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You have spent a good deal of time deciding what your online presence is going to look like. You know what your niche is, you have decided on a business name and a tag line. You may even have your artwork and logo complete. But, did you spend much time deciding what your domain name is going to convey to visitors and search engines? Your domain name is a critical part of your web presence and the choosing of your domain name is more important than it may seem at first. Here are some basics to consider:

Definition: A domain name, also known as a web address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the alpha-numeric representation for your website that allows people and search engines to easily locate you on the internet.

Parts: A domain is broken into several different parts. The http:// is not part of the domain itself; rather it is part of the URL, or Uniform Resource Locator. The www (World Wide Web) is the subdomain which appears before the domain name that you ultimately choose. The .com is called the top level domain, of which there are only about 200 or so. The most common top level domains are of course, .com, .org, and .net.

Case: A domain name is case insensitive. If you register “mydomain.com” in lower case, someone else cannot come along behind you and register the same domain in upper or mixed case. This means that people can get to your site using upper, lower, or mixed case. It is important to note that the current version of the Safari browser sometimes has difficulties setting up cookies due to mixed case domain names, so it is a good habit to purchase all of your domain names in lower case.

Choosing Your Domain Name – Or, Getting the Most Bang for the Buck: Domain names are not expensive these days, but what will ultimately cost you is choosing a domain name that really means nothing. If your visitors don’t know what myllc dot com means, how can a search engine possible figure it out? We recommend GoDaddy as your domain registrar and hosting because we like the simplicity of their platform and the feature rich applications can get you up and running on the web very quickly. All that being said, good (and short) domain names are getting harder and harder to come by as people begin to utilize the power of the web. With a little thought and some digging around, you can find what you need.

Avoid dashes in your domain name if possible.
Consider the plural singular issue. Will people commonly confuse your domain by adding an “s” or removing the ending “s”? If so, considering registering both and re-directing the one that you don’t use to the one that you do use.
Go for the “.com” extension whenever possible as your primary domain. This is still the most popular to level domain for businesses. For non-profits or other organizations, you will be best served by the “.org” extension. I always suggest that you purchase as many extensions as possible (.net, .org, .biz, etc.) to keep your brand safe and to also allow you to have other extensions to use for different products or services within your brand.
Make your domain make sense and be easy to pronounce. If your domain name is a nonsensical word or combination of words that don’t make much sense to people, they are not going to be able to remember the. If people feel silly pronouncing a poorly chosen domain name, they are unlikely to discuss it with other people. By making your domain name both easy to remember and easy to say, you will have a much easier time getting it found in the search engines and promoting it among people who eventually form part of your online community.
Consider purchasing variations or mis-spellings of your domain name. You can use these as re-directs to make sure you pick up as much traffic as possible.

And lastly, if your aim is to become an online entrepreneur, and to ultimately have people doing keyword searches on your own name, be absolutely sure to purchase at least the top level extensions of your name. You do not want somebody with evil intentions purchasing your name. Your name is your brand and should be managed by you. Even if you don’t have any intentions of building a website or blog under your own name, be sure to make sure you own it.

Denise Griffitts is an online entrepreneur and is the Founder and CEO of Your Office On The Web, a website design and development company and Your Virtual Assistant, a virtual assistance firm. She is a globally recognized Virtual Assistance Industry Expert who helps entrepreneurs build and grow their online business. She also teaches new virtual assistants how to become highly technically savvy in their chosen field.

To train with Denise Griffitts to become a highly competent and sought after Virtual Assistant please visit Virtual Assistance University: http://www.virtualassistanceuniversity.com

Author: Denise Griffitts
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Domain Transfers without Tears

May 26, 2010 Domain Names

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One of the most common errors I come across week after week concerns domain transfers. That is when a request is made to transfer a domain name from one registrar to another.

Many domain owners wait until just a few days before their domain expires before requesting transfer, because they mistakenly think the remaining time on their domain name will be lost if they transfer earlier.

The result is that the transfer often fails because the procedure can take a few days to complete. And during that time the domain expires. The ‘losing’ registrar will then refuse the transfer altogether because of the universal rule that expired domains can’t be transferred.

I guess one reason domain owners are badly informed about this is because many registrars consider it’s not in their interests to tell their customers about this. After all, the more failed transfers there are,
the more the registrar can rake in for another year’s fees. As a domain reseller, I think that’s a short-sighted attitude because it makes customers only more determined to leave your service as soon as possible!

What you need to remember is this….

When you transfer your domain name, one year’s validity is added to the domain’s EXISTING expiry date. So no time is ever lost when you transfer your domain!

For example if your domain still has 6 months to go before expiry and you transfer it now, it will have 18 months after the transfer completes.

So the moral is …

If you’ve decided to transfer
your domain name to another registrar, don’t wait until renewal time comes around. Transfer it now.

The only exception is if you recently registered or renewed your domain name. You will then have to wait for 60 days before requesting a transfer. The reason is that domain registrars have a common rule against this. Many were ripped off in the past by fraudsters who didn’t pay their credit card bills and the registrars then had nothing in hand, neither cash nor the domain name.

