Friday, May 15, 2009
The first thing a person needs to start an online business is a Domain Name.
Domain names are very important as compared to design and features of a website.Internet is growing at a very high rate and every day thousands of new websites are becoming part of it .The only thing that makes a difference between two websites is the domain name .The success of a website depends mainly on domain names rather than its design or features. A person can understand the importance of a Premium Domain Name because of the fact that big organizations spend millions of dollars to get a domain name which can help their website to succeed and earn lot of money for them.According to research , the market of premium domain is increasing at the rapid rate even in the current period of economic crisis.
Therefore, a person should be very careful while selecting a Domain Name as
it plays an important role in deciding the position of your website in search results of various Search Engines .If you are having a domain name which fits with your brand, contains important keywords and have proper length, then you can get much more internet traffic than your competitors who do not have a suitable domain name.
Here, comes the role of a Premium Domain name. Premium Domain names are not like normal domain names. They are keyword targeted, suitable for brands, length oriented which makes them special than other domain names. Nowadays, premium domain names have proved themselves as an important tool of each successful online business strategy.
Premium Domain names are usually expensive than other domain names .But then also
It is profitable to buy a premium domain name because of following reasons:-
1.Premium domain names are normally short. So they are easy to remember.
2.Premium domain names help you in branding automatically. People will associate with your product easily if you have a premium domain name
3.Premium Domain names mainly contain keywords which are searched more frequently than other keywords .It would help you in getting a good position as compared to your competitors for those keywords.
4.Premium domain names mostly contains the .com, .biz, .org extensions which are most popular than other extensions .
5.Premium domains are mostly Top-level domains and never ends up with
extensions like .au , .jp etc which helps you to promote your brand worldwide .
6.Premium domain names are excellent methods of investment. Even if you are not planning to do any online business, you can sell your premium domain at good profit because of their high importance in a successful online business.
Although, a Premium Domain name appears as a big investment to do, it is justified since the number of people using internet are increasing at rate of
125 % every year. Premium Domain names would make a huge difference by reducing your marketing efforts to a bigger extent and always keep you ahead than your competitors. Consider buying a premium domain name, it"s an excellent investment in a crashed economy.
Domain names are very important as compared to design and features of a website.Internet is growing at a very high rate and every day thousands of new websites are becoming part of it .The only thing that makes a difference between two websites is the domain name .The success of a website depends mainly on domain names rather than its design or features. A person can understand the importance of a Premium Domain Name because of the fact that big organizations spend millions of dollars to get a domain name which can help their website to succeed and earn lot of money for them.According to research , the market of premium domain is increasing at the rapid rate even in the current period of economic crisis.
Therefore, a person should be very careful while selecting a Domain Name as
it plays an important role in deciding the position of your website in search results of various Search Engines .If you are having a domain name which fits with your brand, contains important keywords and have proper length, then you can get much more internet traffic than your competitors who do not have a suitable domain name.
Here, comes the role of a Premium Domain name. Premium Domain names are not like normal domain names. They are keyword targeted, suitable for brands, length oriented which makes them special than other domain names. Nowadays, premium domain names have proved themselves as an important tool of each successful online business strategy.
Premium Domain names are usually expensive than other domain names .But then also
It is profitable to buy a premium domain name because of following reasons:-
1.Premium domain names are normally short. So they are easy to remember.
2.Premium domain names help you in branding automatically. People will associate with your product easily if you have a premium domain name
3.Premium Domain names mainly contain keywords which are searched more frequently than other keywords .It would help you in getting a good position as compared to your competitors for those keywords.
4.Premium domain names mostly contains the .com, .biz, .org extensions which are most popular than other extensions .
5.Premium domains are mostly Top-level domains and never ends up with
extensions like .au , .jp etc which helps you to promote your brand worldwide .
6.Premium domain names are excellent methods of investment. Even if you are not planning to do any online business, you can sell your premium domain at good profit because of their high importance in a successful online business.
Although, a Premium Domain name appears as a big investment to do, it is justified since the number of people using internet are increasing at rate of
125 % every year. Premium Domain names would make a huge difference by reducing your marketing efforts to a bigger extent and always keep you ahead than your competitors. Consider buying a premium domain name, it"s an excellent investment in a crashed economy.
You offer web hosting services. Or web design services. Or both. When your clients You offer web hosting services. Or web design services. Or both. When your clients need domain names for their websites, do you want to send them to another site, possibly to a competitor, to register one?
Of course not. That's part of why domain name registration is a popular service to offer. Reselling domain names provides an additional service to attract and keep clients as well as another source of recurring revenue. You can offer domain name registrations on their own or bundled with other services you provide.
Features of domain name reseller programs
When you are a domain name reseller, your clients register domain names using the service accessed through your domain name reseller account. The domain name company bills you, and you bill your clients. Or possibly the domain company handles the billing.
You decide on the retail pricing, and you market your services. The wholesale prices you pay before you add your markup depend on your sales volume and on the domain name reseller program you choose.
All of the domain name reseller companies compared in this article offer a reseller API (Application Programming Interface), which enables you to use the features provided with the domain reseller program. When your clients register domain names or update records at your site, the API communicates with the domain name reseller program system. With an API at your website, you keep the appearance and branding of your site when you resell domain names.
Two of the domain name companies compared here offer website creation tools for resellers, which means that you can be in the business of reselling domain names within minutes of having your account set up.
Many domain name reseller programs require the domain name reseller to pay and regularly top up a deposit for domain names. By doing this, the domain name reseller is paying for the domains in advance while making a profit from them when they're registered.
Domain name companies compared
The starting prices listed are the highest current wholesale prices for .com domains. Some other extensions may be higher, and the prices typically decrease with volume pricing.
See the company websites for more details about what each domain name reseller program offers.
