Advice for E-Entrepreneurs (Domains)

[Andrew]

is there a way to search for recently expired domains?


I was acctually just searching domains for future parts of my company and nothing was availible and the owners contact info on whois.net isnt valid anymore.

Does anyone know if its woth it to backorder domains? seems like a waste of $18 to me.

Best out of the box solution is Domain Research Tool, http://www.domainresearchtool.com/. Basically you can download the entire database of soon to expire domain names, and then place a filter for what word(s) you are looking for. However, most domains do not just drop anymore, they go up for auction. Expired domains that are valuable can go for anywhere from hundreds of dollars to $100,000+.

As for domains being taken after you search for them, there is a common practice known as domain kiting. When a domain name registrar registers a domain name, there is a grace period of a few days where they do not have to pay for it. This can be automated, and then the domain is "kited" along for free. Although its not really free because the registrar has to have money on deposit, which is why I think no one has put a stop to it. Last I heard this accounted for 80% or more of domain registrations.

If you want to get an idea of recent public domain name sale prices, check out http://www.dnjournal.com/domainsales.htm. Most domain name name sales are not made public.

A big part of identifying good domain names is just common sense. Single words are worth tons of money, multiple word phrases are also worth a lot if they are regularly used. For example, if you were in the tanning industry -- tanningbeds.com would be great, bedtanning.com, not so much. Non .com's take a big discount, but if you can get them dirt cheap they can be worth it.

Finally, use a domain name registrar that is trustworthy. There are huge conflicts of interests with many companies now. If your domain gets traffic, its often more profitable for them for you to lose it -- because then they park it and cash in on your traffic, or it goes up for auction. Just parked they could be making more a day off of it than a year's registration profit. I use Moniker.com now after bad experiences with every other big registrar. Its only $7.50 a domain if you deposit $1000.

And if you don't read anything I just wrote, consider this. Huuuuge online casino, bodog.com just lost their domain name from a default court judgment (plaintiff was in the US, they weren't.) My guess is that this is costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars a day in lost revenue. Your domain name is the foundation to your online business. You really, really, don't want to lose it. Trust me, I've lost more than one.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

For anyone considering a web business, I advise this: Buy domain names for all your ideas, regardless if you ever pursue the idea.

Since 1997, I've been "collecting" domain names for e-business ideas that I sporadically think of. To date, I have dozens of domain names of value; all in the top-level domain "dot-com". Now, none of these names are developed into any business however they are now worth $1000's and I paid a few hundred dollars for them.

Anytime I had an e-business idea, I brainstormed, found a name, and registered it.

Domain assets, specifically DOT-COM names of value, are going to start rapidly appreciating. Like land, .COM names are a scarce commodity that is ever declining in supply. DOT COM is the BoardWalk of top-level domain names. No matter how many .this and .that they invent, .COM will always command a premium price.

Years ago, there were plenty of names to be picked up on the cheap. Nowadays, it is really difficult to find good, brandable Dot-Com domain names.

I'm not talking about "The-great-store-online.com" which is garbage, but short, memorable, phrased, and brandable names which can command a value in the future.

If you have an idea, think of a brandable name, and buy it -- assuming its available. If it is, it won't be available long.

Last year, I thought of an idea and went to register the name "FastForSale.com" -- to my surprise, it was available. Instead of immediately registering it (I was at my GF house when I did the search), I waited the next day. It was gone the following day when I went to buy it. :bgh:

In a few years, the secondary markets for decent dot-com domain assets should start rapidly appreciating. A $30 investment could turn to $30,000. Moreover, you really want to secure a name for your idea with the possibility that you might develop it, or someone else might come along and offer to buy it.

Cheers,
MJ

 

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[magicmax]

On Feb 1st 2008 the suffix .ASIA will be available. Now there's a great market! Imagine www.money.asia? Etc! Go to godaddy.com and start buying up the cyber real estate!!

 

[mtnman]

There's a myriad of things that could be said here, but one is most valuable. Just do something. Pick one and roll with it.

