DataRecovery.com went for a whopping $1,659,000.00 in the first half of 2008, whereas the one word Fund.com when for a simply staggering $9,999,950.00 in the same month / year. OK, your chances of getting hold of a good ‘one word’ domain are slim, but bear in mind that, as the price of such exclusive domains increase in value, a knock-on effect occurs. Down the road, sales of this magnitude can influence prices paid for good ‘two-word’ (and even ‘three-word’) domain names.

The best domain names are those consisting of generic terms / expressions (and ‘keywords’). ‘Anti Virus’ is an example of a generic expression, as is ‘Poker Tournament’.

Tip 3. Understand, it’s not just dot com domain names that sell. There’s money to be made from other Top Level Domains (TLD’s) too. i.e. .net, .org, .info and .biz.

FilmSchool.net and WallStreet.info sold in 2008 for $49,501.00 and $25,500 respectively. If you had discovered either of those examples as an ‘unregistered name’, you would probably have been asked to pay no more than $10 to secure your prize!

Perhaps more appropriately, numerous sales in the $0000 and $000 price range occur every month.

If the .com version of a domain name is already registered, you must take care to avoid identical domain names (with different name extensions) where ‘brand name’ or ‘trademark’ infringement might be an issue.

However, if the dot com name is a pure generic name (e.g. Christmas Tree) then it may be safe to snap up one of the other TLDs or a Geo / Regional version of the same domain name as (to the best of my knowledge) it’s still the case that obvious ‘generic’ terms cannot successfully be protected by trademark registration. (But don’t rely on this, always investigate and take professional advice).

Tip 4. When it comes to domain names with ‘country’ or ‘region’ specific extensions, exciting 6 figure sales are occurring. Don’t believe me? Well note that FreeCreditReport.co.uk sold in 2008 for a very healthy $300,000. (Wish I’d turned that domain into dollars).

Tip 5. Domain Names don’t have to be short and memorable to warrant a fantastic 6 digit purchase price. Demand is steadily increasing for sensible names, comprised of one or more words that clearly describe a marketable product or service. Why? Every year the number of businesses goings online increases dramatically. (Work it out for yourself).

Tip 6. Don’t for one moment think that ‘flipping’ (i.e. buying in the hope of immediately reselling) is the only way to turn your domains into dollars. If you acquire several domain names, you should investigate developing some into websites that you can then sell, along with the domain name. Doing this can add a lot of value to the domain. It also gives you more opportunities to make a sale, as you can look to attract not only those looking for a good domain name, but also folk simply seeking a website with a decent name.

Even if you know nothing about website development, you can get a freelance to build one for you quite cheaply. Web Developers frequently advertise their services through elance.com, guru.com (or a whole range of other Outsourcing Websites).

Many domain names are suitable for ‘Free Parking’ via services willing to share revenue generated by visitor traffic. Simply type ‘Domain Parking’ into your favourite search engine, then compare offers. Such services effectively host your domain name for free, and can make your domain look more appealing to a prospective buyer.

If a Free Parking Service makes you just $5 each year over and above the annual cost to register your domain name, you’re ahead of the game. OK, $5 a year is not much (unless, that is, you’ve got 100, 1000, or 10,000 domains that are all earning you a $5 profit annually). Do the math! Decent domain names will increase in value overtime so, by parking names to cover their renewal costs, you can afford to sit back and wait for a decent offer. (Win, Win!)

Tip 7. While there are no ‘absolute’ rules, consider carefully before you buy an ‘already registered’ domain name that contains a hyphen, a numeral, or both. In some instances, you can come out on top, but in most cases you’ll be wasting your money. Also, beware of those offering domains that appear to be really great one or two word names until – that is – you realize that the person who registered the name (not necessarily the seller) has used the number ’0′ (zero) rather than the letter ‘o’ as part of a word. There are other text variations that can create a misleading impression. (So be careful!).

Tip 8. We’ve touched on this point earlier, but it’s very important you avoid names that have been trademarked or – through passage of time – come to be recognised as ‘known brands’. Just because a dot com name is available, don’t jump to the conclusion that the fantastic name you’ve identified is a safe bet.

OK, you may well decide that – for the risk of just a few dollars – you’ll register it while you can, and investigate later. (That’s probably what I’d do!). But subsequently, always remember to do your ‘due diligence’ before using such a name, or offering it to someone else.

Bear in mind that some business may (for whatever reasons) chose to go with the .net, .org or some other extension. In many cases where this applies, those businesses will have taken the sensible precaution of purchasing the .com version too. But not always!