BulkRegister http://www2.bulkregister.com/reseller.php
BulkRegister's Domain Pilot tool allows domain name resellers to provide their clients with a unique URL and access code to make changes to the Whois data for their domains. Resellers can control which of the fields to provide their clients with access to. Registration can be automated or manual.
Resellers become BulkRegister members and are invited to take part in discussions about product ideas, upgrades, and updates. A $50 Overture advertising credit comes with the first year of membership.
- Setup fee: No
- Annual fee: $99
- Deposit required: No
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $12
- Website creation tool for resellers: No
- SSL certificate: Yes
eNom http://www.enom.com/resellers/default.asp
If you resell domain names through eNom, you choose between two eNom tools:
- Automated Registration Software (API), which allows your clients to register and manage their domains through your site
- PDQ, a site that you customize and eNom manages — they handle the billing, and you earn commissions
As an eNom domain name reseller, you can also offer your clients web hosting, web monitoring, SSL certificates, and other eNom products as a reseller.
- Setup fee: No
- Annual fee: $99 if you use the PDQ website tool
- Deposit required: Starts at $199 for 199 eNom points
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $9.95
- Website creation tool for resellers: Yes
- SSL certificate: No
Tucows http://resellers.tucows.com/
A website builder, blogware, SSL certificates, and email services are among the services you can resell as well as domain names.
- Setup fee: $95
- Annual fee: No
- Deposit required: No minimum payment, but they recommend prepaying one month of credit in advance
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $9.85
- Website creation tool for resellers: No
- SSL certificate: No
Wild West Domains http://www.wildwestdomains.com/gdshop/default.asp
Owned by The Go Daddy Group, Inc., Wild West Domains offers several reseller packages. They also offer other products to resell in addition to domain names, including hosting, website builders, email plans, SSL certificates, and merchant accounts.
- Setup fee: No
- Annual fee: Starting at $99; $249 with the API
- Deposit required: No
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $7.75
- Website creation tool for resellers: Yes
- SSL certificate: Yes
Of course not. That's part of why domain name registration is a popular service to offer. Reselling domain names provides an additional service to attract and keep clients as well as another source of recurring revenue. You can offer domain name registrations on their own or bundled with other services you provide.
Features of domain name reseller programs
When you are a domain name reseller, your clients register domain names using the service accessed through your domain name reseller account. The domain name company bills you, and you bill your clients. Or possibly the domain company handles the billing.
You decide on the retail pricing, and you market your services. The wholesale prices you pay before you add your markup depend on your sales volume and on the domain name reseller program you choose.
All of the domain name reseller companies compared in this article offer a reseller API (Application Programming Interface), which enables you to use the features provided with the domain reseller program. When your clients register domain names or update records at your site, the API communicates with the domain name reseller program system. With an API at your website, you keep the appearance and branding of your site when you resell domain names.
Two of the domain name companies compared here offer website creation tools for resellers, which means that you can be in the business of reselling domain names within minutes of having your account set up.
Many domain name reseller programs require the domain name reseller to pay and regularly top up a deposit for domain names. By doing this, the domain name reseller is paying for the domains in advance while making a profit from them when they're registered.
Domain name companies compared
The starting prices listed are the highest current wholesale prices for .com domains. Some other extensions may be higher, and the prices typically decrease with volume pricing.
See the company websites for more details about what each domain name reseller program offers.
BulkRegister http://www2.bulkregister.com/reseller.php
BulkRegister's Domain Pilot tool allows domain name resellers to provide their clients with a unique URL and access code to make changes to the Whois data for their domains. Resellers can control which of the fields to provide their clients with access to. Registration can be automated or manual.
Resellers become BulkRegister members and are invited to take part in discussions about product ideas, upgrades, and updates. A $50 Overture advertising credit comes with the first year of membership.
- Setup fee: No
- Annual fee: $99
- Deposit required: No
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $12
- Website creation tool for resellers: No
- SSL certificate: Yes
eNom http://www.enom.com/resellers/default.asp
If you resell domain names through eNom, you choose between two eNom tools:
- Automated Registration Software (API), which allows your clients to register and manage their domains through your site
- PDQ, a site that you customize and eNom manages — they handle the billing, and you earn commissions
As an eNom domain name reseller, you can also offer your clients web hosting, web monitoring, SSL certificates, and other eNom products as a reseller.
- Setup fee: No
- Annual fee: $99 if you use the PDQ website tool
- Deposit required: Starts at $199 for 199 eNom points
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $9.95
- Website creation tool for resellers: Yes
- SSL certificate: No
Tucows http://resellers.tucows.com/
A website builder, blogware, SSL certificates, and email services are among the services you can resell as well as domain names.
- Setup fee: $95
- Annual fee: No
- Deposit required: No minimum payment, but they recommend prepaying one month of credit in advance
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $9.85
- Website creation tool for resellers: No
- SSL certificate: No
Wild West Domains http://www.wildwestdomains.com/gdshop/default.asp
Owned by The Go Daddy Group, Inc., Wild West Domains offers several reseller packages. They also offer other products to resell in addition to domain names, including hosting, website builders, email plans, SSL certificates, and merchant accounts.
- Setup fee: No
- Annual fee: Starting at $99; $249 with the API
- Deposit required: No
- Starting wholesale pricing for .com domains: $7.75
- Website creation tool for resellers: Yes
- SSL certificate: Yes
Domain name registration is an important part of your online business. In fact, it can be one of the most vital aspects of branding your business. A good domain name will make your site look professional before people even click on it whilst a bad domain name can drastically lessen the traffic you receive.
Because you must choose a domain before your site goes online, domain name registration needs to be carefully planned so that you do not regret your choice later. There are some important factors to consider when registering a domain including:
- The TLD or domain extension (.com, .net)
- The purpose of your website
- Any particular major keywords you are focusing on
- How long you will register the domain for
- Where you will register the domain
- If you will buy domain privacy
Let's take a look at the above factors in depth.