About author:

Copyright Fred Bunzl – All Rights Reserved. Fred Bunzl has been in the domain name business since 1999 and is partnered with three of the Web’s largest ICANN accredited domain name registrars. For more information about Fred Bunzl’s domain name services, visit DomainsNow4U.Com. This article may be reproduced provided that its complete content, links and author by-lines are kept intact and unchanged.

Author: Fred Bunzl
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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How To Buy Expired Domain Names That Have A Huge Flow Of Existing & Targeted Traffic

May 24, 2010 Domain Names

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Have you heard of this relatively unknown stealth traffic tactic? Many niche marketing experts have been using it to create small and instant incomes every time they penetrate a new niche.

Using this tactic, it takes just a few minutes to switch on instant targeted traffic to your site.

The only cost is the $10 or so that it takes to register a domain name.

The tactic is purchasing expired domain names that have an existing flow of traffic flowing into them. The amount of traffic could be anywhere from ten to ten thousand unique visitors per day and this article will help you understand the basics of purchasing expired domains, some of the issues involved and the simple business models you can use to profit from this potent opportunity starting today.

The Expired Domain Free Traffic Loophole

I love loopholes. That’s exactly what buying expired domain names is – a big traffic loophole. It works because over time a domain has been built up and a mixture of time, money and know-how have been ploughed into it. As a result, it draws in a good amount of traffic.

But now, for whatever reason, that domain has expired. Where once there may have been a thriving website pulling income in from various sources, it no longer exists. And it’s up for grabs to the first person who recognizes what a potential goldmine it is.

Some expired domains, the highly valuable ones, have a huge blaze of traffic flowing into it on a daily basis. This tends to be because the domain has hundreds, if not thousands of backlinks as well as high search engine placement. Some are listed in the Yahoo and DMOZ indexes.

This means that if you can isolate domain names with high amounts of incoming traffic, you’ve just acquired a living, breathing potential online business for just a few paltry dollars (the cost of a domain name). You can then put together a simple model to start earning from this bustling traffic immediately using a mixture of contextual advertising, affiliate links and more. You could also find expired domains that are related to your existing sites and products and immediately redirect the traffic to your existing business model. There are certainly no shortage of ways to create positive results using expired domains.

Why Domain Names Expire

There are many reasons why domain names can sometimes be let go of. Here are a couple of examples:

People move on. They find other business opportunities which they plough themselves into.

The business that had registered and used the domain no longer exists.
How Domains Slip Into Expired Status (And How Long You Have To Wait Before Snapping Them Up)

Domain expiry doesn’t work quite like most people think. A domain doesn’t just plop out of the previous owners hands on the expiration date. Instead, once a domain name passes this date, it enters a static period of 40 days during which the original owner can still re-register it. After this period, the domain then switches to another phase (lasting a further 35 days) whereby the owner can still re-register it (for a significantly higher fee than before). It’s after this period that the general public can then get their hands on these expired domains.

How To Plug In Simple Business Models To Start Generating Immediate Profits From Expired Domain Profits.

Once you have a domain that has an incoming stream of profit from it, it’s fairly simple to start generating an income from it immediately.

If you already have a successful model that is profitable, just redirect the traffic to it (assuming it is within the same niche).

If you’ve chosen a domain name that is new, here’s a simple way of creating an income from it:

Create some content on the domain name subject. One to five pages of content is more than enough, but it must be highly useful to the reader.

Find some targeted affiliate programs – use Commission Junction or Clickbank to find them, and enter your affiliate links tastefully.

Add in your Adsense codes – to optimize your Adsense income make sure you’re using the maximum number of ad units (3) and that your ads have the same look and feel of the page & text content.

Create an opt-in form to capture the email address of your traffic. Your aim should be to convert as much targeted traffic into opt-in subscribers as possible – this way you can approach your new subscribers with additional back-end offers (this is where the real money lies).

So there you have it – a simple way of buying up expired domain names that come with existing traffic flows, and a simple business model to use that flow for maximum profits.

FREE – Expired Domain Fortunes eBook! Click The Below Link To Discover Exactly How To Buy Up $10 Expired Domains That Have Hundreds Or Even Thousands Of Daily Targeted Visitors: http://www.digital-resale-rights.com/expireddomainscomp.htm

Author: Tuks Engineer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Domain Name Registration Basics

May 24, 2010 Domain Names

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The domain name registration process can be confusing to first time buyers. There are a number of terms to worry about. Hopefully, with the information below, you’ll be able to successfully register domain names while avoiding the pain that can sometimes come from the domain registration process.

What the heck is a nameserver anyway? Nameservers refer to a service that runs on servers belonging to a web hosting company that hosts the account that the domain name will point to. Every domain name on the internet must point to an IP address but each IP address can have multiple domain names on it thanks to shared hosting. Entering the nameservers of the hosting company you have for the domain name you are registering lets the big DNS nameservers on the internet know where to find the hosting account for the domain name in question. Without this service, it would be impossible for any computer to find any web page. This is all usually done very quickly – in a fraction of a second.

