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Knowing the value of an internet domain name is crucial in today’s business industry. Altough there is no exact formula to appraise a domain, there are a group of things to consider before putting a value to a domain. A majority of people will base their immediate appraisal on TLD extension, word length and keyword popularity but won’t really consider backlinks, brandability or emerging trends part of the equation. There are a few factors that a person must be aware of before they can feel they have thoroughly assessed the domain and attach a valid appraisal amount. The first thing a person can do to is recognize that there are many subtle components that need to be assembled and viewed as a whole to get a comprehensive perspective on the domain. It seems every domainer has their own method used to appraise a domain so I’ve listed a few factors that I feel are necessary in being considered before a domain can be appraised.

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TLD Extension

TLD or Top-Level Domain is the ending extension attached to a domain such as .com, .net or .org. The .com extension is considered the most sought after even though there are other TLD’s that are gaining huge popularity and acceptance. CC’s or Country Codes are also seeing their fair share of registrations.

Name Length

Now that all the 2, 3 and 4 letter .com’s have been registered, the letter count on a domain is fast becoming a huge factor in a domain’s worth. The desire for a short domain is at an all time high and values are steadily climbing due to the limited supply of shorter length domains. Seems shorter names are easier to remember and with that a value increase.

Characters, Numbers and Hyphens

Hyphens integrated between letters are often viewed as separators between keywords. Although there is much dispute whether or not the hyphens negatively impact a domain’s search engine optimization, there is considerable preference that a domain not include anything extra in it’s name. Number digits are beginning to see their popularity rise and can be included with relevant keywords or letters to make a great domain.

Keyword Popularity

Marketable search terms and keyword popularity are extremely relevant in appraising a domain name. The frequency of a given search term helps to indicate the brandability or popularity of the keyword. Generic word domains, such as flowers.com or poker.com are the strongest in their keyword popularity genre.

Traffic and Revenue

Traffic or visitors to a particular domain is one of the most important factors to consider when appraising a domain. More traffic usually means more revenue due to pay-per-click income and possible advertising opportunities, therefore increasing the value of the domain.

Brandability and Trends

Any domain that is easily memorable, short and non-descript is considered brandable and therefore increases it’s value. It would be easier for a person to remember TVrepair.com instead of the longer fix-my-broken-television.com . Not only is the first choice shorter and has better word flow but also there is less of a chance of someone incorrectly typing in the URL. Also keep tuned in to current trends that may seem to increase an otherwise meaningless domain into a treasure. An example is when Apple Computers began to incorporate the letter i into their products descriptions, such as iPhone, iPod and iLife.

Automated Domain Appraisals

This is a tricky one. Although I feel automated domain appraisal systems such as Estibot are helpful in assisting to appraise a domain, I don’t feel they should be the “end all” decision used to obtain a domain’s value. If used more as a reference tool, they can be one of the greatest resources that help determine an appraisal value. Any script/applications can have some bugs, especially ones with complex algorithms as Estibot. Make automated domain appraisals one of the tools to find an appraisal, not the only tool.

Future Potential Interest and Overall Appeal

As time goes by, new words, trends and fads explode onto the scene, and with each new word or trend created, a domain is born. Stay up with current events and become a regular visitor to news aggregate sites, such as Digg and domain industry specific DNHour to stay on the cusp of emerging potential interests.

Backlinks

I like to keep my eye on the number and quality of backlinks to evaluate an domain appraisal. While tons of irrelevant backlinks might negatively effect a domain’s search engine optimization, it can still be a positive thing for a domain names’ value. With more and more domains being “parked”, the links tend to lean towards relevant backlinks and therefore less likely to be bogged down in the SEO nightmare of page rank. And, it’s hard to argue that backlinks don’t increase traffic.