TLD
Ideally you will want to register a .com domain as your main domain. It can take many attempts to find an available .com domain so keep trying until you do. You may choose to add a dash into your domain. These are acceptable but it is not advisable to use more than one dash. If your site is going to be an authority site then consider also buying the .net, .org and .info domains too so competitors don't take them.
Website Purpose
If the purpose of your website is to act as a guide then using a word like "guide" in the domain is relevant. It is important to determine what your site is trying to achieve before the domain name registration. If you want your site to be brandable, then a made up word that is pronounceable is a good idea - that is what Google did!
Keywords
Most websites have one or two main keywords they wish to target. Incorporating these into your domain, where possible, may assist with search engine rankings.
Registration Length
It is a good idea to register a new domain for as long as possible. It is thought that Google looks favorably upon this and it eliminates the worry every year regarding paying for your registration.
Where To Register
There are many domain registrars, but there are only a few that you should consider registering at. You should ignore price when buying a .com domain because the difference between registrars is minimal.
What you should be looking for is a secure, reputable registrar. Some of the top domain registrars are Moniker, Name.com, Dynadot, Namecheap and GoDaddy. These registrars sell .com domains from $7.50 up to $10 per year.
Domain Privacy
Domain privacy prevents anyone accessing your data when they search for the owner of your domain name. People may search for domain owners through a WHOIS service. Depending on the purpose of your website, you may or may not want this data visible. Most registrars charge a yearly fee for WHOIS domain privacy.
Domain name registration is an exciting process, but also a very important time so make sure you choose the very best available domain name for your website.
Because you must choose a domain before your site goes online, domain name registration needs to be carefully planned so that you do not regret your choice later. There are some important factors to consider when registering a domain including:
- The TLD or domain extension (.com, .net)
- The purpose of your website
- Any particular major keywords you are focusing on
- How long you will register the domain for
- Where you will register the domain
- If you will buy domain privacy
Let's take a look at the above factors in depth.
TLD
Ideally you will want to register a .com domain as your main domain. It can take many attempts to find an available .com domain so keep trying until you do. You may choose to add a dash into your domain. These are acceptable but it is not advisable to use more than one dash. If your site is going to be an authority site then consider also buying the .net, .org and .info domains too so competitors don't take them.
Website Purpose
If the purpose of your website is to act as a guide then using a word like "guide" in the domain is relevant. It is important to determine what your site is trying to achieve before the domain name registration. If you want your site to be brandable, then a made up word that is pronounceable is a good idea - that is what Google did!
Keywords
Most websites have one or two main keywords they wish to target. Incorporating these into your domain, where possible, may assist with search engine rankings.
Registration Length
It is a good idea to register a new domain for as long as possible. It is thought that Google looks favorably upon this and it eliminates the worry every year regarding paying for your registration.
Where To Register
There are many domain registrars, but there are only a few that you should consider registering at. You should ignore price when buying a .com domain because the difference between registrars is minimal.
What you should be looking for is a secure, reputable registrar. Some of the top domain registrars are Moniker, Name.com, Dynadot, Namecheap and GoDaddy. These registrars sell .com domains from $7.50 up to $10 per year.
Domain Privacy
Domain privacy prevents anyone accessing your data when they search for the owner of your domain name. People may search for domain owners through a WHOIS service. Depending on the purpose of your website, you may or may not want this data visible. Most registrars charge a yearly fee for WHOIS domain privacy.
Domain name registration is an exciting process, but also a very important time so make sure you choose the very best available domain name for your website.
It's one of those frustrating things that can happen when we're setting up an online
It's one of those frustrating things that can happen when we're setting up an online business. The business idea, the name, and the details for all the other steps fall into place. Except…the perfect dot com domain for our site is already taken. Generally speaking, .com domains are the most sought after. They're what people think of first when they type in a domain name. If we use a different domain extension, we risk losing traffic to the site with the .com extension. Of course when we want a country-specific domain extension, the extension for the country we have in mind has precedence over a .com one. Or we may have to settle for a domain other than the .com variation if nothing available in .com is what we want. And if our business serves or represents a specific community and we can have a domain extension that specifies that place, isn't that even better? Sometimes we don't get what we think we're getting.
Country code top-level domains (ccTLD)
Every country has its own top-level domain (domain extension). An important point to remember is that registry authorities in the country of each ccTLD have control over the registration of domains using their TLD. How does YourCompanyName.la sound? LA, or Los Angeles, is glamorous. The city of stars. Domains ending in .la would suit a variety of entertainment sites. Problem is, .la refers to Laos, not Los Angeles. Or what about .ws? Anything goes with "website." A lot of domain registrants are viewing it as an excellent alternative to already-taken .com domains. The .ws extension is for Samoa, however. For medical doctors, .md sounds impressive, even if the doctor isn't from Moldova. Another example illustrates the problem. A few years ago, domains with .uk.co extensions were marketed as an alternative to domains ending in .co.uk. They were just what a lot of people wanted when the .co.uk version of the name they wanted was already taken. They were also useful domains to have if you already had the .co.uk domain and wanted to catch traffic from those who accidentally reversed the two parts of this extension. So, a lot of people registered these domains. About 8,000, in fact. One morning in February 2003, those 8,000 people woke up to find out that they'd lost their domains, their sites, and their email. At a Colombia website, they were able to learn the story. The registrar for .uk.co domains hadn't agreed to the terms of a new arrangement to provide temporary safeguarding of their domains, so .uk.co domains were no longer available. That was probably the first time that many people realized that the "co" in the domain stood for Colombia, not company. If Colombia can pull the plug on people from other countries using their ccTLD, so can other countries. A geographical domain that appears to represent something else may not be such a good idea after all. The terms for domain registration for some ccTLDs state that the registrant must live in or have other ties with the country. People who register the domains without meeting the requirements risk losing their domains if it's found that they registered the domains without being eligible to do so. Those with .tv domains should fare better. In 2000, the tiny South Pacific nation of Tuvalu sold the use of its .tv ccTLD. The term TV is internationally known for television, so it can be suitable for websites in various countries.