Whois information is another thing to get knowledgeable about. Whois refers to the owner of the domain name. This information is provided by you when you register a domain name. This information in turn is offered to anyone who cares to search for it. For this reason, it is important to consider privacy issues when entering your information for a domain name. It is not advisable to falsify domain name information. At the same time, you may use the most generic information you can when entering your domain. If you have a work address and home address, use the work address. If you have a post office box number and a street address, include the post office box number only.

How many years should you consider registering your domain name? I would argue that it depends what you are going to use the domain for. If it is your business name and you intend to be in business for at least the next five years, I would register it for five years. That way, you don’t have to worry about it for a long time. In fact, you can register domain names for up to ten years. If you register your domain for that long, you won’t have to worry about it for a decade. Maintenance and stress free.

Make sure you lock your domain. After you’ve registered your domain name, log into the control panel for your domain name and confirm that it is locked. What does locking do for you? It prevents anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your authorization. Most registrars require you to approve the transfer by clicking on a link but some registrars may simply allow the transfer if you don’t expressly forbid it. Miss an email and you could lose your domain name. Don’t take a chance. Lock your domain name right away.

Joe Duchesne is the webmaster for Yowling.com which provides domain name registration services along with business web hosting and a web site builder. Reprint freely as long as the live keyword link in this article points to our website.

Author: Joe Duchesne
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Expired Domain Market – Realities and Perceptions (Part II)

May 22, 2010 Domain Names

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Expired domain market can make you immensely rich when you strike it right. Many newbie traders think that this business is all about buying a domain at very cheap price and later selling it at very high prices. However, the actual reality is something else! Your domain is actually useless unless it is one of those types that are born bestsellers. Such domains are rare and special and most of them will never see the light of day because most of them sell in a private market!

Here are some more details about this unique business system:

1. Expired domain market is for everyone. Anyone can use this opportunity including you. It is open for everyone but with a stiff rider – participate in this business if you are ready to compete with thousands of tough competitors!

2. Expired domain market is a complex system where system rungs very tightly and rigidly according to some set and established guidelines. All domains must pass through a number of accredited registrars who actually hold the control of all expired domains.

3. The perceived commercial value of an expired domain is apparent and invisible. You will never know its value unless you actually sell them.

4. Expired domain market is also a very secretive market where most of the transactions are kept under tight control and secrecy. There is scant data available on the sales volume and the actual selling price.

5. You need just small amount of money to start this business. Initially, you may like to spend little and later expand your investment as you gain confidence and have a firm grip on the basic nuisance of the market and its system.

6. It is always true that most of the newbie domain traders purchase ordinary expired domains in the hope that they can make lot of money. Lack of knowledge or skill in choosing the right type of expired domain could be the main factors for failure in this business.

7. Expired domains are invaluable units of virtual estate where you can control the way in which you sell your domains. Expired domains are also like gold nuggets that you can transform into usable and practical units with an ability to sell at very high prices.

8. The initial price suggested by the domain trader may never be accepted by a potential buyer. The selling process could take a long time when you and your buyer may participate in a lengthy negotiation process.

9. Choosing wrong expired domains and buying them at very high prices could be disaster! When you collect wrong domains, you will also accumulating tremendous liability along with them.

10. Diversification in this business could be very difficult as it consists of lengthy flipping process that needs your time, effort and money.

11. If at all you sell your domain at a profit, the amount realized in the sales process will cover your entire expenses spent for retaining that domain with you.

12. It is also very difficult to sell a large inventory of expired domain names in one single transaction. You may need to go three or four at a time to sell all you domains.

Expired domain market is an exciting opportunity that needs your skill, patience, time and money. You will need to learn and master the art of buying and selling them by conducting a thorough research study on the topic.

John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is the owner of the web site called
http://www.ExpiredDomainSecret.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.

Author: John Khu
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Your Website’s Domain Name

May 21, 2010 Domain Names

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One important part of your website is your domain name. It’s a fundamental aspect that no Internet marketer should neglect, regardless of what they sell or promote. Take your time in choosing your domain name, because this is not something you want to rush. Inspire yourself, research what makes a great domain name, or you can even talk to your wife, children or friends about it. There is no greater opinion than that of your audience.

What Makes A Great Domain Name?

Although it is not necessary, it is still preferred that your URL is connected to the theme of your website. If you are promoting with Pay-per-Click ads for example, then the best domain name for that is bestptc. or if you are selling computers and computer parts, you can have a domain of compusale. Find an appropriate name for your website. Having a keyword in your domain name is helpful, but I can’t say it’s the sole basis of your page ranking.

Our online retail store (CactusCanyon) has no coordination with our theme, and is not associated with cactus or canyons. However, it has an excellent ranking. Your page rank does not depend on your domain name; it depends on a variety of things including the proper keywords and optimization. Our site has a catchy name, and very easy to say and spell too, which is also important in choosing your domain name.