During that time, just by starting, you'll have a better idea of where you want to go and at least start getting a feel.

You said "totally clueless" and you don't want to spend much "free time." Pick the blog. It's easy, you can do it yourself, and the free resources are defined only by your imagination.



Here's what I think you should do to get your feet wet. Is it what you have a vision for? Probably not? Will you accomplish enough to push through toward what you want? I think so.

Pick a topic, one of your domains, and get a super cheap hosting account if you don't already have one. Make sure your hosting account is accompanied by a Cpanel (control panel) complete with Fantastico. This is usually standard, but just be sure to keep things easy.

What the hell is Fantastico you say? In short, it will allow you to install software on your portion of the server without learning how to set up a Mysql database and modifying a config file for uploading site software. You also will not have to use ftp in the beginning or do a direct file transfer.

The point is to make it as easy as possible to get started and be able to focus on your ideas/content to work out which direction is best. You can always pay someone to do this for you later when you have a defined path in mind.



Using the nameservers listed in the Welcome email from your hosting account, log into your registrar and change your name servers for that domain.

Log into your cpanel (usually www.Jill'sdomainhere.com/cpanel if you don't have a link for it) and open the Fantastico Icon (bottom right of the home). You will see a few free CMS systems selections and links to the company websites if you would like to learn about them before installing.

I'd recommend just installing Wordpress for ease of use and flexibility.

It will take you through the steps to install, and along the way you will select username's and passwords for your admin log in to your website.

From there, your site should be live with a basic Wordpress blog template. Now go browse around www.wordpress.org and look at some of the options and plug ins (add on upgrades, such as, SEO.)

You will also find a gazillion templates to match your style and design you want to create. Most are free, and you can always get a paid/custom template later.

Keep in mind that once you change your nameservers it can take 48 hours to propagate around the web. Your site may be visible to you, but not others.

It's that easy to get started with something. The beauty is that if you decide it's not for you and you want to go another route, log into your cpanel, and remove. Start fresh with something else.

You're still reading? Where's the blog!?

 

[Shawn]

MJ, can you please share the info on

http://www.domainsbyproxy.com

I tried to look for the sign up button but there is none, which seemed odd. How much do they charge? What happens if your site gets sued by someone, they pony up the info pronto?

Thats just Godaddys private registrar. So you pay an extra what $10 or so a year and it displays their contact info on the whois instead of yours. And yes if someone wants to sue you, they'd issue a subpoena to them to hand over your contact info.

 

[Andrew]

I'm a bit confused by this, but do you mean to be careful with who you register your domain name with because if it's a crappy service, someone could steal the name from you?

Yeah, I had a bunch of names with Registerfly.com, which was a domain name reseller for enom. There is a whole big story behind Registerfly I won't go into, but basically the owner was not spending enough money on customer service or programmers to maintain his business.

I lost 2 domain names for websites which each conservatively were worth $10,000. I had renewed the names through the site, and it told me they were renewed, but they were not. Right now, enom (one of the biggest domain registrars) is cashing in on domain names (Registerfly was put out of business by both enom & ICANN earlier this year.)

The company that now owns enom -- run by one of the original Myspace investors and plans on developing a huge internet real estate empire based off domain name traffic. Talk about a conflict of interest :smx4:

 

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[Z5 FILMS]

In my opinion, GoDaddy sucks. Well, they may not "suck" but I can't stand how they operate. They are too "spammy" for me and are contantly in your face trying to upsell you hosting, more domains, etc. Others make like them (sorry MJ ), and they are cheap. But I just don't like the "spammy" operation.

I use Register.com They are more expensive, but not "spammy" at all. Nice clean layout and no upselling. Simply buy your domain, get some hosting somewhere and change the DNS info and you're go to go.

Also, don't buy your hosting from a register. ESPECIALLY GoSpammy....I mean GoDaddy. Get hosting from a hosting company.