Newer top-level domains
Beyond the generic .com, .net, and .org TLDs, newer ones provide more opportunities to choose that perfect domain for general and specific uses.
Domains for professional use
.aero is reserved for the aviation business, such as airports and airlines . .biz means business. It's restricted to business or commercial use. .coop is intended to promote co-operative identity. Credit unions and other business co-ops that use .coop contribute to funds only to help cooperatives with limited resources in various countries. .museum domains help people see that a website is run by a museum, a museum association, or museum professionals. The Museum Domain Management Association, or MuseDoma for short, manages .museum domain registrations. .pro, short for professional, is currently only for professionals in the accounting, engineering, legal, or medical fields. When professionals are certified that they are eligible for a .pro domain, they can register .acc.pro, .eng.pro, .law.pro, .med.pro, or a few other variations. They are also issued a digital certificate so that they can digitally sign and encrypt emails.
Domains for general use
.info is, of course, short for information — in many languages, which adds to its usefulness. There are no restrictions on who can use an .info domain. It's suitable for both individuals and companies. .name domains are for individual use. The names can be real, first and last name, first name last initial, pseudonyms, nicknames, or a fictional character that the registrant has rights to. They can be a combination of names and numbers, e.g., janedoe1972.name. But they must be personal names of some sort and not just words. .us can be used by US citizens, organizations, businesses, or government agencies. Its use is for the most part unrestricted. Naturally, the registrant must be a US citizen or permanent resident, or the organization must be incorporated in the US or have a presence in the US.
Country code top-level domains (ccTLD)
Every country has its own top-level domain (domain extension). An important point to remember is that registry authorities in the country of each ccTLD have control over the registration of domains using their TLD. How does YourCompanyName.la sound? LA, or Los Angeles, is glamorous. The city of stars. Domains ending in .la would suit a variety of entertainment sites. Problem is, .la refers to Laos, not Los Angeles. Or what about .ws? Anything goes with "website." A lot of domain registrants are viewing it as an excellent alternative to already-taken .com domains. The .ws extension is for Samoa, however. For medical doctors, .md sounds impressive, even if the doctor isn't from Moldova. Another example illustrates the problem. A few years ago, domains with .uk.co extensions were marketed as an alternative to domains ending in .co.uk. They were just what a lot of people wanted when the .co.uk version of the name they wanted was already taken. They were also useful domains to have if you already had the .co.uk domain and wanted to catch traffic from those who accidentally reversed the two parts of this extension. So, a lot of people registered these domains. About 8,000, in fact. One morning in February 2003, those 8,000 people woke up to find out that they'd lost their domains, their sites, and their email. At a Colombia website, they were able to learn the story. The registrar for .uk.co domains hadn't agreed to the terms of a new arrangement to provide temporary safeguarding of their domains, so .uk.co domains were no longer available. That was probably the first time that many people realized that the "co" in the domain stood for Colombia, not company. If Colombia can pull the plug on people from other countries using their ccTLD, so can other countries. A geographical domain that appears to represent something else may not be such a good idea after all. The terms for domain registration for some ccTLDs state that the registrant must live in or have other ties with the country. People who register the domains without meeting the requirements risk losing their domains if it's found that they registered the domains without being eligible to do so. Those with .tv domains should fare better. In 2000, the tiny South Pacific nation of Tuvalu sold the use of its .tv ccTLD. The term TV is internationally known for television, so it can be suitable for websites in various countries.
Newer top-level domains
Beyond the generic .com, .net, and .org TLDs, newer ones provide more opportunities to choose that perfect domain for general and specific uses.
Domains for professional use
.aero is reserved for the aviation business, such as airports and airlines . .biz means business. It's restricted to business or commercial use. .coop is intended to promote co-operative identity. Credit unions and other business co-ops that use .coop contribute to funds only to help cooperatives with limited resources in various countries. .museum domains help people see that a website is run by a museum, a museum association, or museum professionals. The Museum Domain Management Association, or MuseDoma for short, manages .museum domain registrations. .pro, short for professional, is currently only for professionals in the accounting, engineering, legal, or medical fields. When professionals are certified that they are eligible for a .pro domain, they can register .acc.pro, .eng.pro, .law.pro, .med.pro, or a few other variations. They are also issued a digital certificate so that they can digitally sign and encrypt emails.
Domains for general use
.info is, of course, short for information — in many languages, which adds to its usefulness. There are no restrictions on who can use an .info domain. It's suitable for both individuals and companies. .name domains are for individual use. The names can be real, first and last name, first name last initial, pseudonyms, nicknames, or a fictional character that the registrant has rights to. They can be a combination of names and numbers, e.g., janedoe1972.name. But they must be personal names of some sort and not just words. .us can be used by US citizens, organizations, businesses, or government agencies. Its use is for the most part unrestricted. Naturally, the registrant must be a US citizen or permanent resident, or the organization must be incorporated in the US or have a presence in the US.
The domain name is the first point of your website that people see before they even click through to your url. When your site shows up in the search engines or as a link on another site, your domain name will tell people what the site is about.
If your domain name is completely irrelevant to your site topic, then people are less likely to visit. In addition, if your domain name is very long or looks 'spammy,' then the first impression is that your site is not very professional.
How to Find Good Domain Names
Choosing a good domain name is not difficult. Finding an available domain that you like can be tough; but if you search hard enough and take in all possibilities as far as where you can buy a domain, you will get lucky eventually.
You are not limited to buying domains from domain registrars. While it can be fun finding available domains and registering them, it can be even more exciting finding old, established domains which are for sale.
Where to Register Domain Names
There are many places where you can register domain names, including:
GoDaddy
Namecheap
eNom
Name.com
Moniker
Dynadot
Yahoo!