Spell It First

Let’s face the fact that most of us are not good spellers. In order not to lose important customers, your domain name should be simple in a way that anyone would know how to spell it. When they are typing your website, if they misspelled it, chances are they are going to type it one more time or worse, they’ll find another website. Let’s say your last name is Dewey and you are selling pie on the Internet, and so do not make a domain name like “deweyspies.com”. If someone hears from a friend that Dewey’s pies are fantastic, and tell them to visit at your website, how would they know how to spell it? Even if they search it, they won’t find your website because they misspelled it. A great domain name is one that could easily be spelled, typed and relayed to other people without any inconvenience.

Short Domain Names Are Best

If you have a short domain name in mind, then you are in the right direction. A domain name like “bestdogsiteintheworld.com”may not do very good. Aside from being bad spellers, we can also be very forgetful! If you have long domain names, most likely your website won’t be remembered. eBay has a very short domain name, but it is very effective because people remember it instantly, and it can easily be spelled, typed, texted or relayed. Remember though that short domain names are hard to get, so think carefully.

Domain Endings

Most of the websites in the Internet still end with.com’s. It is best to end your domains with.com compared to.net because most web users assume that your website will end in that. If you have chosen a domain name that is already taken, don’t think about using a different domain ending or hyphens (best-ptc) since that small change can alter results dramatically. Yes, hyphens are recognized and used in websites but unless your intention in using it in your website is entirely for search engines, like in Adsense sites, you need something that will put you to an advantage, not otherwise. It’s hard to relay information to people if your domain name consists of characters like this (Hey, try to visit my site, it’s “cactus dash canyon”) That would really confuse people.

Searching and thinking of the best domain name is not an easy feat. You need to consider a lot of factors and you also need to give yourself some time. When your perfect domain name is taken, don’t give up and most of all, don’t settle for something you’re not confident and happy with. There are a lot of alternatives out there.

As soon as everything is settled, you can start your marketing campaigns to promote your site. All marketing is related to your URL, so if you have to change anything, even a one-character change, you have to repeat your marketing campaigns all over again. You’re also going to repeat saying and typing that website, so be sure before you commit yourself. That one small part of your website can contribute more than you think it can. You’re going to use it until your business is up, so choose something you’re comfortable with, and don’t forget to follow my guidelines.

Steve Weber is a certified teacher from Oklahoma who left his education career in 2007 as his online businesses grew. He now spends his time consulting with and teaching new Internet marketers how to succeed online. His website, Steve’s Classroom, contains a wide variety of videos and tutorials for building a successful Internet business.

Author: Steven Weber
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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What Are Domain Names and Where Do You Get Them?

May 21, 2010 Domain Names

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A domain name is really an alias for an internet IP address. Every website has an IP address that tells a web browser where to access the content from. An example of an IP address might be 22.255.155.14. It is much easier to type in domain names in your browser, rather than a bunch of numbers. A domain name is much easier for your customers to remember than numbers as well.

If you want to purchase a domain name, you can purchase them through a domain name registrar. This is a company that is registered through ICANN which has the ability to allow you to purchase domain names. You might already know this, but only one person can own a certain domain name. You can purchase as many domain names as you want, but they must all be unique. You can of course purchase a domain that is similar to another domain with a different extension. The most common extension of course is .com but those are getting harder to find by the day.

You can also purchase a domain name through a web hosting provider when you are purchasing a hosting package for your site. This might save you time and even money. Some web hosting providers offer you a free domain name when you purchase services with them. Be sure to make sure that the domain name you want is available first if you have someone else register it for you. This will save time rather than the hosting company emailing or calling you to let you know that the domain is already taken. You can find out if a domain name is already taken by going to a domain name registrar and doing a whois on the domain.

If you choose to purchase a domain name through a registrar, you are going to need to update your account to tell the registrar which IP address to point your domain name to. Your website hosting company will be able to provide this information to you. If your hosting company registers the domain for you, they will do this step.

If you are going to purchase multiple domain names, the best suggestion would be to register them all with the same domain name registrar. Doing this makes it easy to access all your domains at the same place. You might even be able to save money when you renew your domains if you are renewing multiple domains at the same time.

Are you looking for Cheap Web Hosting I have been testing Cheap Web Hosting Providers for the past five years and have finally revealed the best web host.

Author: John P Henderson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Make Money With Domain Parking – Leverage Domains Right Now

May 21, 2010 Domain Names

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Domain parking has become commonplace for domain owners. There was once a time when owning a domain name was so costly that only the brave would do it. Now, it’s so cheap that people keep on buying domains without prior plans on what they would like to do with them.

Domain Parking Helps Monetize The Mess

This is where parking comes in. You point your unused domain’s name-servers to a parking provider (like NameDrive), who would then show commercial links on them, giving a cut of profits generated to you. Parking has become so common that it’s not working the way people want it to.

If you parked say a 100 domains, you would find that only a few actually pull in money, and even fewer pull in something worth counting. That’s the reason domain parking has become a business, with big players making money with an army of strategies they have perfected over the years, to surpass those who don’t yet have the mastery.

Domain Parking Does More Than That

Mostly, you would want to park those domains which you have planned on developing later. But major players buy domain with the sole intent of parking.