 

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[Z5 FILMS]

I like Namecheap.com. $8.88 reg fee which includes Whoisguard and they have prompt customer service.

Regarding Godaddy being "spammy"... since when did upselling become spam? Upselling is a very efffective biz practice. If a guy is ready to hand you money, why not ask "would you like an apple pie with that?" Mtg companies, fast food resturants, ecommerce businesses, etc., all use the techinique because it works.

I'll use your fast food example of what these registrars would be like, if they were real Brick & Mortar businesses.

Register.com

You pull up to the Register.com store. The parking lot is nice and clean and no vagrants or people loitering. "Thank you for visiting Register.com may I take your order?" the voice on the drive-thru speaker box asks. "Yes, I would like to order the domain xyz.com". "Good choice. It's availible. Would you like to buy some hosting or perhaps an additional domain today?" the voice on the box repsonds. "No thank you" you reply. "OK, that will be $35 for one year and you receive discounts for additional years should you choose to buy them, please pay at the window". You pay at the window and are finished.

Easy enough.


GoDaddy.com

You pull into the GoDaddy.com parking lot. The second you pull in someone jumps out and slams a big sign in front of your car with a picture of Danica Patrick on it. The man yells at you "Hey buddy!! Domain names are 8.95 a year here!" "Umm..Ok" you respond. The man then just stands there with the sign refuses to move out of the way, so you have to drive around him. You proceed to the speaker box and stop. Nobody helps you at the box so you say "Hello?" A voice comes on and asks "So how much hosting would you like to buy? You can save 20%!" You're confused. "I just want to buy a domain name" you say. "You have to tell that to the NEXT box. This box is for hosting. So how much hosting would you like to buy, buddy?" the voice responds. As you look ahead you don't see another box. "But there's not another box" you reply. The lady replies back, "Sorry, this box is not a customer service box, it's for ordering hosting". At that moment a dirty looking guy starts banging on the trunk of your car shouting "Buying domain names in bulk is cheaper!!".

You start to panic and look for another box. You notice there IS another speaker box, but it's located on the passengers side of the car making it difficult to communicate with. You hit the gas. No sooner than you do that, two people jump out in front of your car. One is screaming "custom logo design!" The other nutcase is yelling "Earn money on parked domains!". You hit the gas and they jump out of the way. You get to the box. "I would like to order xzy.com" you scream out the passenger window. Your request is ignored. A recording comes on and for the next ten minutes the box plays a recording of a long list of other domains you could potentially buy. "Thanks, but no thanks" you say at the end. A voice comes on. "Thank you. Your domain is availible. Please proceed to the next box". As you start to roll up, a giant stop sign pops up in front of your car. The same dirty guy that was banging on your trunk a minute ago, is now banging on your hood.

He starts screaming "STOP! You've found a great domain...Now protect your name, increase your traffic and more!!!!"

You're really pissed now and ask the man to move out of the way. He says "If you order more domains right now, I will move out of the way. Otherwise, you're going to have to get out of your car, walk 200 yards acrcoss the parking lot next door, and hit that little switch on the wall in order to deactivate the stop sign."

"But it's 100 degrees outside" you say. "The domain is only $8.95. Do you want the domain or not?" he replies. "OK", so you get out, walk all the way and hit the switch then walk back to your car. As you are walking back, you notice the guy with the Danica Patrick sign is now fist fighting with a customer in the parking lot.

You get back in your car and the man is still standing there with the sign. "What now? I walked my a$$ all the way over there and hit the switch! WHAT NOW?"

He flips the sign around. It says "Registration Process Expired" on it. The man starts to scream "Your session has expired following 20 minutes of inactivity!!!" He then starts to laugh and you and tells you that you have to drive around and start all over. Meanwhile the guy in the car behind your has overheard what you were trying to order and saw you get rejected, and he is now stealing your domain name.



THIS is GoDaddy.com for you...

 

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[Rawr]

My name FOXY and I am new in the game. I want to learn how to increase my cash flow with little to nothing income and turn it into something that leads to profit.