MyDomain
Dotster
Register.com
The above registrars are all ICANN accredited and provide .com, .net, .org, .info and many other extensions for registration.
Where to Buy Used Domain Names
If you want to buy domain names that are old, has page rank or would just rather not register a new domain, then you can search domain auctions and for sale websites.
Many forums have people selling domain names including forums like Digital Point, Sitepoint, DN Forum and Namepros. You will find many cheap domain names there, just do your due diligence to avoid being scammed. Research the history of the domain names before buying, and never spend more than $1000 on a domain name without paying through Escrow for safety reasons.
Alternatively, you can visit the domain name aftermarket from GoDaddy at tdnam.com. This site has tens of thousands of used domains for sale from $5 up to the six-figure mark. There are both auctions and buy it now listings there.
Other auction sites include Pool.com, Afternic, Sedo and SnapNames. You should become more familiar with domain terminology and market trends before buying domain names at auction, as the price can easily become out of hand.
Which Domain Extension Is Best?
In just about all cases, .com should be the domain name extension that you aim to acquire. There are a few exceptions to this, namely .org for non-profit organizations, .tv for sites focused on television, and international extensions for sites based in certain countries.
Regardless of which alternative extension you choose, aim to also own the .com version so that you protect your brand against copycats or competitors. .Com always has, and will probably always be, the most popular and well-known domain name extension.
Whichever method you choose to buy domain names, make sure they match your websites, are short and memorable, and will attract users to click through to your websites.
If your domain name is completely irrelevant to your site topic, then people are less likely to visit. In addition, if your domain name is very long or looks 'spammy,' then the first impression is that your site is not very professional.
How to Find Good Domain Names
Choosing a good domain name is not difficult. Finding an available domain that you like can be tough; but if you search hard enough and take in all possibilities as far as where you can buy a domain, you will get lucky eventually.
You are not limited to buying domains from domain registrars. While it can be fun finding available domains and registering them, it can be even more exciting finding old, established domains which are for sale.
Where to Register Domain Names
There are many places where you can register domain names, including:
GoDaddy
Namecheap
eNom
Name.com
Moniker
Dynadot
Yahoo!
MyDomain
Dotster
Register.com
The above registrars are all ICANN accredited and provide .com, .net, .org, .info and many other extensions for registration.
Where to Buy Used Domain Names
If you want to buy domain names that are old, has page rank or would just rather not register a new domain, then you can search domain auctions and for sale websites.
Many forums have people selling domain names including forums like Digital Point, Sitepoint, DN Forum and Namepros. You will find many cheap domain names there, just do your due diligence to avoid being scammed. Research the history of the domain names before buying, and never spend more than $1000 on a domain name without paying through Escrow for safety reasons.
Alternatively, you can visit the domain name aftermarket from GoDaddy at tdnam.com. This site has tens of thousands of used domains for sale from $5 up to the six-figure mark. There are both auctions and buy it now listings there.
Other auction sites include Pool.com, Afternic, Sedo and SnapNames. You should become more familiar with domain terminology and market trends before buying domain names at auction, as the price can easily become out of hand.
Which Domain Extension Is Best?
In just about all cases, .com should be the domain name extension that you aim to acquire. There are a few exceptions to this, namely .org for non-profit organizations, .tv for sites focused on television, and international extensions for sites based in certain countries.
Regardless of which alternative extension you choose, aim to also own the .com version so that you protect your brand against copycats or competitors. .Com always has, and will probably always be, the most popular and well-known domain name extension.
Whichever method you choose to buy domain names, make sure they match your websites, are short and memorable, and will attract users to click through to your websites.
Domain investing has never been a great favorite not even amongst the most experienced marketers. There are various theories to just what domain investing is, but basically they all point at a need for casual traffic which therefore generates a poor return.
The general consensus of opinion nowadays is that a domain name is not important and that NoggyDog.net is just as good as Banks.Com, with the understanding that the content on each site is identical. Now I too used to believe this but I can assure you now that I was completely mistaken. I will reveal the awesome value of domain investments with a couple of questions for you. Which domain name would you consider to be most valuable but strictly on a valuation basis? ... Google.com or Books.com?
I expect most of you have answered Google.com as it does stand out just a bit, but incredibly it is not the correct answer and this is why. Google is as we know just the brand of a search engine and it is not very often used as a keyword. The important thing that comes out of this is that when you own a domain name, you have total power over your keyboard.
The domain name Google.com is one of the short names that sound cool and easy to remember and I too have several similar type domain names. They only receive minimum traffic as they are not proper words that people would use to find something and the same would have applied to Google. This type of domain name investment could cost millions of dollars in branding costs, otherwise it would only earn a couple of bucks a year through click revenue and at auction would only sell for about 2000 dollars.
Now try and just think what you could do with a domain name like Books.com and just how much casual traffic you would get. The is commonly known as type-in traffic or direct navigation. If I were to base this on established type-in click-through metrics for the domain industry plus my own personal experience, I would expect a domain name like Books.com would normally receive up to 5000 type-in visitors a day, which is an incredible 125,000 monthly hits. (All revealed in part 2).
Discover Domain Name Investments dedicated to spreading the truth about domain investing, site flipping, reselling, monetizing Web sites and domain valuation as well as weekly Free Domain Lists
The general consensus of opinion nowadays is that a domain name is not important and that NoggyDog.net is just as good as Banks.Com, with the understanding that the content on each site is identical. Now I too used to believe this but I can assure you now that I was completely mistaken. I will reveal the awesome value of domain investments with a couple of questions for you. Which domain name would you consider to be most valuable but strictly on a valuation basis? ... Google.com or Books.com?
I expect most of you have answered Google.com as it does stand out just a bit, but incredibly it is not the correct answer and this is why. Google is as we know just the brand of a search engine and it is not very often used as a keyword. The important thing that comes out of this is that when you own a domain name, you have total power over your keyboard.