So, irrespective of the extension of any domain name you might be thinking of buying (e.g. .com, .net, .org, .us etc) check to see if anyone has registered / is using the same domain with an alternative extension.

Also bear in mind that there are still some businesses without an internet presence, who may be using that fantastic name you came up with ‘off-line’. Where this applies, they may well have Trademark or similar rights over it.

You can also get your fingers badly burn if you register a deliberate misspelling or ‘sound-a-like’ of a famous brand name. My advice? Don’t bother (or check with your lawyer first!)

Tip 9. When it comes to using ‘brand creation’ as means of converting domains into dollars, some businesses deliberately choose (or dream up) domain names with a vague / nebulous quality. This means that, later, they have the option to change what their business does, or move into additional fields, without having to alter their name.

For example, although we all associate Amazon or eBay with what we currently known them for, there’s a chance that – in fifty years time – they could have morphed into new enterprises (which may have nothing to do with the activities we associate them with right now).

You might sometimes be offered, or dream up, domain name ideas that don’t describe or indicate a specific business or interest area. Such names can be valuable if you can locate someone with cash, who agrees with you. However, more often than not, they will prove very hard to sell, compared to those that give a clear indication of what an internet user might reasonably expect if he / she decides to visit a website with that name.

Tip 10. In this article it’s only been possible to uncover the tip of the iceberg as far as domain name ‘buying & selling tactics’ are concerned. Tip 10 is to realize that, in order to buy and sell domains like a ‘pro’, you need to get serious about increasing your knowledge, and start planning your strategy. Invest some time and energy in learning all you can from ‘experts’ to give yourself that essential ‘edge’. Then formulate a campaign to turn those domains into dollars.

What Next?

For anyone looking to get a head start I can do no better than point you in the direction of my recommended Knowledge Base

Never forget, just one good idea gleaned from an ‘expert source’ can make you a great deal of money if applied wisely. I take the view that – with a bit of luck – the profits I stand to make by arming myself with ‘inside knowledge’ should more than compensate for any up-front investment of time or money I might choose to make in my future.

Even if you decide that the ‘Knowledge Base’ mentioned above is not for you, you’ll probably pick up some great insights, just by reading the introduction.

In my ‘Resources Panel’ – which immediately follows this article – you’ll find a link to my website (dedicated to the subject of domain names). Once on my site, you’ll find links to a vast number of useful domain name resources that you really ought to be aware of.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. Now it’s time for you to turn those domains into dollars.

Max

Favorable Name Rules or How to Select Appropriate Domain Singly

explorercomp — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:12:42 +0000

Domain names are special, self-sufficient part of WWW and a profit-making kind of business in the Internet.

There is a huge number of IT companies that sale/purchase/estimate domain names. The times when You could

get an exclusive free domain name from Your hosting-provider had passed. Now, in order to purchase a good

domain You may visit some of the websites that specialize in domain names sale (for example Sedo.com) and

buy the domain You liked (of course, if You are ready to pay about $10.000 for it, though, many of domain names

are much more expensive). If You are not – You will have to select domain name from those, which are being

sold as vacant. Here is what You should take into consideration while choosing a domain name:

1. Domain level.

It’s preferably to have a second-level domain name. For example, in “www.design.com” the “www” prefix means

World Wide Web; “design” is a domain basis (see below how to select it); “com” is a domain zone. Third-level

domain name is a little bit different – “www.logo.design.com”, forth-level domain will look like

“www.pixel.logo.design.com” – the number of domain components increases depending on its level. Domain

components imply words that affiliate a domain name and are separated by dots. The more components are

in a domain name, the higher is its level and the less valuable it is. The third and higher level domains are often

being distributed cost free. When purchasing a domain name for Your company (or Yourself), make sure it is a

second-level domain.

2. Domain zone.

There is a huge amount of domain zones, each of them having its own meaning, and it is important to choose the

most appropriate one. There are Generic Domains and Country Code Domains. Among Generic Domains are:

“com” – commercial project; “net” – network, related to WWW; “org” – organization; “biz” – business project; “info” -

informational project; “TV” – television channel; and many others. Country Code Domains are domains that reveal

ownership of a particular domain (website) by a country. Each country (including those that don’t already exist)

has its own domain zone. For example “us” means USA site; “de” is German; “co.uk” stands for Great Britain”,

“ru” refers to Russia; “fr” denotes France. So, what domain zone would give the best fit for Your domain? If Your