Post of the year!

Hi Foxy, welcome to the very wrong thread in a very wrong part of the forum!

And welcome to the Fastlane!

 

[Luke12321]

Well, I had some fun today! Prior to now, I owned a couple of dotcom names but I had never done anything with them. Because of this thread, I went out and purchased about 100 new dotcom names.

The shortest one I purchased today was: la4tv.com (I actually like it because LA has a lot of TV production.) Is this a good name or a bad one? Since it was available, I have to assume it's not a great name but it is only 5 letters.

I purchased a few that I would like to develop myself but I have no idea how to develop a website. Does anyone have any books they can suggest?

I purchased these through names.com and now I'm wondering if I am locked into these google applications that come with the websites?

Why would you buy it if you don't think it is great? As long as you feel it is a good buy...that is what matters. You will find out soon enough if it is a good buy or not by the traffic you recieve or if you can develop a income generating site with the domain name. My two cents, I would not buy a domain name that has a number in it. What do you plan on doing with la4tv? That is what you should ask yourself before buying it up.

 

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[Jorge]

Quick question: Is anyone buying .mobi names?

You bet! http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1559&tracked=&partnerid=&language=us

A few months before ".mobi" domains became public a friend of mine told me that he had been investigating and that it would be a good investment to buy several domains. I told him that it was BS and that the domain would never be of any value...boy I was wrong! :smx4:

Now I'm looking forward ".tel" domain names, they will be better in my opinion because of regulations and the plans attached to these domains.

Great thread everyone! I have a few questions if you don't mind.

1. I have a local domain in mind to grab, but when I typed it into my address bar I was directed to Google with searches displayed. My hosting website listed it as taken, is this a parking method?

2. Anyone think Chinese domains are worth exploiting? Is this possible from overseas?

3. I have a huge creative side with jotting down and creating cool logos and such. Is it worth my time to come up with a cool logo/phrase for a domain I register and put it on the main page along with the usual ads, etc.?

(edit) 4: Should (or Could?) I list a dollar figure on the front page for it to be purchased?

Cheers everyone and thank you again,

Ryan

1. Most likely, the site is taken but the owner didnt pointed the DNS to the hosting company.

2. I would rather spend my money on .org or .net sites, but thats just me...

3. Most parking companies on the web don't allow you to put up your own logo (at least the ones I've tried). And if you made your own website google would block your adsense account because you can't fill a hole website with only ads. You could make a blog with a few posts and read about SEO though. With parking the most important is type-in traffic (users write your URL directly on the browser address bar)

4. With Sedo.com you can do these. There are also marketplaces to sell websites. Check for example: Moniker, Tdnam, Namedrive

Cheers!

 

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[Jorge]

Yes, thats called parking

Being serious, I have a friend that rents a domain at about $2k per month (its a premium domain name)

 

[LightHouse]

Just read this whole thread and I was wondering if one of the “Pros†can give me some advice!

I am new to this whole E-real-estate stuff, although I have been registering domain names for about 2 years now (currently own about 30). Of those 30, I would say ten of them are pretty good names that I should be able to do something with someday. (simple 2-word .com domains). A few of them seem very brandable, so I would love to build a site off of them in the future!

In the meantime, I read this whole thread and I am VERY interested in the concept of “parkingâ€, where you guys seem to be making extra cash just by letting a website advertise and “point†surfers away from your site! My questions are (and please excuse my ignorance here); Is this safe or a smart thing for me to do? Would I run the risk of losing my domain name in any way? How hard is it for me to get my name and site BACK should I decide I don’t want them holding the domain anymore, as I would like to build a site on it? Are there ANY issues/surprises/problems I should be aware of before considering this? Some of these names could turn out to be valuable, so I’m a little sketchy on all of this…and I DON’T want to give up a site that may turn into something great in the future..just to make $20 bucks a month on it in the meantime..…

What kind of commissions are possible on a decent site that gets a lot of clicks? (say leaving them on a site like “parked.com). Is there a specific site like that I should be looking for? I took a tour of that site and read through FAQ, and I would just like to make sure I understand what I’m getting myself into BEFORE I start publically announcing and listing my domain names on their site. If I understand correctly, it seems like it would be MUCH smarter for me to park them there while I sit on them, then it is leaving them alone with Godaddy.com, letting THEM advertise all over them! At least this way, maybe I can make a little extra cash a month! Do I just post my domain names to their site and then sit back and collect commissions (if there are any?). Is it more complicated then that?