Parking a domain can result in indexing of your domain name, if not already done so. Some parking companies advertise your domain in many known and unknown ways. But it depends on the quality of your domains. Most of the traffic to your domain are the ones you’re already getting. Parking only provides as a (rather ineffective) means to monetize it.

Parking companies also allow you to put your domains for sale. If you’re not planning on using it, then selling it for a profit would be the right thing to do.

Making Sure That Parking Brings You Money

It’s very difficult to pin-point single domain names that would bring profitable traffic. It’s sometimes cheaper and easier to buy domains in bulk, see which bring in money, and discard/sell those which don’t.

Testing is something that cannot be avoided. A domain which you think might be useless would prove to be a winner and vice versa. So, primarily, you’d want to acquire domains already getting traffic, from forums where people are willing to sell them. Visit domain websites like Sedo and SnapNames, and see what they have to offer. You will need to research and work hard to find winners, but it pays off in the end.

Now, simply parking your domain with a company won’t get it ranked in search engines like Google, slimming your chances of making some good cash. Why? Because all it contains is advertisement links, and nothing else. What you need is a parking company that builds content websites on your domain, with quality articles search engines crave for, all on autopilot. And there is a company that does exactly that. Click here to find out about it.

http://www.revolves.net/2009/06/12/whypark-domain-parking-with-unique-content/

Author: Alex Ronald
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Buying Profitable Expired Domain Names – Part I

May 19, 2010 Domain Names

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If you are a newbie to the world of expired domain names, buying a good domain name is not as simple as it looks or feels. If you succeed in buying a good expired domain name, your buyers will find it an attractive option to purchase it even at a very good price. On the other hand, if you make a bad purchase, you may never be able to sell it to anyone even at very low prices. Buying expired domain names needs a lot of skills and practical knowledge. Before buying a set of domain names that are expiring soon, you may wish learn the basic tricks of locating a good name. This article provides you some of the most common problems associated with buying an expired domain name and how you can take right decisions at the right time.

Everyone keeps taking continuously about domain name extensions and their possible benefits and demerits. Almost every other country now sells domains with its own extensions. As an expired domain trader, you have a range of choices and options while buying a domain name. However, the current preference and flavor is still the dot com extensions, as most of the internet surfers have a habit of typing .com name, even though they are not sure of the actual domain name. Strangely, people never remember any other extensions, other than a name with dot com extension.

It is a blessing in disguise for most expired domain name traders as web surfers automatically type in.com most of the time. Next to a dot com web domain name, web surfers remember .net and .org extensions. If you are not successful in buying a dot com name, you can choose a good .net expired domain name. If you are running a non profit, you can go ahead and buy a dot org name. However, you can stay clear of this name as the current demand for an expired dot org name is very low.

Of late, two other extensions, dot biz and dot info expired domain names are available for purchase with a number of expired domain traders. Several leading businesses and organizations prefer dot biz and dot info names to carry out their business activities. Another advantage with these names is that you can easily brand them by developing a theme based web portal.

There are several other international expired domain name extensions like dot ws, dot fm, dot tv and others. You may find several domain name traders trying to promote these names with glossy and shining campaigns. It is preferable to stay away from these domains, as they are actually worthless and waste of your time. Country specific domain names are also available for you to purchase. Most of the countries of the world have their specific domain name extensions and a number of them are expiring almost everyday. However, most of these names could be too restrictive to be of any real commercial value. You may also need to be the bona fide citizens of some countries to be able to buy country specific domain names.

John Khu is an author and also a seasoned professional with vast experience in expired domain name business. He is the owner of the path breaking web site called http://www.expireddomainsecret.com which provides complete and up-to-date information on expired domains and their eternal secrets.

Author: John Khu
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Buying Profitable Expired Domain Names – Part I

May 19, 2010 Domain Names

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Author: John Khu
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Buying Profitable Expired Domain Names – Part I

May 19, 2010 Domain Names

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Author: John Khu
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Manage Domain Names – Skills You Need to Maintain a Domain Portfolio

May 14, 2010 Domain Names

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Whether you own one, two or one hundred domain names, you need the ability to manage the domain names in your portfolio. Here is a list of skills you need, starting with the most basic and ending with the more advanced.

Evaluating good domains names. There is skill involved in selecting quality domain names. Knowing key characteristics can make a large difference in the way your domains can later be marketed and sold. Beginners looking to make money buying and selling domain names often make their biggest mistakes right here.
Finding good domain name registrars – This comes down to more than price. Reputation, service and ease of use all play a part.
Registering domain names – the simplest of all the skills, chances are you have accomplished this at least once already. The process of registering new domain names is the most common way to add domains to your portfolio.
Changing DNS Servers – whether you want to park your domain name or develop a website, you will have to learn how to change the DNS settings of the domain. If you can copy and paste, than this is a no-brainer.
Locking/Unlocking – domain names can be stolen. Learning how to lock a domain name through your domain name registrar is important. Unlocking is just as important when it comes time to transfer that domain.
Private registration – learning how private registration can protect you is essential. We live in an age of spam and identity theft. Seriously consider this option.
Transferring domain names – domain name registrars are like any other business, if they fail to serve you well it is time to transfer your domains to another registrar. Depending on the registrar this can get a little tricky.
Domain Parking – setting up a domain to display a standard web page without having to purchase web hosting is essential. This can be taken to the next level as well: monetization.
Buying and selling domains – probably the most advanced domain name skill. This can be tricky and comes only with time and experience.