Relevance, Region Specific and other Fuzzy Logic

As said earlier, there is no exact formula to appraise a domain name, and therefore the not-so-exact elements must come into play. An example would be that veteran domainers tend to skew their entire method of appraising when it comes to country specific or region specific domain names. Different factors are incorporated to determine non-English domain word values and domainers across the globe are becoming better in detecting future potential interests in foreign markets. Another example is the continuously growing popularity of “long-string domaining”, or stringing multiple words or keywords to achieve a brandable and memorable domain name. TacoBell has ThinkOutsideTheBun.com and Amazon has the domain BuyABook.com. By definition, these would not be very valuable but that’s when the fuzzy logic creeps in. A domain’s value can be perceived in multiple ways.

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So keep in mind that even though there isn’t one exact correct formula being used by the domain industry to appraise domains, a reasonable appraisal can be determined by anyone if they keep all the factors in mind and how they each interact with each other.

I’d suggest you monitor the pulse of current domain sales by frequently visiting

DNJournal’s Domain Sales Chart. This will show you weekly and even yearly to-date domain sales for the industry. And don’t forget to visit the front page of Sedo to view ongoing live auctions. Each of these great resources will help you in creating your own customized method of domain appraising by seeing what domains are selling and for what amount.

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The internet has been the great place for the profit and earning . The google boom and followed by yahoo , MSN and Adbrite . The publishers of the most trafficked and busy sites have been busy in pocketing dollars for the every traffic and pay per click Advertisements shown on their sites . But the poor site owners and the bloggers who have low traffic or visitors have to wait for months to collect their revenue which was earned from the site advertisements . But thanks to parking sites such as godaddy.com , Sedo.com , name drive and parked.com , the domainers have been able to earn the revenue from the ads shown on their domains . You do not need to purchase hosting or spend a lot on the web design and we developers when you can start earning simply from the purchasing the domains and parking them on the sites which are most visited .

There is no any superior skills of web design or programming required for this business . you can earn while you sleep and this goes on . Some sites also place the banner that the domains are for sale . Thus you save on advertisement costs as well as marketing costs . All is done by parking sites. No matter you have registered domain on any site , just point your domain Name Servers (DNS) to parked sites address . Just go to parking sites , write the tags or keywords matching the domains nature and functions select suitable template and the parked domain will start showing ads of google or yahoo according to the domain parking site’s ads partner and you start earning in minutes. Alternatively you can forward your domain to parking site such as www.sedoparking.com/yourdomain . To set up your domain for parking , just take a look at the following steps . Suppose you have purchased a domain from bravenet.com and you want to point the domain to Sedo parking the method will be as follows : go to bravent.com enter your username and password . click on the domain you purchased and then go to change name servers . The name servers will appear like this.

NS1.BRAVEHOST.COM and NS2.BRAVEHOST.COM. Its the place where you change the name servers and point it to the Sedo name Servers which are NS1.SEDOPARKING.COM and NS2.SEDOPARKING.COM. The easy step will be to change name servers to SEDO then press submit . The name servers are now changed and the ads will start showing on your domain default page . Remember that before adding your domains to parking sites , first change the current name servers to the parking site’s Name servers as parking sites have to validate the WHOIS information so as to know that you are the real owner of the domain .