Internet project is going to have regional restrictions (for example e-shop meant for sale in USA only) – do not

hesitate to choose the domain zone of Your region. If Your project isn’t attached to a particular country, You will

have to choose from the “Great Five” of domain zones: com/net/org/biz/info. These zones are the most valuable

and popular in the Internet. “Com” is one of the best, being a universal domain zone. “Net” matches with IT

forums and sites related to domain names. “Org” suits perfectly to web directories. Almost all of the best great

directories have domains in “org” zone (dmoz.org; lii.org; vlib.org; botw.org). “Biz”- will be a brilliant solution for

e-shops and projects that have to do with online sale. “Info” is right for blogs and personal pages. But You don’t

have to be consistent with these meanings – they are conventional. Though, there are domains which You can’t

purchase without having a competent authority: “gov” – government establishment; “mil” – military department;

“edu” – educational establishment; “int” – international organization; “museum” – museums and so on.

3. Domain name basis.

Domain name basis is the most important domain component. Let’s emphasize 2 completely different methods

of selecting a successful domain name basis:

1) As a basis for a domain they use euphonic, well-remembered word that isn’t associated with company’s

activity, products or services. Such domains are often being called by company’s name. For example

Google.com and GoDaddy.com are remarkable, short domains that don’t have terms characterizing their

activities, like “search”, “host”, “domain”, “web”. They are figured on exclusiveness, brevity and memorability.

2) The second method comprises that domain name will consist of a term/terms relating to company’s (project)

activity. The terms here serve as keywords of a given site. For example “www.design.com” contains a keyword -

design. It is counted on to promote a domain in search engines. Some search engines (e.g. Google.com) take

domain name into account while giving search results. Domains of this kind stick to the memory without being

unique and may be easily found by entering them in a browser’s line. Such domain names are typical for purely

Internet projects.

4. Number of words in a domain.

The more words are in a domain name, the less valuable it is. And vice-versa – the less words it contains (ideally

one) the more value it represents. For example, “www.design.com” has one word – design. This word is

polysemantic to the maximum, because it can denote landscape design, interior design, web design, 3D design

and other notions relevant to design. Such domains are appreciated highly. “www.webdesign.com” consists of 2

words – web and design. The value of this domain is a little lower than that of the previous one, because it has

more narrow meaning that bounds its scope. “www.customwebdesign.com” includes 3 words – custom web

design, and is therefore still less valuable.

5. Brevity and memorability.

It doesn’t make sense to include more than 3 words in a domain name – its value and ability to stick to the

memory will decrease owing to the length. The shorter is a domain, the more precious it is. Short domains are

easily remembered, You can dictate them by telephone without difficulty, have them displayed as an

advertisement in public transport and be sure they will be noticed, etc.

6. No hyphens and digits.

Hyphens and digits degrade domain’s value. Exception to the rule are the cases when digits form an integral part

of a domain concept. For example “3D”, “mp3″, “formula1″.

7. Logical abbreviations.

Sometimes, in order to insert multipartite expression into a domain, they use abbreviations. But as far as

domains are concerned, they often do this incorrectly. For example, it’s necessary to apply “full flash web sites”

notion to a domain. To do this, they often abbreviate the expression, leaving only the initial letters of each word.

Based upon the received “ffws”, it’s impossible to understand what this domain means. It’s not being “read” by

search engines and is poorly remembered in spite of its brevity. That is to say, the given domain has more

drawbacks than advantages.

How to correctly abbreviate the expression like this? We should define its main idea/concept, which will serve as

a keyword of the future site. In our case it will be “full flash”. The rest of it -”web sites” is of minor importance, so

we can abbreviate it as “ws”. As the result, we have “www.FullFlashWs.com” domain. This domain has obvious

advantages when being promoted in search engines at “full flash” query, reasonably long and is not hard to

remember.

8. Domain’s first letter.

In itself the first letter of a domain name is of minor importance. But there are nuances that may have a beneficial

effect on popularization of a future site. The fact is that many of web directories have option to sort websites

alphabetically, and some of the directories have this option dissembled. Thus, the sites whose domain names

start with the first letters of alphabet are being visited much more frequently than the rest in a directory. This

factor should be taken into account when inventing a proper and brief domain name.

Finally, if You purchase a domain which is not new and has been in the Internet for some time, consideration

must be given to:

-Age of a domain name.

-Domain’s history, its scope in the past.

-Make sure that this domain doesn’t have punitive sanctions in search engines and its e-mail is not recognized as

a spam.

-Make sure that other companies/persons don’t make claims on this domain.