Learning all these skill will make you master of you domain. Literally.

Paul Flyer writes about domain name tools on his Recommended Web Tools website. For more information on choosing, registering and managing domain names, download his free ebook, The Domain Name Handbook at http://www.recommendedwebtools.com/index.php/domain-name-handbook/

Author: Paul Flyer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Compare Domain Providers – Picking the Right Registrar

May 13, 2010 Domain Names

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Long time Internet users can remember a time when domain registration didn’t offer a whole lot of choice – there was only one domain name provider, and it wasn’t very affordable.

Times have changed. There are now a seemingly endless number of domain providers, and with greater choice and drastically lower pricing, the registration of new domain names has seen a continual rise. Verisign reports that in 2007, more than 33 million new domain names were registered, bringing the overall total to an estimated 153 million. That’s a lot of domain names! In 2008, that number is expected to grow, as more and more people start their own online business in order to supplement their income.

In the old days, free website communities like Angelfire were home to most personal and many small business websites. Now, it is almost just as easy (and inexpensive) to have your own domain. Appropriate, professional domain names are especially important for companies wishing to establish branding and credibility on the Web.

If you’re ready to purchase a personal or small business domain name and want to compare domain registrars, you may not know where to start. Fortunately, as the domain registry business has grown, sites have been established that help you compare their quality. Most of these services that offer you the ability to compare domain registrars will offer side by side comparisons of the big names in table format. They can help you determine the cost of the domain, features, promotional offers, and more.

Some registrars will charge an additional fee for private registration, which prevents the public from viewing your domain ownership information in the WHOIS database. Some also charge a small monthly fee for managed DNS.

Many of the domain registrars are actually resellers for the larger registries. That said, you may purchase a domain from John Doe’s Domain Registry, and it may actually be registered through Godaddy, one of the Internet’s largest domain name providers. This explains the varying fluctuation in registration cost, and is why it pays to look for the best deal. Small business domains are frequently purchased from these types of resellers, since they often register for years at a time, and a better rate can make a more pronounced difference..

A popular misconception is that you “own” a domain name when you “buy” it from a registrar or domain broker. The truth is that you only “own” it as long as you continue to pay the required registration fee to your domain name provider.

Because of steep competition among the major providers, domains are typically being sold at fairly similar prices. So rather than look only at pricing, be sure to consider the service and features provided by the registrar. Charging more doesn’t make a provider the best, and charging less doesn’t mean they’re the worst.

If you plan on registering multiple domains, you should definitely take the time to check out some of the registrar review sites. These sites often contain tips and promotional codes that can save you both time and money.

In summary, most domain pricing will be similar, but there are things that will set one registrar apart from the others. Look at the features offered with your registration – things like private registration, managed DNS, easy account access, and more – before you make a decision.

This article provided courtesy of Small Business Domain, a domain registration resource featuring registrar reviews, promotional codes, and resources. Visit today to quickly compare domain providers

Author: Alex Johnson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Domain Name Choices

May 13, 2010 Domain Names

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Learn how to chose an effective and memorable domain name and learn how you can actually increase traffic by using an old, expired domain name.

In the physical world, you can distinguish a business because of its structure, window displays, or signs. You can tell that a bank is a bank, or a clothing store is indeed a clothing store. In the Internet, however, it is an entirely different story altogether. Your domain name is the only clue to your online business. You do not have visual clues: no location, no look, and no store design. Instead, users have to type in a word or a set of words to reach your site. Your prospective visitor has no way of knowing what your site is all about until he/she finds it and reads its contents. Who can ever tell that Amazon.com sells books? Or that Excite is a search engine?

Your domain name can spell your success on the Internet. A good domain name is the best asset you can ever have. It can make your business stand out in the crowd, or just float aimlessly in space.

The need to provide immediate clues to an online business led to the prevalence of generic domain names. Generic names instantly provide the user with an idea of what a business is all about, what to expect and look for in a site. For instance, Etoys.com is a toy store.

The temptation of the generic name has been so powerful; that some companies even paid ridiculously high prices to get the name they want. The domains Loans.com and Wines.com were both bought for $3 million each. Telephone.com was acquired for $1.75 million, while Bingo.com sold for $1.1 million.

However, generic names do not necessarily create the “buzz” that you’d like surrounding your website. Branding has always been about proper names: McDonald’s did not name their store Hamburger. Hertz is not called Car Rental. FedEx is not Mail Carrier. Kodak is not Photographs. Microsoft is not Computer Software.

For better branding results, your domain name should be memorable and easy to remember. Remember the following tips when creating a domain name.