The domain name Google.com is one of the short names that sound cool and easy to remember and I too have several similar type domain names. They only receive minimum traffic as they are not proper words that people would use to find something and the same would have applied to Google. This type of domain name investment could cost millions of dollars in branding costs, otherwise it would only earn a couple of bucks a year through click revenue and at auction would only sell for about 2000 dollars.
Now try and just think what you could do with a domain name like Books.com and just how much casual traffic you would get. The is commonly known as type-in traffic or direct navigation. If I were to base this on established type-in click-through metrics for the domain industry plus my own personal experience, I would expect a domain name like Books.com would normally receive up to 5000 type-in visitors a day, which is an incredible 125,000 monthly hits. (All revealed in part 2).
Discover Domain Name Investments dedicated to spreading the truth about domain investing, site flipping, reselling, monetizing Web sites and domain valuation as well as weekly Free Domain Lists
So you are in the market to register a new domain name so you can make your first million (or two) on the internet.Before you rush out and register that new domain I am going to suggest that you consider an aged domain instead.An aged/expired domain is a domain that has been previously registered by someone else, and that person or company has, for whatever reason decided not to renew it.Sometimes the reason is simply that they forget. There was a famous story a few years ago when a high profile domain passport.com owned by Microsoft was forgotten about when it came time to renew the registration, meaning it became available for anyone to re-register.This guy did just that with this domain, but luckily for Microsoft this guy did the right thing and gave the domain back to them (I think Microsoft paid him back the registration fee).Other reasons for failing to renew a domain might be that the person that owned the domain went bankrupt, or they maybe transferred the business that used to operate on that domain to another domain. In fact there are a number of reasons why domain names do get forgotten about.So what are the advantages for you re-registering an expired domain?1. Links - Most domains, particularly those domains that have been promoted heavily in the past and not just left idle have other sites pointing to them over time, and these links form a major part in determining how well the domain will rank in the search engines for particular keywords.2. Page Rank - As a consequence of these links, many of these aged domains will have existing page rank.3. Age - As a general rule the search engines give more power to domains that have been continuously registered for a a longer period than other domains.4. Web site Visitors - Many domains will have existing web traffic, with visitors rolling up to that domain on a regular basis, often as a result of previous campaigns done by the previous site owner.5. No Sandbox - New domains are sometimes subjected to a "sandbox" where they will not rank as well as more established domains until they have being around long enough to be trusted by the search engines.These are probably the most attractive things to consider when re-registering an existing domain versus registering a brand new domain.There is an very important distinction I recommend you become familiar with between an aged/expired domain and a deleted domain.An aged or expired domain name has the age preserved. For example if I registered a domain three years ago and then did not renew the registration and you come along and re-register it, then for all intensive purposes the domain is still three years old and still has all the advantages of that age in the search engines.If however, you re-register a deleted domain, then for all intensive purposes you have registered a BRAND NEW domain. You will still be able to take advantage of any links, page rank, and traffic, but your domain may be subjected to the sandbox, and WILL be treated as a brand new domain by the search engines.So the key is to make sure you get the domain before it is deleted by the domain registar. There are a number of free services available that you can use to find aged domains or expired domains.Just do a search in google for terms such as aged domain finder or something similar.These websites will often even allow you to search for domains and return information about the age of the domain, existing page rank, number of links, traffic, and even allow you to use the wayback machine (a catalogue of all web pages at various points in time) to see what content was on the domain in the past.Some of the more complete services will allow you to search with keywords as well which is a very powerful feature.You see domains rank better in Google, MSN, and Yahoo if they contain one of more keywords relating to the particular niche you are looking to get involved in.For example if you are selling products for cats, then if you have the word cat or cats in the domain name this will help you get better rankings than domains that do not have this (if everything else is equal).Essential tips to purchasing aged domains1. Try and get a domain at least 5 years old (the older the better, this is a minimum).2. Aim for a decent number of links as possible (although this is not essential).3. Existing Page rank is not necessary but a bonus if you can find it.4. Existing traffic again is not necessary but is a huge bonus.5. Make sure the domain has at least part of a keyword relating to the niche you are going to use the domain in.6. Check the history of the domain to make sure you are happy with the previous content that has been used on the domain previously. Bad content may have blacklisted the domain in the search engines. Many services allow you to search for this automatically.7. Optional: Use a service that allows you to search closeouts. These are really cheap domains usually costing only $5 (plus standard registration fees). Wht buy premium domains if you do not need them? You do not need to spend much money to find domains that have most of the factors discussed above. In fact only recently I purchased a 10 year old domain, with 200+ web visitors per day and 1000 links for just $5 ! Buying expired domains can really give you a an advantage over your competition, and if your smart and use the right websites, and look for the right type of domains, it need not be an expensive exercise. Isn't your online efforts worth spending an extra $5 to get an aged domain so you can take advantage of all these factors?
So you want to start a business, sell a product or have the next big dot Com idea, huh? Well, undoubtedly, you will need a domain. Wouldn't an expired domain name give you a head start? Think about it...the site attached to the domain already has a page rank and backlinks. Maybe the site is listed in Dmoz or several other directories and search engines. By purchasing an expired domain, you wouldn't have to worry about Google's age factor for new sites. It would likely save you a whole lot of time and money, right? Wrong. Like most things in life, nothing is that easy.
Expired domains are viewed by many as a way for a new domain owner to capitalize on a the previous site's page rank and traffic. Unfortunately, that's simply not the case. Once a site expires, it loses its page rank, meaning all existing links are no longer counted towards the site. That's right...you start fresh. You'll have to re-establish PR. Dmoz has even mentioned that they will pull a site's listing once it expires.
