Buying and Selling Domain Names
I started buying domain names in the late nineties when there were still plenty of really good names to be found. That’s not the case any more. At least I don’t believe so. The majority of the domains that I own are .com names. Many of them are between five and ten years old. The age of the domain can be really important in the eyes of the Search Engines. Oh I have some .org and .net names and a few other miscellaneous TLD’s (Top Level Domains) such as .info and .ws as well, but I like to stick with the original and most valuable TLD, the .com.
Brief History
If you are new to the domain names market, you may not know the difference between the various TLD’s. The original three (.com, .net and .org) stand for Commercial, Network and Organization respectively. Back in the day, the three TLD’s were much more aligned with what they were created for. The .com extension was meant for commercial (for profit) businesses. The .net extension was generally used for Internet Service Providers and .org was mostly used by non-profit organizations such as churches, clubs, etc. However, over the years people would tend to use whatever name was available with no real attempt to use the appropriate TLD.
Of course as more and more people and businesses jumped on board the Internet, it got harder and harder to find good names. Once the value of domain names became apparent, many people started registering domain names by the hundreds in an attempt to gobble up all the remaining good names for investment purposes. It was those early investors who made their fortune by buying up those one-word domain names like Business.com which sold for $8 million dollars or Autos.com which sold for a cool $2.2 million. Although Business.com still holds the record for the highest amount paid for a single domain name, quite a few have sold for $1 million or more.
As the demand for domain names grew, it became obvious that new TLD’s would have to be created in order to meet the demand into the future. After the original three, we saw .edu (education), .mil (military) and .gov (government) TLD’s introduced. After that, it seemed like every year or two another TLD would come along and there would be another rush to grab up all the good names for those extensions. Today we have dozens of top level domains to choose from including .tv, .info, .ws and of course all the country TLD’s like co.uk (United Kingdom).
What makes a really good domain name?
There are a number of opinions on this, but personally I use the following guide when I’m deciding to buy a domain name.
- The name itself should contain from one to four keywords. I prefer no more than three, but it really depends on the name.
- The name should only contain letters. No numbers or dashes. Even though dashes can make a domain name easier to read when it contains multiple words, those dashes are meaningless to the search engines and make the overall name less valuable.
- Don’t make the name too long. It should be something that is easy to remember, easy to spell and doesn’t take a long time to type out.
- I generally stay away from abbreviations and non-words, unless it really makes sense. For example, WXYZ.com really doesn’t make sense unless I’m buying a domain name for a radio station and these are its call letters.
- Stick with .com names if at all possible. .net and .org names are okay, but I prefer the .com name when available.
Buying and Selling Your Domains
If you plan to buy and sell domain names on a regular basis, I would highly recommend that you obtain a reseller’s account at one of the more popular domain registrar’s such as www.enom.com. You will generally get better pricing when you’re a reseller and most reseller accounts offer useful online tools to help you manage your domain portfolio.
When it comes to selling your domains, there are many places available to post your domains. One of the most popular sites today for buying and selling domains as well as complete websites is www.flippa.com. I try to browse through the listings on Flippa at least two or three times per week. You can run across some really good domain names every now and then. If you’re looking for a complete website, this is probably one of the best places to start your search. Some real gems are available every now and then if you’re patient. Two other good places to look for domains as well as completed websites are www.ebay.com and www.godaddy.com. Auctions can be a good source for domains, although you should always be cautious not to pay too much. Also be wary of claims by the seller that the site is already making a lot of money. Make sure you do your due diligence and research these claims before making an offer. If you’re buying from an auction site, always make sure to check the seller’s feedback.
Personally, I tend to be the type of person that buys domains and holds them for a while. Some people like to turn them over quickly. It all depends on your goals and the business model you want to follow. The first thing I usually do after I buy a domain is to “Park” it somewhere until I decide what my plans are for the domain. I will either buy or hold or I might develop a website with the domain for myself or to resell. “Parking” a domain means that you are loaning the use of the domain to someone else who will create a site for advertising purposes using your domain and then direct traffic to the site based on keywords. Then, whatever revenue is produced from these advertisements is split between you and the company that you parked the domain with. This may only produce a few cents to a few dollars per month, but it’s better than just letting the domain sit there especially if you plan to hold it for a long time.
When it comes to selling my domains, I would have to call myself a passive seller. By that I mean that I generally don’t actively list my domains for sale on a regular basis. Oh I will occasionally post one or more of my domains on EBay or Godaddy Auctions, but most of the domains I have sold to date have been where the potential buyer has approached me first. I have sold about ten domain names in the last two years. Two of those sold for $750 each. Not bad for a small investment in registration fees. My domain portfolio is currently about 160 domain names of which 90% are .com names.