- The domain name should be short

- The domain name should be simple

- It should be suggestive of your business category

- It should be unique

- It should be easy to interpret and pronounce

- It should be personalized

- It should not be difficult to spell

- It should not be difficult to remember

Domain names can be registered through many different companies (known as “registrars”) – a listing of these companies is available at ICANN. You can register for 1 to 10 years – prices can vary anywhere from $10 to $20 per year. Most web hosting companies, as explained later, will handle the registration process for you, but make sure that you are properly listed as the owner of the domain when it is registered. If you have registered a domain name for a specific period, make sure you renew it in time. You can be surprised at the number of cases, where site owners have let a domain name slip by if they have not renewed in time.

Using expired domains to skyrocket your traffic

At some point while you are building your website, you are going to have to buy a domain name. This is the address that users type into their browsers to reach your site. That takes about five seconds, and depending on the name you want and whether anyone else owns it, it will not cost you more than a few bucks.

But domain names are also a golden opportunity to make some easy money.

I am not talking about Internet real estate, where you buy up good names and sell them on for a profit-if you have not got into that now, forget it. The bottom’s fallen out of the market and the best domains are long gone. I am talking about expiring domains. Thousands of webmasters invest time, effort and money to promote their site and build up traffic. Many of them then lose interest and move on, leaving their site active. That means that although they still own the domain, they are not actively promoting it. But they do not need to. All the automatic marketing systems they have put in place are still bringing in traffic. The site runs itself.

Now, at some point the ownership of those domains is going to expire. If you snap up those domains once they come back onto the market, you’ve got a pre-built stream of customers. You can either rebuild the site, or redirect the traffic to your domain. You could set up an affiliate program get paid for users someone else paid for. It is actually that easy.

There are tons of options, and lots of easy ways to make lots of money with very little effort. Opportunities like these are everywhere.

Do be careful when using other sites though. There are some swindlers out there that will sell you subscriptions, provide you with outdated lists, take your money and keep the good domains for themselves.

Pj Germain

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Genealogy [http://genealogy.moreinfoguru.com]

Hybrid Sports Cars [http://hybridsportscars.luxurysportsautos.com]

Author: PJ Germain
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Domain Name Appraisal Scam

May 13, 2010 Domain Names

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I’ve had quite a few offers for my domain names over time. There is one kind of offer that I have received numerous times which I would like to warn my readers about. It is a domain name appraisal scam covered up as a domain name enquiry.

Basically what happens is a domain name appraisal company acts as a party interested in the purchase of your domain name. They put together an approach letter like the following email that I received for a domain name of mine:

Hello,

We are interested in xxxx.xxxx

It was listed in auction (your address was found via WHO IS).

Please submit your price for consideration.

Our company is involved in software development/support business. Now domain invetsing/reselling is just an additional direction of our investment strategy.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

After I received this letter, I replied with something like this “Thanx for the offer. I am planning to develop the domain name in question into a profitable website. However, I value the domain name at $2500, and I will sell it if an offer of that amount is made”.

The next email they sent went right for the juggular:

Hello,

$2500?

Ok.

However, before we buy the domain, we have to make sure that it is worth the amount that you claim.

It is nothing personal, we just want to be sure our investment is valuable. We have seen this post at a forum we frequent which shows a link to a reputable appraiser which you can use to appraise the domain.

Please follow that link to get the name appraised and once you appraise it, send us the appraisal certificate.

Once the appraisal is made, we will talk about making a deal.

Do you use escrow? We prefer it.

Regards,

Nice touch, they did not actually include the appraisal link in the email, but rather pointed me to a forum where they had previously posted their appraisal link. Also, notice the mention of escrow… of course they are concerned about the security of the transaction, there is nothing else on their mind . This domain name appraisal scam is very well planned and very well executed. They want to come across as geniune, and I bet a lot of people have falled for it. After all, a great offer for some of your domain names does not come along that often.

I replied that I value the domain name at $2500 and that I do not need a domain name appraisal company to appraise the domain name for me. They hounded me with another 3 or 4 emails begging me to do an appraisal before they gave up.

The moral of the story? Be careful about approaches for your domain name. Think about this – if you are interested in a domain name and you decide to write to the domain name owner to inquire about purchasing that domain name, are you really going to ask that domain name owner to pay for appraisal for their own domain name? I would think you will do your homework, find out how much that domain name is worth, after all, you are purchasing it because in your eyes that domain name is valuable, and only then will you make an offer. People who ask you to pay for appraisal for a domain name you own are one thing and one thing only – DOMAIN NAME APPRAISAL SCAMMERS – so be aware.

Article written by John Motson. When not writing articles, John Motson spends his time reading domain name news at http://www.dnxpert.com Visit http://www.dnxpert.com for expert domain name advice.

Author: John Motson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Domain Registering Tips

May 12, 2010 Domain Names

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Searching for a domain name? So where do you think you are going to search domain names available for use? You might have definitely come across websites while checking for available domain name that offer services where you can search for domain names under the titles like ‘Check for domain name availability’ or ‘domain name check’ or ‘domain lookup’. Think twice before using such services, because not all of them are perfect and their results are not quite reliable. So always search for the availability of domain names in a well known search engine.