Of course, depending on the popularity of the name in terms of it's relation to search traffic, you'll probably get more traffic than if the site was new. The site already has established links that bring in traffic, they just won't count toward your page rank...ever. But honestly, that's really the only benefit you get, unless you are lucky enough to buy a domain whose name you can benefit from because of a direct relation to your products or services. The chances of that happening are pretty slim. Think about it...if someone owned a successful site with a successful name, would it be expired and available? This is why even the best attempts at garnering an expired domain usually only result in a loose association by name at best. If you want to sell computers, you won't find "computers.com". You might find "discountcomputerperipheralsupply.net", but that's not exactly memorable, is it?
There are many SEO gurus who advocate buying expired domains. I don't necessarily disagree as long as you know what the benefits will and won't be. Google has stated that expired domains will lose their PR and backlinks. I have even heard of instances where attempts to re-establish PR after purchasing the expired domain and registering it have failed. In fact, more than a few people have had problems with Google failing to recognize backlinks set up after the domain is re-established.
So, is there any safe way to get a jump on the SERP's? Well, if possible, you'd want to purchase a domain before it expires. This way, there is no chance of losing the backlinks and PR. Still, if it holds a site with a high PR and good backlinks or is simply a popular phrase or term, it's likely going to cost you a lot more than the registration fee on a domain. The cost could be justified, however, in some instances.
In my research, I couldn't find one instance where Google or any other search engine had a problem with a transfer of ownership regarding domains. This basically entails buying a business with the location, not just an empty store with a sign. Of course, someone could own a domain with no site on it, but then pre-existing PR and backlinks wouldn't be a factor. You would simply be buying a name. For domains with successful sites already established, it's a good way to get a head start if the price is right. If you can afford it and find someone willing to sell, this is one way to avoid the loss of any pre-existing PR and backlinks. Of course, we are talking about domain purchase in the context of small business. If you bought "Sears.com" in 1990 and you don't own the company, it wasn't because your last name is Sears.
Back to expired domains...
If you do decide to buy an expired domain, keep one thing in mind. The site already has backlinks, anchor text and other off site SEO factors. There are two considerations you will need to make before you plunk down your cash:
1. Are you buying the domain because the domain name is related or because the previous site had high traffic? If the site you are planning is unrelated, you won't benefit from the traffic (provided there is any) or off site SEO work.
2. Make sure you know what you are getting into when you buy an expired domain. Any "black hat" methods, links to bad neighbors, paid links and other unethical practices can affect you.
If all else fails or your search for a related expired domain bears no fruit, start from scratch. You will be able to develop your site knowing that the success or failure of it can't be attributed to someone else's efforts. In other words, you will know if your SEO methods are effective for the particular business you are in and not a result of traffic already established by the previous owner. I have written many articles that can help you boost your pagerank and get indexed faster. Sometimes, it's better to start fresh than go through the headache of searching for the right expired domain.
Joe is an SEO expert. His SEO/SEM firm has helped many companies increase there organic placement. He also writers articles and creates a weekly podcast on SEO.
Expired domains are viewed by many as a way for a new domain owner to capitalize on a the previous site's page rank and traffic. Unfortunately, that's simply not the case. Once a site expires, it loses its page rank, meaning all existing links are no longer counted towards the site. That's right...you start fresh. You'll have to re-establish PR. Dmoz has even mentioned that they will pull a site's listing once it expires.
Of course, depending on the popularity of the name in terms of it's relation to search traffic, you'll probably get more traffic than if the site was new. The site already has established links that bring in traffic, they just won't count toward your page rank...ever. But honestly, that's really the only benefit you get, unless you are lucky enough to buy a domain whose name you can benefit from because of a direct relation to your products or services. The chances of that happening are pretty slim. Think about it...if someone owned a successful site with a successful name, would it be expired and available? This is why even the best attempts at garnering an expired domain usually only result in a loose association by name at best. If you want to sell computers, you won't find "computers.com". You might find "discountcomputerperipheralsupply.net", but that's not exactly memorable, is it?
There are many SEO gurus who advocate buying expired domains. I don't necessarily disagree as long as you know what the benefits will and won't be. Google has stated that expired domains will lose their PR and backlinks. I have even heard of instances where attempts to re-establish PR after purchasing the expired domain and registering it have failed. In fact, more than a few people have had problems with Google failing to recognize backlinks set up after the domain is re-established.
So, is there any safe way to get a jump on the SERP's? Well, if possible, you'd want to purchase a domain before it expires. This way, there is no chance of losing the backlinks and PR. Still, if it holds a site with a high PR and good backlinks or is simply a popular phrase or term, it's likely going to cost you a lot more than the registration fee on a domain. The cost could be justified, however, in some instances.
In my research, I couldn't find one instance where Google or any other search engine had a problem with a transfer of ownership regarding domains. This basically entails buying a business with the location, not just an empty store with a sign. Of course, someone could own a domain with no site on it, but then pre-existing PR and backlinks wouldn't be a factor. You would simply be buying a name. For domains with successful sites already established, it's a good way to get a head start if the price is right. If you can afford it and find someone willing to sell, this is one way to avoid the loss of any pre-existing PR and backlinks. Of course, we are talking about domain purchase in the context of small business. If you bought "Sears.com" in 1990 and you don't own the company, it wasn't because your last name is Sears.
Back to expired domains...
If you do decide to buy an expired domain, keep one thing in mind. The site already has backlinks, anchor text and other off site SEO factors. There are two considerations you will need to make before you plunk down your cash:
1. Are you buying the domain because the domain name is related or because the previous site had high traffic? If the site you are planning is unrelated, you won't benefit from the traffic (provided there is any) or off site SEO work.
2. Make sure you know what you are getting into when you buy an expired domain. Any "black hat" methods, links to bad neighbors, paid links and other unethical practices can affect you.
If all else fails or your search for a related expired domain bears no fruit, start from scratch. You will be able to develop your site knowing that the success or failure of it can't be attributed to someone else's efforts. In other words, you will know if your SEO methods are effective for the particular business you are in and not a result of traffic already established by the previous owner. I have written many articles that can help you boost your pagerank and get indexed faster. Sometimes, it's better to start fresh than go through the headache of searching for the right expired domain.