-PR and Alexa statistics of this domain.

www. AtixMedia.com

Copying, printing and distribution of this article is allowed as long as it includes attribution and all the links

mentioned in the text.

Irish Domain Names

explorercomp — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:12:37 +0000

Irish domain names – Ireland’s domain name

General overview – IEDR

Requirements to register

Resellers and registration process

Positive and negative aspects to the domain

Future of the domain

Domain Parking Vs Domain Development

explorercomp — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:12:53 +0000

The “Should I park my domain name and monetize it that way or should I develop a website?” is a pretty old debate among domainers. And I believe it’s proof that laziness will always win over sensibility.

There are a variety of ways to monetize a domain name. Most domainers who deal with a lot of domain names like to park their domains at Sedo, GoDaddy, or other services that help them monetize the name.
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Others build made-for-adsense websites that have little real value, intending to get visitors to click the adsense ads. This is not much different from parking the domain names.

Very few domain name sellers or speculators develop real websites or blogs on their domain names. Why?

Even though they intend to sell their domain names, they know that this usually takes a lot of time. Finding a buyer isn’t an overnight process in most cases. Most domains that are finally sold have been owned by the speculator for years.

Parking those domain names is the way they try to cover their costs of registering the names year after year. Most of their domain names will never sell because they want way more than they are worth. Most domain speculators are hoping for that one big sale, kind of like playing the lottery.

During all that time they are holding onto their domain names, they could be building websites, doing affiliate marketing, blogging, and more. The problem is that those things require work. And we all know how much people like work.

Most people who join MLM programs, get involved in domain speculation, or fall for get rich quick schemes do not want to work. They are hoping to fall into thousands of dollars without having to do any real work.

This article won’t win me any popularity contests among domainers. But if the truth hurts, too bad. It is not ALL domainers who are lazy. There are many who work very hard at their profession. They learn to master the traffic their domain name brings in and make a business out of it.

This article is more about those who just go out and register a bunch of domain names they believe are creative, hoping that someone is going to come along someday and give them a bunch of money for what they consider to be creativity.

For some it is their second job or hobby. For others it is a habit. I’ve known domainers who mortgaged their house to buy a lot of domain names they will likely never sell for enough to cover the loan.

In my opinion, the smart move is to develop those domain names into real online businesses. If you own one-word generic domain names that have type-in traffic, this doesn’t apply to you. But if you are like most domainers and you own a bunch of made up domain names, two and three word domain names, etc., then you should think about developing those domain names into a business.

A domain name’s real value is in the traffic it generates and what that traffic may or may not buy based on the keywords that helped them find that domain or website in the first place.

Let me rephrase it again. Your domain name is not worth anything more than you registered it for when you first register the name. Once you analyze the traffic that domain gets, it may or may not increase in value.

If just parking the domain name gets very few clickthrus for the ads placed on it, then your domain name is not worth but a few pennies over the price of registration.

All it proves is that a few people who end up on that domain name will click an adsense ad. To a business, that means nothing. It doesn’t even prove that any of the traffic generated by that domain name will actually buy something.

However, if you create a business plan that matches the domain name, and you develop a website based on that business plan, and people do actually buy products, services, subscribe, join, or click through to your affiliates, you show that the domain name you own has business potential.

A business owner is much more likely to buy your domain name if it has a proven profit potential than if they just think you have a cute catchy short domain name.

It can be as easy as installing free wordpress software and picking a free theme for your blog and writing to it daily with original content.

The bonus is that it may also rank well for your keywords if you do it right and know a little about seo and social bookmarking.

If you develop a business model that is just moderately successful and you add that it has a good ranking for some key phrases, the value of your domain name is quantifiable and much more appealing to anyone that may consider buying it from you.

My opinion is based on having developed hundreds of websites and blogs and having bought and sold over 500 domain names.

There are a few people around who have bought and sold more than I have.
There are domainers who have made a lot more money than I have by monetizing their domain names or by directing the traffic from their domain names directly to websites that are owned by businesses.

But, again, they have the right domains and tools to do that with. Making up domain names or owning a bunch of 2-3 word domain names does not mean you will be one of these. You won’t be. Those I referred to in this article should begin thinking about developing their domain names if they want them to have any actual value.

15 Ways to Become a Better Domainer

explorercomp — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:12:45 +0000

The competition in the domain industry is steadily increasing as more and more people are becoming aware of it’s global impact in today’s financial marketplace. Professional investors and huge corporations are staking their claim of this internet real estate and have turned this once primitive name exchange into a booming multi-billion dollar industry.