Summary
Buying and selling domain names can be a very rewarding venture. Whether you’re doing it as a business or as a hobby, it can be a fun way to spend a few hours per week. It has given me many years of enjoyment as well as some extra money in my pocket. If you’re looking for an online business that can be both fun and profitable or you already have an online business and are looking for another income stream, then I would highly recommend you look into domain names.
Website Content Management
With the role of the internet growing in business, many companies now realise the importance of content management on their websites. The importance of content within a website has grown over the years and will continue to do so in the near future. This has lead many companies to make the content of their websites the focal point of their internet presence.
If you talk to people, you are likely to get different definitions of content management. Generally, it is the separation of the content of the site from the design of the site. This allows the web designer to efficiently make changes to the website. When requested a web developer can make changes to either the content or design of a web page without affecting the other. It also makes it so that employees of the company who are not necessarily well trained in web design to make changes to the corporate website.
It is no wonder that the need for managing content has grown by leaps and bounds lately. The explosion in popularity of the internet has made it a necessity for any company that wants to have a competitive internet presence. The internet started as a communication tool for government agencies and over the last ten years has expanded to the commercial giant that it has become.
As more people get accustomed to the internet, it is going to continue to grow in importance. What this all adds up to is that if you want your company to thrive in the future you will have to have a website that is useful to the largest number of people. Now that most major corporations and many small businesses now have an internet presence, the importance of content management and people that can update content is going to grow.
Is GVO The Ultimate Marketers Toolbox?
When marketing on the internet, sometimes you feel like your head is going to explode! The amount of tools, systems, and services out there will make your head spin which make promises of easy riches when you use them.
Every day, there seems to be another “magic tool” that pops up promising millions of visitors to your site and large sums of money in your bank account….effortlessly.
It can get overwhelming and take focus away from what you should be doing to build your business.
As you know, there are tools out there that not only make your life easier, but keep your business running on auto-pilot for you.
The trick is to know which ones to focus on and which ones to stay away from!
Let’s go through the essentials which every top internet marketer depends on a daily basis to run their million dollar businesses…
1) Web Hosting
Obviously, without hosting, the internet would be a pretty boring place to hang out. If you have a domain name, you need a place to host it so others can find you.
Hosting companies out there range from free all the way to over $500 a month for dedicated hosting.
The key is to find a company that provides 99% uptime and also provides 24/7 support in case you ever have a problem.
And of course, just like anything, you get what you pay for.
2) Auto-Responders
Have you heard the phrase, “The Money Is In The List?”
Well, having an autoresponder and building a list that knows, likes, and trusts you is the fastest way to literally pushing a button and having money coming in your bank account… faster than you can say… Hot Biscuits!
The formula is simple.
Create a page that gives something of huge value totally away for free. This could be a free report, a video lesson, an audio interview, or a live webinar.
Then, in exchange for your free information, the visitor will give you their name and email address.
And then the magic happens. You can follow up with them automatically and offer more value and even get them to buy something!
This is all done using an auto-repsonder, all automatically and efficiently for you.
Again, companies providing auto-responders range from $20 a month up to $99 a month.
3) Video Hosting
The internet is all about video. And without some type of video on your website, most people will simply not hang around.
Video allows you to bond with your visitor and create more trust than with just words on your site.
We’ve all heard of YouTube for sure. But is a free service that is known for pranks, jokes, and music videos the right image for your business?
There’s a reason the top marketers host their videos through paid services and you should to.
4) Website Builder and Prospecting System
99% of internet marketers don’t have the time and/or the skills to create their own websites or prospecting pages. Trying to learn website design and html code is not the best way to spend your time.
That’s where website builders come in. You simply customize your pages with your own video, product info, auto-responder, and you’re done!
5) Live Webcasts
The most powerful way to sell is face to face. You get instant feedback and customers can ask questions and get their answers immediately.
Since we don’t want to meet all our visitors in person… Webcasts are the next best thing.
We can sit in the comfort of our own homes and present to people all over the world. Product demonstrations, video overviews, live questions and answers, it’s all possible with Webcasts.
If you’re not using Webcasts in your business, you are missing out on thousands of dollars of sales.
Typical companies charge between $49 to $99 a month and more.
The Top 5 Essential Tools
These are the top five tools that every top marketer uses and depends on a daily basis to make sales on auto-pilot.
And you can too.
Now, you can get all these great tools from different companies and pay between $150 to over $350 each and every month.
Or, you can make the smart decision and get them all from one company and save a huge amount of money.
GVO offers all these tools under one roof and for only $1.45 a day. That’s less than a Starbucks coffee!
And the best part is, for a limited time, you can take advantage of all these amazing tools and profit with them for a full 14 days for only a $1.
