Can You Make Money With Your Domain?

Thanks to the flourishing industry of e-commerce, more individuals are looking to bring their business ventures online.   With millions of people surfing the web each minute of the day, the number of potential clients is unlimited.  Because the average person does not have access to a server and other network equipment, most of us rely on a web hosting to create our sites.  The provider enables your pages to be served to the web, but a domain name is what helps to identify your site and brand your business.

Domains have been a hot commodity since the inception of the internet.  Aside from giving people a way to label their website, some have actually been able to profit by selling domain names.  Sound intriguing?  Of course it does.  Now you’re probably thinking of coming up with a clever domain, registering it and then keeping it under lock and key until someone comes along offering the right price.  While it’s possible, this is something you should not count on.

To be perfectly honest, most of the best domains have already been taken, whether they’re in use or just sitting there.  Squatters purchase several domains on mere speculation.  They often go after names of famous companies, brands or individuals.  What many of them forget is the critical aspect of intellectual property.  Hoping that some big name company will pay them a huge sum of money to use their own trademarked name, they typically end up receiving letters from attorneys threatening to sue them for extortion.  This part definitely doesn’t sound good at all.

While you can find yourself in a jam by trying to play the domain game, there are few sensible approaches that can help you profit off the system.

Products and services - The most common method of profiting with your domain is selling products and services.  You could do this with your own products, or the products of others.  While this approach takes significant marketing efforts, it also tends to be the most rewarding.

Information sites - Even without a product or service to sell, you can still profit from your domain by creating a site rich with informative content.  Your revenue would be generated from a proven program such as Google AdSense.

Affiliate programs - You could also use your domain to promote affiliates, preferably in your niche interest.  Affiliates may be willingly to compensate you for redirecting your visitors to their site.

Park your domain - Perhaps your domain does has some resale value.  There are a number of companies that will let you park your domain on their web servers.  In this scenario, you advertise that the domain is for sale, and then split the revenue with the participating company.

Regardless of what approach you take towards profiting with your domain, the key is generating traffic.  The more traffic you are able to generate, the better chances you have creating revenue.  Think of your domain as a piece of property.  The more value you add to it, the more it will be worth.

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Nov 28, 2008 : Domain Names No responses yet

What is Domain Parking?

The Domain Name System is an essential part of the internet.  While you don’t need a domain name to have a website, it is what gives your website an identity.  This adds a level of professionalism and credibility while allowing you to distinguish yourself from the web host.

Most of us purchase a domain name for our site and immediately take it the server of a particular web host.  Some people will buy a few names at once with plans of building later.  Others have a totally different idea, using their name in hopes of profiting with domain parking.

Domain parking describes the process of registering an internet domain and not associating it with a service such as website or email account.  Aside from using the name for future development and profit, some individuals use this practice merely to defend against cyber-squatting.

Domain parking essentially falls under two classifications: monetized and non-monetized.  On a monetized parked domain you will find content in the form of various advertisements on the website.  A non-monetized parked domain usually lacks content and displays messages such as “Coming Soon” or “Under Construction”.

Profiting From Parked Domains

Parked domain monetization has become a regular online advertising practice.  It is primarily used by advertising companies and even domain registrars to generate revenue from type-in traffic that comes across the website.  The typical parked domain set up for profit features several links and advertising listings.  This content is generally targeted to the visitor’s interests and might alter dynamically based on how the user interacts.  When the visitor types a domain name into the browser, it enables targeted content to be generated before the visitor even arrives.  In most cases, the domain owner is compensated based on the number of links that have been visited.  There may also be specific requirements that determine compensation such as acquiring a sale or subscription.

Former websites that resulted into expired domains are often sought after for monetary purposes, a practice known as drop-catching.  Even when the website expires, it typically maintains most of its primary incoming links.  This method has become popular because such domains tend to attract the greatest amount of traffic, typically right after being claimed.  As search engines and website administrators realize the domain is no longer active, they remove those inbound links, significantly decreasing the level of traffic on the parked domain.

Another way to profit from domain parking is to act as a placeholder for an existing site.  In this instance, the domain owner could also decide to redirect the domain to another website they created.  This can done with a URL redirection, pointing the domain as an alias of a primary domain, or by using a method known as domain cloaking.  When such processes are handled by the eventual owner, the domain is then considered to be in use and no longer parked.

Parking Your Domains

Domain parking has become so widespread, it is now common web hosting feature.  You will find that many companies allow you to park an unlimited amount of domains.  Of course the names will have to be purchased, but they can be profitable if you’re able to master the system.

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Nov 21, 2008 : Domain Names No responses yet

Why You Should Consider Multiple Domains

Getting a website is pretty easy these days as domain names are cheaper and web hosting providers are abundant.  Many companies will equip you with everything needed to get your business off the ground and establish a respectable presence on the web - almost.  The major drawback is that some of them will only allow you to host a single domain on your account.  Of course this wouldn’t be a problem if you only intend to create one website but things happen.  What if the site takes off faster than you expected?  So much that your one site is no longer enough to support the business.  Settled in comfortably with your current provider, you pretty much have no other choice but to purchase a totally separate hosting account for your new domain and website.  Just think, if business really takes off, you could be shelling out a lot of extra money each month to keep up with all of those sites.

A Simple Solution

When hosting with a company that lets you run your sites from a single account, you can save money and effectively manage all of your content from a centralized location.  Now you have the ability to host multiple websites and promote a number of products and services all without worrying about additional fees.