ANY and all help/advice/input etc. would be greatly appreciated!

totally safe you just point the NS to ns1.parked.com and ns2.parked.com and thats it, when you want it back jjust change the DNS back to default. and in parked .com you just add the domain then go in and optimize it. it will take you 2 hours tops todo everything with 30 names.

http://www.parked.com/tour/?promo=44A688C782

if you want to sign up you can use my link to get there, i just relized that they did an affliate program. i have about 63 domains with them. parked is very very easy to use. and it also helps your domains get on search engines while they are sitting.

 

[mtnman]

A quote like this definitely takes away some of the optimism I had about parking domain names! lol. Since we all know Mike knows what hes doing on the Internet, can anyone think of a reason why his sites arent producing! Is optimization really the key leading to "clicks"? I definitely wont bother taking the time to park them all if results like this are the norm (?)...

Edit: By the way Lighthouse thank you again for your help thus far!

It's not that his names can't perform, they're not set up to perform. I have had the same experience with my own with various parking companies.

If they're not type ins, they simply need to be developed in some manner to start performing to their potential.

Typically, all the stories you here about making money with parking relates to EXTREMELY generic names or mispellings. Hence, type in traffic.

I think most of the people chasing this avenue are going to find an empty hole. I woke up in this hole one day. The harsh realization that type-in-generic-motherload domains have been long gone(regged many years ago).

For example, pizza.com, just sold the other day for 2.6 million. Many years old, tons of type ins, etc..These types of domains can be had today but for a rather large investment. I won't disagree that there are good deals out though, just not for reg fee's anymore.

My $.02.

 

[TaxGuy]

mtnman rep+++

I'd like to add that in the world of e-Biz just remember that some of the biggest household names are things you would've never thought twice about b4 they were pushed into the mainstream such as eBay, yahoo, google, youtube, myspace, and facebook.... how many of these words even crossed your mind b4 you were introduced to them and how many of them can you now think of off the top of your head that you just go "how'd they take a domain like that and make it such a household name?"

another one I'd like to add that was highlighted in one of the legendary threads is "whateverlife.com"... a teenage girl, just saying something a teenage girl would say and marketing towards her own demographic and now she's a millionaire and has had ZERO product to sell!!!!

that's why I'm tryin to brainstorm all the ideas I can for domains, but it means nothing if you can't think of the idea to populate that domain and make it marketable which is what separates the slow-laners from the fast-laners....

just hope that Kevin Ham doesn't already own the .com's for ALL the ideas I have, but then again, all it takes is that one domain and a great idea on how to build a website around it to make it to the fast-lane!!!

 

[Jonleehacker]

go to godaddy and use code "hash3" without the quotes, and you'll get your domain for 7.19

 

[Icy]

I recently bought www.onemoregoal.com (currently nothing there) for my soccer website I'll be making. The URL hints at the idea that it's for players that want to constantly improve their game to the "next level". I figured, I'm always going around to soccer forums helping so why not make one location I can provide a lot of information and still help people. Also will be making training videos in order to help fund my trip to England to pursue professional soccer myself. :smug2:

 

[Shawn]

:iamwithstupid: good advice

 

[Peter2]

Do NOT search for a domain name until you are ready to buy it, especially on GoDaddy. There are many ways for people to intercept your search and register the name before you can do it. It happened to MJ, and it happens every day to many people.