Joe is an SEO expert. His SEO/SEM firm has helped many companies increase there organic placement. He also writers articles and creates a weekly podcast on SEO.
Now a days , Internet marketing is the most effective and efficient method to generate business worldwide. In this people used to promote themselves online, in different marketplaces. To start an Internet marketing for your business you need a domain name. Getting an effective domain name is the most important step for online business success. Before going for Domain name registration, it is very important to have an action plan.
Below are few of the tips to help you to find the right domain name for your business, that will be a successful choice for you.
1.The extension of domain name should make a notice to the user about your location and target marketplace. If your business targets to local community than you must go to get country specific domains. You will get benefits of such local domains in your search engine results and people in that country will know that they are dealing with local entity. If you would like ti target globally or you are based in US than go for .com domains.
2.Use of keyword in domain names sometimes helps in search engine results
3.Short names are much easier to remember and spell correctly. Using long name, by only one spelling mistake you can lose a potential visitor forever. If it is hard to pronounce than you can't expect users to spread the word.
4.Try to avoid hyphens. If straightforward names are gone than its better to come up with different idea with different name.
5.Go for reputable domain name registration company. Some of the companies are just the middlemen, they charge much higher fees for the domain name you want. In some of the cases they register using their own information and it becomes difficult for the customer to do anything with that domain.
6.When buying a domain name avoid copyright and trademark infringement. Companies can take legal actions against the website owner, so be careful.
7.Try to buy several different extensions of your domain name, so no one else can violate on your success by registering a similar name.
8.Before you proceed to pay for the domain registration, always do a spell check. Once you registered the domain name, you can't edit it even in your domain control panel.
These tips will help you to register an efficient domain name for your business.
Below are few of the tips to help you to find the right domain name for your business, that will be a successful choice for you.
1.The extension of domain name should make a notice to the user about your location and target marketplace. If your business targets to local community than you must go to get country specific domains. You will get benefits of such local domains in your search engine results and people in that country will know that they are dealing with local entity. If you would like ti target globally or you are based in US than go for .com domains.
2.Use of keyword in domain names sometimes helps in search engine results
3.Short names are much easier to remember and spell correctly. Using long name, by only one spelling mistake you can lose a potential visitor forever. If it is hard to pronounce than you can't expect users to spread the word.
4.Try to avoid hyphens. If straightforward names are gone than its better to come up with different idea with different name.
5.Go for reputable domain name registration company. Some of the companies are just the middlemen, they charge much higher fees for the domain name you want. In some of the cases they register using their own information and it becomes difficult for the customer to do anything with that domain.
6.When buying a domain name avoid copyright and trademark infringement. Companies can take legal actions against the website owner, so be careful.
7.Try to buy several different extensions of your domain name, so no one else can violate on your success by registering a similar name.
8.Before you proceed to pay for the domain registration, always do a spell check. Once you registered the domain name, you can't edit it even in your domain control panel.
These tips will help you to register an efficient domain name for your business.
Baby domain names are a booming trend. If you are a parent or planning to become one, you need to act quickly to claim a namesake Internet URL (for example, JacobCaplan.com) for your kid. This domain name can later become your child’s homepage, business website, blog or a celebrity resource. With the ever-growing role of Internet in our lives and the huge number of domain names registered every day, it’s important to act now in order to claim your child’s online identity.
Why would your child need a domain name in the first place? A namesake domain is the most logical place for his or her homepage or blog, which is a must these days. The domain can also host your child’s business website. And if your kid becomes a national celebrity (which he or she certainly can!), you won’t have to pay thousands of dollars to get the domain name back from speculators.
This brings us to our next point. With 500,000+ (that’s five hundred thousand) Internet domain names registered every single day, these pieces of precious Internet real estate are going away FAST. It’s not uncommon for domain speculators to snatch a baby domain name and then resell it to its parents for anywhere from $50 to $10,000. Consider Britney Spears: speculators registered her son’s domain name before she even could.
The growing scarcity of baby domain names even makes some parents choose their babies’ first and middle names based on the URL availability! For example, if you are undecided between Josh and Jake for your son, the fact that JoshYourlastname.com is available (and JakeYourlastname.com is not) may be a serious factor to influence your decision!
Given the above facts, it’s clear that you need to act fast in securing an Internet address for your baby. An Internet name is a central piece of any online identity and will be the perfect place for your child’s homepage or business site. With thousands of domains names registered every day (many by speculators aiming to resell them later), it’s important to snatch a domain for your baby fast. And for less than $10 per domain, how wrong can you be?
Why would your child need a domain name in the first place? A namesake domain is the most logical place for his or her homepage or blog, which is a must these days. The domain can also host your child’s business website. And if your kid becomes a national celebrity (which he or she certainly can!), you won’t have to pay thousands of dollars to get the domain name back from speculators.
This brings us to our next point. With 500,000+ (that’s five hundred thousand) Internet domain names registered every single day, these pieces of precious Internet real estate are going away FAST. It’s not uncommon for domain speculators to snatch a baby domain name and then resell it to its parents for anywhere from $50 to $10,000. Consider Britney Spears: speculators registered her son’s domain name before she even could.
The growing scarcity of baby domain names even makes some parents choose their babies’ first and middle names based on the URL availability! For example, if you are undecided between Josh and Jake for your son, the fact that JoshYourlastname.com is available (and JakeYourlastname.com is not) may be a serious factor to influence your decision!
Given the above facts, it’s clear that you need to act fast in securing an Internet address for your baby. An Internet name is a central piece of any online identity and will be the perfect place for your child’s homepage or business site. With thousands of domains names registered every day (many by speculators aiming to resell them later), it’s important to snatch a domain for your baby fast. And for less than $10 per domain, how wrong can you be?
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