The domain names that you once searched for and had been shown available but now when you finally decide to register a domain name you see that it has already been taken and now this leaves you in a state of panic because you have already designed your website with that name and now you need to change this banner you designed emptying your pockets and now imagine repeating the whole process all over again. The domain names that you search for could be immediately registered and even a delay of couple of days could prove disastrous for your website and could lead to you compromising for your website title which would be the identity for your website for a given period of time.

While registering for domain names care should be taken that the website name should be registered first and then the website name should be embedded in the website. This could save a lot of time and efforts. After registering a domain name you could select one of the web hosting companies of your choice and then host your website. Now at least you can rest assured that your website has a fixed name and you could use that name in your website titles and banners without worrying about it being taken away. This is just a precautionary measure, not that each and every one who doesn’t purchase domain name first is affected by it.

The domain name if taken could be acquired once again when its validity expires. A domain name is registered by a webmaster for a fixed period of time and if he would like to own it again he needs to renew his domain registration once again. The webmaster is notified through email close to the date of expiry of his domain name so that he could renew his domain name well before it gets expired and if he fails to do so, his domain name expires and is made available for other webmasters to acquire

If you are reluctant towards losing the domain name of your choice and would not like to compromise over your website name, you could find out who currently owns the website name you liked your website should have and then find out whether the owner of the domain name would like to sell it you. Of course you will have to shell out a few more dollars as per the domain owner’s demand.

[http://www.inovins.com/domain_registration_tips.htm]

Author: Anu Pillai
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Score The Killer Domain Name That Will Suck In Visitors To Your Site

May 12, 2010 Domain Names

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You want to build a niche web site that works. You have figured out the topic, found some great keywords and now you need a domain name that really rocks.

Let’s pick a domain name!

Please keep the following things in mind:

1) The domain name needs to have your main keyword / phrase in it *exactly* as it is. Example: Your main phrase is “cool widgets”. The domain should be something like “the-best-coolwidgets. com” NOT “the-best-widgets.com”

2) Your domain name needs to be very clear on what you are providing. In other words, a benefit statement. You want the domain name to catch the eye of the human reader as well as the search engines. When you read the domain name, it needs to communicate exactly what they can expect when they come to your site, and set them in a positive frame of mind. In other words, they see your domain name, and they say to themselves “Now that looks like a good site. Just what I was looking for”, BEFORE they ever get to your site.

You can come up with some unique, strange or otherwise hip domain name for your site, but unless you are terrific at buzz marketing or have lots of money to build a brand you are better off sticking to a domain name that will work right out of the bag.

Since you’ve already decided on your main keyword phrase,this step should be a fairly easy one to do.

Go to one of the domain register sites to do your selection process. (You can also visit the expired domains sites if you want to check out domain names that have expired. This can be a good resource for ideas on names as well as a place to purchase one. Here are some to check out, expiredwatch.com, expired-domain-names-pro.com, redhotdomainnames.com, expireddomainsleuth.com) We use GoDaddy.com for most of our domain name business, although there are many others to choose from for buying domains. When you arrive at GoDaddy.com you can enter in potential domain names in their search tool and see what is available. They will also give you alternative names to think about buying as well. Try several variations on your keyword phrase in a domain name and see what come up. Stick to .com names if you can. Others such as .info can be cheaper to buy up front but may not return as good of results in the SE’s.

ONce you have found a domain name that has your keyword phrase in it and sells your nice in a short catchy name you need to buy it. At domain registrars you are often offered the chance to buy at extra cost privacy for your domain. This means that no one can look up your contact information. This can be useful if you are trying to screen yourself from folks. However it is not essential.

If you already have your hosting set up it can really speed things up in the registration process for a domain name if you can enter you name servers in at the time of purchase. This gets the propagation process moving along and means you can have you site up and running sooner. Just get your name server info from your host and input them in the form at Go Daddy before you finalize the purchase.

Once you have your domain bought and registered it is time to set up your site. It can take a day or so to have your domain name propagate across the net so be patient. That is why the prior step helps out. It can cut down that time till you can see your domain on your browser.

Start getting those pages built and loaded to your site. Now the fun begins as you create content, build links and drive traffic to your website. Big piece of advice here, don’t delay in getting content built and loaded up. Even if it is a rough draft. It is better to get the pages up and start the indexing process than to sit back and fuss over the copy till the cows come home. Trust me this is important! Put up each page as soon as you have roughed them out. Then go back and tweak them after you have got 5-10 pages of content created for your site. If you have a mini site then create the entire mini site before you polish the pages to perfection.

Kevin Rockwell runs a successful internet based video and photo business and is one of the White Hat Guys Consulting Group which helps entreprenuers learn how to quickly and easily launch their own profit pulling online business ASAP, on a shoe string budget that runs on auto-pilot and earns them a an income of which they can be proud! Learn more about their free training program at http://www.whitehatguys.com

Author: Kevin Rockwell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Domain Registering Tips

Score The Killer Domain Name That Will Suck In Visitors To Your Site

Find Available Domains

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