 

[Peter2]

This is a very good success story related to what MJ described in his post.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/06/01/100050989/index.htm

 

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[WheelsRCool]

Good information people, thanks.

 

[Z5 FILMS]

Also search for short names that have recently expired. A lot of people do just as described above, but get lazy, don't renew, or don't update their credit card info and they lose the domain.

I recently grabbed GROSP.COM looking through a list of recently expired 5 letter domain names.

It's not really memorable, but's a word, it would pass in Scrabble, and it's short.

My example is not the greatest, but you get the idea.

 

[cantwait2]

grosp.com I love it

check out grosp for all those...you know those...things...the...

:leaving: oh never mind.

 

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[Z5 FILMS]

grosp.com I love it

check out grosp for all those...you know those...things...the...

:leaving: oh never mind.

LOL Exactly!

 

[LightHouse]

Also search for short names that have recently expired. A lot of people do just as described above, but get lazy, don't renew, or don't update their credit card info and they lose the domain.

I recently grabbed GROSP.COM looking through a list of recently expired 5 letter domain names.

It's not really memorable, but's a word, it would pass in Scrabble, and it's short.

My example is not the greatest, but you get the idea.

is there a way to search for recently expired domains?


I was acctually just searching domains for future parts of my company and nothing was availible and the owners contact info on whois.net isnt valid anymore.

Does anyone know if its woth it to backorder domains? seems like a waste of $18 to me.

 

[M-M]

I know opinions vary wildly, but what's a good site to register names? Some swear by GoDaddy, others hate them.

 

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[Shawn]

Do NOT search for a domain name until you are ready to buy it, especially on GoDaddy. There are many ways for people to intercept your search and register the name before you can do it. It happened to MJ, and it happens every day to many people.

that's horrible..

 

[LightHouse]

Thanks Andrew, just registered with Sedo to sell some of mine to raise capital for my brick and mortar business. i will check out the links you posted.

rep speed added

 

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[WheelsRCool]

Best out of the box solution is Domain Research Tool, http://www.domainresearchtool.com/. Basically you can download the entire database of soon to expire domain names, and then place a filter for what word(s) you are looking for. However, most domains do not just drop anymore, they go up for auction. Expired domains that are valuable can go for anywhere from hundreds of dollars to $100,000+.

As for domains being taken after you search for them, there is a common practice known as domain kiting. When a domain name registrar registers a domain name, there is a grace period of a few days where they do not have to pay for it. This can be automated, and then the domain is "kited" along for free. Although its not really free because the registrar has to have money on deposit, which is why I think no one has put a stop to it. Last I heard this accounted for 80% or more of domain registrations.

If you want to get an idea of recent public domain name sale prices, check out http://www.dnjournal.com/domainsales.htm. Most domain name name sales are not made public.

A big part of identifying good domain names is just common sense. Single words are worth tons of money, multiple word phrases are also worth a lot if they are regularly used. For example, if you were in the tanning industry -- tanningbeds.com would be great, bedtanning.com, not so much. Non .com's take a big discount, but if you can get them dirt cheap they can be worth it.

Finally, use a domain name registrar that is trustworthy. There are huge conflicts of interests with many companies now. If your domain gets traffic, its often more profitable for them for you to lose it -- because then they park it and cash in on your traffic, or it goes up for auction. Just parked they could be making more a day off of it than a year's registration profit. I use Moniker.com now after bad experiences with every other big registrar. Its only $7.50 a domain if you deposit $1000.

And if you don't read anything I just wrote, consider this. Huuuuge online casino, bodog.com just lost their domain name from a default court judgment (plaintiff was in the US, they weren't.) My guess is that this is costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars a day in lost revenue. Your domain name is the foundation to your online business. You really, really, don't want to lose it. Trust me, I've lost more than one.

I'm a bit confused by this, but do you mean to be careful with who you register your domain name with because if it's a crappy service, someone could steal the name from you?

 

[1320Trader]

I own these two sites...think they could be worth anything?


thelivesite.com
onlinesoda.com