Don’t decide now, use all the tools and see how powerful they are and how they will help explode your business online right now.
Go here for your test drive:
Buying and Selling Domain Names
I purchased my first domain name in 1997. It was for a personal genealogy site that I still own and run (http://www.reevesregistry.com). It was nearly a year before I bought another name. The next few were primarily for personal use although I used one for my computer consulting business.
About three or four years ago, I started buying domain names for investment purposes. I have tried to limit my purchases to .com names as they are still the most valuable of any of the top-level domains. I have a few .net and .org domains and one or two of the other top-levels, but unless it really has a catchy name or has a website already developed for it, I stick to the .com names.
Most of the domains I own were names I thought of myself and registered if I found them available. I have purchased perhaps a dozen domain names on Ebay that were originally registered by someone else. Currently I own about 150 domain names and believe that many of them are very good and potentially valuable names. I have never had any of my names appraised, but based on what I have seen other similar names sell for on Ebay (http://www.ebay.com) or Great Domains (http://www.greatdomains.com), I think most of them would bring a good price.
I have only sold five domain names since I started buying them. I got between $30 and $50 for four of them and the last one I sold (http://www.impulselogic.com) brought $750. Not bad for a $6.95 investment.
One of the most important things I did early on was to obtain an enom (http://www.enom.com) reseller account. This allowed me to purchase domains at $6.95 each per year. The account also provided a means of organizing my domains and keeping track of when they are about to expire. I also have a reseller account with GoDaddy (http://www.godaddy.com) and a few others, but my enom account is my primary reseller account and I eventually transfer domains I have at other registrars over to my enom account just before they are about to renew. I find that I can keep better track of them when they are all in one place.
Until next time,
Barry
Handy Tool for Web Developers
If you build websites like me, you’ve probably wondered many times what other people think about your sites. Do they look good? Do they provide valuable and interesting content? Do they offer something that make people want to come back time after time? Obviously, content is got to be THE most important aspect of your website. If it doesn’t provide something of value to your visitors, then they’ll never come back. Also, without good and unique content, it will be very difficult to achieve a good ranking with the search engines. Let’s face it, without good rankings with at least one or two of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc., you’ll never get much traffic to your site. Over the next few weeks, I’ll discuss several ways in which you can provide good content for your websites so that you can not only achieve good rankings with the search engines, but also to turn website visitors into repeat visitors.
Today, I’d like to tell you about a really handy tool that I discovered a while back that has been extremely useful to me when building a new website. As you know, there are literally dozens of different web browsers available for people to use in surfing the net. Of course Internet Explorer and Firefox are two of the most common, but there are many other lesser known browsers such as Opera, Chrome and Safari that have a faithful and growing following.
Every browser is a little different in how it renders a webpage and because of this, a particular website may appear visually different when using one browser as opposed to another. Just because your website looks great in Firefox, doesn’t mean it will look okay when using Google Chrome. If you’d like to see how how others see your website, then please try out this extremely useful website called Browsershots.org.
Browsershots.org
Browsershots allows you to enter the URL of any website (yours or someone elses) and get a screenshot of what the site looks like when using any of nearly 100 different browsers. It may surprise you how your site may look through the eyes of another browser. Check it out today.
How Does My Website Look?
As a website designer and owner of many sites, I’m always interested in knowing how others see my websites. I’m not just talking about the physical look and feel of the site, but also in my visitors perception of the sites’ content value. Anyone can throw together a website and publish it to the Internet in less than an hour if they have the proper tools. But to make a really good impression, it takes a little effort.
Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll discuss some of the basic necessities you’ll need to build and maintain a website that is not only professional looking in appearance, but will also keep your website visitors coming back again and again.
Basic Tools
Website Builder/HTML Editor
There are literally thousands of choices with this one. You can spend anywhere from $40 to over $1,000 for a website builder. However, there are also quite a few of them for FREE if you know where to look. Which one you choose depends on your skill level and knowledge of HTML as well as what type of websites you are planning to build. If you’re just wanting to build a simple personal website for your family or to promote your own small business, then any of the FREE and low cost editors are fine. But if you intend to build larger more complex sites with features like a shopping cart or a photo gallery, then you may want to consider something on the higher end of the scale. If you intend on developing websites for other people and especially businesses, then you really should consider getting one of the tools used by professional web designers, such as Dreamweaver. However, for this article, I’m really targeting the beginning web designer or someone with little or no HTML and Javascript experience. So for those of you just starting out, here are a couple of website builders that I have personally used and would recommend.
Either one of these tools will do an excellent job in creating a website you’ll be proud of. One is free and the other is under $100 and well worth it if you want to add more of the bells and whistles to your sites without having to know what goes on under the covers.
More to Come…