With multiple domain hosting, you have complete authority of what sites will be created.  For instance, you can dedicate one to your blog, something that merely offers information on the business or build a site that promotes your online magazine or pay-per-click campaign.  The possibilities are endless as you have the ability to keep things relative with content that ties in closely with your chosen domain names.

Most companies offering multiple domain hosting come with all the trimmings such as email addresses, FTP accounts, databases and subdirectories - all of which can be assigned to each one of your websites.  And while some providers have a registration service of their own, multiple domain hosting allows you to purchase a more affordable domain with a cheaper registrar such as GoDaddy and then register it with your web host.  If the provider supplied you with a quality control panel application, setting up your domains should be as simple as accessing the “add-on” domain section of the interface and filling in the blanks.

With so many providers offering service, you can easily find a multiple domain hosting plan for under $10 per month.  Depending on what your business requires, you can get an array of features such as multimedia support, development tools to create all of your sites, free blogging software and much more.  Sign up with a reliable company and you’ve got yourself a great value at a low monthly price.

Conclusion

Multiple domain hosting is a good move for now and definitely the future as your business grows.  Because there are a variety of ways to profit online, this is one move you will not regret.  What could be any better than saving money and increasing your exposure at the same time?

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Nov 11, 2008 : Multiple Domain Hosting No responses yet

Understanding the Domain Game

Domain names serve many benefits to the internet business.   Some use them simply to do away with the unprofessional email domain supplied by their ISP.  Others do so to add more credibility to their website, giving the impression that they are their own brand and independent entity.  There are exceptions, such as when a company wants to present a form of affiliation by showing that they are a part of an existing site, whether its connecting them with a specific organization or region.  Even in this instance, autonomy is more assured when having a domain of your own rather than using a page on a third-party site.

Domain names are classified by extensions.  The most sought after domain extension by commercial organizations is .com with .net being the most popular alternative.  Other endings such as .biz and .edu are generally unfamiliar to web surfers, mainly because they tend to be harder to remember.  Even the webmaster building their site for personal reasons goes after the .com extension as it is usually the way most people refer to a website.  The part of the domain that proceeds the extension is typically based on the company’s name or niche.  There are exceptions such as if the name has already been registered, a factor that is becoming more likely these days.

Registering the Name

After finding a domain that is just right for your site, registering the name is pretty easy.  The actual registration process can be done online with the aid of an ICANN accredited registrar, a web hosting company or even your ISP.  The price on domain names has dropped significantly over the years, costing $5 or less with some services.  In most cases, the more you buy, the cheaper they become.  Many domain registrars will entice you with different variations of your name such as .net, .biz, etc.  After the initial purchase, domain names generally have to be renewed every one to two years.

As mentioned before, if you have come up with something clever, there is a possibility that the domain has already been registered.  You can save yourself the trouble and frustration by doing research on the name in question.  WHOIS is one service that allows you to check the ownership of a particular domain.  Keep in mind that this service and others are usually 48 hours behind the actual registration, which is typically how long it will take for your domain to become active.

Once the domain has been registered, you then have the option of leaving the name parked for use later down the road, or pointing it at the server on which your website resides.  This can be achieved by changing the DNS (Domain Name System) settings so that the domain points to your web host.  Almost all domain registrars provide a free user interface to make adjustments to these settings.

If you are looking for a domain, there are numerous services to choose from.  GoDaddy is the most well known service but names are also provided by a number of web hosting companies and resellers as well.

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Sep 25, 2008 : Domain Names No responses yet

Domain Name Strategies

When it comes to domains, there are the basics such as where to buy and register the name, then comes the advanced mechanics.  After finding a registrar you want to do business with, there are a few things you should know about domains to give yourself a good push on the web.

Choosing a TLD

There are many different TLDs (top level domains) that can be appended to your domain: .net, .org, .biz, .gov etc.  While several domain registrars actively market and sell these extensions, the best TLD you can buy for your name is .com.  In fact, some have suggested that if one can’t be found for a name you have mind, you would be better off picking a new domain entirely.

The rationale behind this approach is simple - if you want people to visit your website, it would be much wiser to come up with a domain that is easy to remember.  More often than not, the first extension visitors will reference the domain name by is .com.  If they have to think long and hard to remember the name, or type in the wrong URL a few times, those visitors are more likely to give up and take their surfing elsewhere.

Buying Your Real Name

One name that’s almost sure to be available is your own.  If you want your customers to find you, this is the easiest way.  This could allow you to keep contact with existing customers and establish relationships with new clients when your name becomes popular on the web.  Using your real name for a domain builds tremendous credibility to your brand and makes it much easier for people to find you in a search engine.  This is a simple yet effective way to create a positive buzz for your website.

Common Misspellings of Your Domain

Another strategy involves purchasing the most common misspellings of your domain name.  You would be surprised at how many visitors will type in the wrong URL when looking for your site.  Unfortunately, a human might cause you to miss out on sales.  For instance, if your domain is mydomain.com, it may be a good idea to purchase misspelled names like myydomain and mydommain as well.  Instead of designing three different websites with the same content, all you have to do is point those domains to your primary domain, thus redirecting traffic to where your visitors intended go in the first place.

Get Some Advice

Just as with everything on the internet, both the visitor and webmaster have the luxury of hopping online and accessing a wealth of information.  If you are stuck deciding on a domain, finding a resolution could be as easy as asking your clients or associates for a few suggestions.  Give some of them a collection of names and see it what it narrows down to.  This could be fun and rewarding if you offer some type of incentive for participating.  Since these are the people you’ll be associating with the most, they just may be able to help you come up with the perfect domain for your website.

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Sep 18, 2008 : Domain Names No responses yet