Today’s domainers are needing take their domain investing to another level in order to have continued success and profitability. Below are 15 Ways To Become A Better Domainer.

Utilize the forums

As I’ve said in previous posts, the importance of domaining forums in the domain industry are vital and serve as a great resource for beginners and professional domainers alike. Whether you are looking for some honest appraisal opinions or asking questions that only another domainer would know the answer to, the domain forums are there to assist. 24 hours a day, 365 days a week, this constant stream of domain information has shaped many beginner domainers into today’s greatest professional domainers. If you’re not a member of a domain forum you should greatly consider joining one today.

Are you a domainer or a domain developer?

Are you buying domains for quick profit sales? Are you buying domains for the long-term traffic revenue? Are you buying domains to develop and birth new traffic? Whether you choose to do one or all three, you must come to terms and clarify a solid game plan when it comes to your domain investments. It’s reasonably okay to have a few domains being developed but your overall strategy needs to take shape and be narrowed down to a specific objective. Developing a domain name takes time, effort and more time, but the possible payoffs are always huge. Buying domain names in bulk for quick sales is also profitable but relies more on a constant sales initiative to be successful. Either way, you need a tactical approach on how you want to market your domains.

Dissect your portfolio

I once spoke to a guy who boasted a domain portfolio of over 3000 names. After hearing how he was considering selling a few of his “best” domains, I offered to peruse the list and maybe assist with finding some end users that might be potential buyers. He agreed and the next day he sent me a list of about 1000 of his best domains that he was willing to sell. To my surprise over 90% of them were, in my humble opinion, not worth much more than the reg fee. I contacted him back and explained that I was only to find about 75-100 names that could possibly be decent sales. He was stunned. He declined and stated that my appraisal was not correct and thanked me for my time. 3 days laters, I received an email from the exact same guy asking for assistance in selling the 75-100 domain names I previously found in his list. Seems that during those 3 days, he spoke to a few other domainers and received the same appraisal and evaluation of his so called “best” domains. This guy thought since his domains contained popular words like gamble, casino, sex and technology that it automatically made his domains super valuable. What he didn’t consider was the multiple hyphens and terrible combinations of typos and keywords. Don’t be the domainer with a huge list of terrible domains just to brag about how large your portfolio is. Trim your “extra” domains and streamline by selling or trading and use the profit for investing in quality names that are earmarked for immediate revenue or immediate development. Be proud of the overall quality of your portfolio and not just the number of domains it contains.

Know your rep

I amazed on how many people I encounter that in the domain industry that have no idea who their representatives are for such companies as Sedo, Moniker, Go Daddy and other big domain powerhouses. The representatives of such companies exist to assist their members who utilize their services and are hands-down the quickest and easiest way to get something resolved if you feel a mistake has been made. If you have domains either parked or offered for sale with a domain company, I highly suggest sending a quick email to find out who your representative is and do you best to maintain a professional and courteous relationship with them. It’s easier to ask assistance from someone whom you know and knows you than it is to ask a complete stranger. And don’t forget to vote for your favorite domain rep at next years Domainers Choice Awards.

Stay clear of Trademark Infringements

This should be a no-brainer. Time and time again I see domainers struggle with the headaches caused by trademark infringements and bad faith domain registrations. Not only do most of the trademark claims filed at the WIPO result in the domain being transferred to the appropriate party, but it also indicates that your choice in domains is questionable and therefore proving that you are still purchasing non-quality domain names. Domains that infringe on trademarks are not quality. Ask any lawyer. Save your registration fee and steer clear of legal woes.

Auto-renew

Now that your portfolio is streamlined and contains only select domain names, you definitely don’t want to lose or let any of them drop and take a chance of someone else buying you lovely internet real estate. Do yourself a favor and set your domains for auto-renew at your domain register where purchased. It’s a terrible feeling to have someone else scoop up one of your prize domains just because you didn’t or couldn’t find the time to renew the registration. Visit this great article by the Daily Domainer that explains the life-cycle of a domain name and don’t let accidental “drops” happen to you.

Limit the hand regs

Hand regs or hand registrations are domains that are purchased from a publicly available source at a regular registration fee and are either brand new (never been purchased) or have expired and no longer owned by the previous owner. Go Daddy is a domain registrar that is popular with domainers and consistently used for hand regs. The possibility of stumbling along a unregistered domain is always there and the opportunity for someone to register a new domain name that never existed and create value to it is also conceivable, but in essence, most domain names that are hand regged are simply non-researched, impulse purchases that pad a domain portfolio with non-value names. Distinguish yourself as a profitable domainer and limit the amount of hand regs you add to your portfolio. One good way is to wait 24 hours before registering a hand reg domain and then re-evaluating before buying. You may lose a registration every so often but in the long run you will save on unnecessary registration fees and useless domain name ownership.