If you are a beginner or running short of savings to this business then start from .info domains as these are very cheap . you will have .info domains from Godaddy.com in just $3.15 and its reseller ix-one.com sells the same .info domains in just $2.15 . The .info domains are much cheaper than .com , .org or .net domains which start from $6 dollars to 12 dollars and the .tv and .fm domains cost even more . I have registered 100 .info domains and parked. My average daily earnings are $6 to $8 dollars per day and you can earn $200 Plus Dollars in month while you sleep . The earnings will grow as the domains crawled by search engines and typed by users . after all you have nothing to lose but to earn whenever the default domains are shown to visitors or clicked . But be careful , never click on your domains ads yourself as you might be banned from parking domains and all earnings will seized . Always register those domains which are of very common nature such for freelance advertisements you can register www.freelancemania.info , for online hotel booking you can purchase a domain like www.ehotelbooking.info for any matrimonial sites just register www.bestmatrimony.com , for articles and content advertisements you can have domains such as www.articlesmob.info and www.contentmasters.info . if you have idea of showing ads of freelance writing sites then a domain like www.vectralance.info will be an added value . The educations searches are made on regular basis so you can register a domain like www.educationexpo.info . suppose that you want to register a domain which related to sports only then the domain like www.allsportsbuzz.info will be fine and attractive . The pay per click and cost per Million impressions websites are increasing day by day and many advertisers as well as publishers are keen to search the PPC and CPM based sites . Registering a domain similar to this keyword click could bring you more traffic such as www.vectraclick.info. Hundreds of the jobseekers around the world search for online job sites to register themselves and applying for jobs be they full time , or part time or home based freelance jobs such as www.jobsbay.org . The jobs keyword can earn you more dollars. In today’s world every one wants a fast and secure system for online money transfer and payment . The online payment systems such Western union , google checkout etc are in continuous demand and subjects of the searches made over the search engines . Registering a domain like www.epaypal.info sounds similar to pay pal can show the ads of online payment systems . The you Tube , meta café , daily motion video sharing sites have been very popular in social networking . every day millions of videos are watched and submitted by users for viewers . The domain such as www.videoeden.info will be very useful for cash parking as its key words will videos and videos sharing , video submitting etc over the internet . several people enjoy online purchases through various credit cards and debit cards such VISA , Masters Card , American Express , JCB , Diner’s Club . The parking a domain such as www.electrocards.info will be high traffic domains for earning more revenue for cash parking . Parking domains for travel sites is also more yielding as it includes trips , air flights , hotels , booking and are based on high CPC and CPM based . My only domain www.globaltravelguide.info concerning traveling ,earns me the amount of 10 domains per month due to its high trafficked and costly keywords .The technology based online shopping sites are also popular a domain such as www.vectracity.com will be a great value to attract more visitors or more searches over the net. Some people are keen of watching and keeping the latest models of cars and luxury costly cars . The domain such as www.luxurycarsclub.info will make some to visits the site where information regarding the latest models of the cars is available .Everyday hundreds of the bloggers and blog advertisers hunt for the sites to advertise or monetize the blogs adding domain such as www.bloggermedia.info will earn you more revenue whoever searches the key word Blog advertising , blog hosting etc. The website and domain registrar sites are always visited by millions to start their business over the net . The domains such as www.Superflashsites.com , www.yoursdomain.info and www.xtrawebsol.com are worth mentioning. The affiliate marketing has been very lucrative business for online retailers . The domain as www.affiliatemarketingtm.info will add value to your cash parking business . The online matrimonial sites are like viral articles so every one tests his/ her luck for match hunt . The domain such as www.getmarriednow.biz will be very handy and earn you more revenue from the cash parking which needs only one time investment . The development jobs are also most wanted due to handsome and lucrative salaries . The domain such as www.developmentjobs.info may bring some charm and money in your pocket . Thanks to internet which has provided many sources of revenue to the online traders . The online trading business has been very profiting as compared to offline trading . The domain such as www.etradeonline.info will certainly boost your revenues at higher level.

All the domains included in this article are the examples of cash parking . you must visit them in order to know how your parked domains will look like after parking them . I have visited many domain parking sites Go daddy , Sedo , Name drive , gold key , parking dots , parking panel , domain hop , parked , domain sponsor , active audience and trafficz But I will recommend you to concentrate on three parking leaders www.sedo.com . www.godaddy.com and www.namedrive.com . The Sedo and name drive are free parking sites where you can park un limited domains for free where as go daddy charges 3 to 4 US dollars for basic parking which includes 60% revenue share of the parked domains and 80% for the premium cash parking . suppose you earned 100 dollars in April , if you have Basic cash parking then you earned $60 and $40 dollars will go to go daddy share . If you have premium cash parking account with godaddy.com , then you will pocket $80 and $ 20 Dollars will go in Godaddy.com . The domain registration is the problem of all as all the customer need cheap and established registrar and web hosting . The godaddy.com and ix-one.com are the finest to start with .info domains by parking them on the sites . if you need hosting for any website then www.ehostingjunction.com is the best choice . so what are you waiting for ? just buy domains and park them on the sites and make money while you sleep . for further information please visit my blog at www.remoteworktips.co.cc

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.

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mentioned in the text.

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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

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.