Stay current with news and sales

To be successful is to be informed. The pulse of the domain industry is constantly evolving and therefore it is beneficial to a domainer to know exactly what is the next potential opportunity or trend being created within our industry. If you buy domain names, you are an investor. If you are an investor, you need to stay current with the news of your investments and other people’s investments. You can do this by monitoring the recent domain sales and news offered by many websites that are specifically geared towards todays domainers. One of my favorite websites is Ron Jackson’s DNJournal. You can find great articles, news and the popular Year To Date domain sales. You need to know what domains are selling, which domains are being bought and how much they are being bought for. Invest time in your investments and reap the rewards. Predicting the next big trend is priceless.

Blog around

Domaining blogs are sprouting up everywhere with domainers eager to share their experiences, setbacks, lessons learned and tips with anyone who wants to listen. We all need to take advantage of this free and useful information by visiting various domain blogs and getting another person’s perspective on our industry. And don’t forget to subscribe to their RSS feeds, if it is offered, and have all this new information sent directly to you to read at your convenience… for free. Subscribe to this blog here.

Diversify with other TLD extensions

While some domainers swear that .com is the only extension worth being bought, there are others, like me, who think it’s absolutely insane to dismiss all other TLD’s and only buy one flavor of domain name. The popularity of .TV and .Mobi and the ongoing success of ccTLD’s has risen and is playing a prominent part in today’s domain marketplace. Generic domains in any of these extensions are being recognized as a highly sought after commodity with no signs of slowing. Familiarize yourself with other TLD’s beside .com, .net and .org and evaluate your domain purchases on a global niche scale the next time you go to buy a domain.

Consider fractional domain ownership

Fractional domain ownership is simply a group of people that own a domain name and share in it’s profits, development and use. There is not one sole owner because it is owned by the entire group. Owning a portion of a high value domain is a great way for a newcomer to the domain industry to begin and understand the ins and outs of professional domaining and share in the profit growth associated with that certain domain. It also allows “regular” domainers to group funds together and own a very premier domain name without one person having to pay the entire purchase price. Look for this trend to boom in 2008.

Optimize your parked pages

Once you buy a domain name, it is up to you whether your domain will contain a fully-functional website that you can customize/adsense or whether you will “park” your domain and allow targeted content to automatically be placed and monetized per visitor. If you choose to park your domains, it’s imperative that you understand how domain parking works and how it can be optimized to bring better results. Sedo is a popular place for domain parking and allows users to see detailed stats and account information for each domain parked on the Sedo network. Revenue is shared with Sedo each time someone clicks on content on one of your parked pages and relies on consistent traffic to be a steady stream of income. Brush up on your domain parking information here.

Update your WHOIS information

The WHOIS database is sort of like a directory of purchased domain names that contains the owner’s contact information, purchase date and expiration of a certain domain. One use of this information is being able to contact a domain owner and inquire about purchasing the domain. Without the correct information in the WHOis database, a potential buyer may not be able to contact the current owner and allow an offer to be placed. Contact your domain registrars and make sure your WHOis information is current and correct. If you opt not to be contacted by potential buyers, you may consider using a service that purchases domains for it’s clients and keeps their information private. There is also an option to pay an additional fee at some domain registrars for private domain registration.

Contact more end users

So you have a great domain name that is considered gold in a certain industry. Great job. Now, if you have decided not to develop it and simply want to profit from a sale, I highly suggest contacting an end user. What’s and end user? An end user is someone who would use the domain name specifically for creating brand recognition in a certain industry. Here’s an example: Adam owns organicdogfood.com and Bob owns an organic dog food company in Texas but uses the domain BobsSuperGoodOrganicDogFood.com. Adam contacts Bob and offers a shorter, brandable and easier to remember domain name that can increase Bob’s exposure on the internet for people searching for organic dogfood. Adam has just contacted a possible end user. A domain name can usually be sold to an end user for more since it is valued more by the actual user of the domain instead of a regular domain buyer.

Change your views on the domain industry

Are there still opportunities to be successful in today’s domain industry? Yes.

Is there still time to take advantage of the booming domain sales? Yes.

Is it still possible for a domain newbie to come in and thrive even with a small initial investment. Yes.

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