The domain industry has grown so fast in the last couple years it's hard to imagine. This is a compilation of facts and opinions, along with some tips and tricks to help you gain a footing in this very competitive industry.
What About the "Other" Domains (.us, .to, .cc, .tv)So you've gone through the list of available domains, using all the search engines and keyword tools, and you can't find anything decent. You've been wondering about all those supposed "new" TLDs you've heard about, such as .tv and .cc. First, they're not new TLDs, they're country code domains. Now that that's cleared up, what about the value of such domains?
The "experts" will tell you that the only domains that count are the .com domains. A couple of years ago, that was probably true. These days it's all about branding. Of course, it all depends on your site's primary business or concept. Anyone could pretty much figure out what scifi.tv would be about, same with music.tv. But what about ballsandsticks.tv? Or AmericanIndustrial.tv? It's not readily apparent what you would find at those sites.
What about all those other country code domains and the .us domains? Again, branding. If you have sufficient resources to publicize the fact that your business is at mybiz.to, then you stand a chance. If the site will only be listed online, and you won't be advertising on the TV or radio, you can probably get away with using a country domain, including a .us domain. Keep it simple, and try to retain your own brand, whatever that may be.
Domains, Then and Now
In May of 1985 there was only one .com domain registered (think.com). In October, the second .com domain was registered. By October of 1991, there were 165 .com, 22 .org, 20 .net, 285 .edu and 3 .us domains registered. Two years later, there were approximately 600 .coms registered. By 1995, the number of registered domains was at 6000, and two years later the number topped 22,000. Now, fifteen years after the first domain was registered, there are more than 12 million domains registered.
In May of 1985 there was only one .com domain registered (think.com). In October, the second .com domain was registered. By October of 1991, there were 165 .com, 22 .org, 20 .net, 285 .edu and 3 .us domains registered. Two years later, there were approximately 600 .coms registered. By 1995, the number of registered domains was at 6000, and two years later the number topped 22,000. Now, fifteen years after the first domain was registered, there are more than 12 million domains registered.
Registrar Politics
Until 1999, NSI held a monopoly on the domain registration business. In June of that year, several companies were granted registrar status, among them Register.com and CORE. CORE passed the accreditation down to many smaller companies, which at that point could themselves register domains through CORE (i.e. they become CORE accredited registrars). By January of 2000, there were over 80 ICAAN accredited registrars, and about 100 additional CORE "Reselling Members" registrars.
Until 1999, NSI held a monopoly on the domain registration business. In June of that year, several companies were granted registrar status, among them Register.com and CORE. CORE passed the accreditation down to many smaller companies, which at that point could themselves register domains through CORE (i.e. they become CORE accredited registrars). By January of 2000, there were over 80 ICAAN accredited registrars, and about 100 additional CORE "Reselling Members" registrars.
Are All the Good Domains Taken?There are still a lot of great names out there! One of the ways you can find these domains is to use searching tools and services which look for domains that are on hold. You can also use fee-based newsletters that tell you about newly available (i.e. recently dropped) domain names each week.
Another approach is to use "wizards" which let you choose a name based on several keywords. There are several such tools available, including DomainNotes' DomainWizard, WhoisUltra.com.
Also, don't hesitate to use good old fashioned whois tools to look up common names--every once in a while, you'll find a great one that for some reason is available. And if you want to be able to grab the good ones that come along, you must also keep up with the latest domain news to stay informed about the latest trends (such as the introduction of 63 character domain names, the availability of the so-called "dirty domains," the availability of domains with foreign characters, etc.). You can also go to Whois.net and use their "dropped domains" search tool. You'll want to use the advanced version. Using this tool, you can search for dropped domains using wildcards. Spend an hour looking up some terms and you'll find at least one or two really great domains.
Domain Registration Prices
In 1985, when NSI (Network Solutions, Inc.) took over domain registrations from SRI (Stanford Research Institute), domain names were free to register. In 1995, NSI started charging $100 per two year period of registration. In 1998, they lowered the fee to $70 per two year period. Then in 1999, when several alternative registrars were granted the rights to register domain names, the price started to vary from registrar to registrar, ranging from $50 per two year period to as much as $100 per two year period.
In 1985, when NSI (Network Solutions, Inc.) took over domain registrations from SRI (Stanford Research Institute), domain names were free to register. In 1995, NSI started charging $100 per two year period of registration. In 1998, they lowered the fee to $70 per two year period. Then in 1999, when several alternative registrars were granted the rights to register domain names, the price started to vary from registrar to registrar, ranging from $50 per two year period to as much as $100 per two year period.
How to Determine if a Domain is Valuable?The value of a domain is determined by several factors, including:
length - how long is the domain; is it short, sweet and memorable?
characters - does the domain includes any numbers or hyphens? Certain names work well with hyphens, such as science-fiction, and others do not, such as do-it-now. extension - .coms are the most valuable, with .net next, then .org. Some country domains, such as .cc or .to, are increasing in value.
brand - is the domain or anything similar to it already being used in the industry? Is the domain likely to confuse visitors? A strong, clear domain free of ties to other sites/businesses is the most valuable.
generic or specific - is the domain name generic, likely to appeal to a wide audience (music.com), or is it specific, and likely to only appeal to those interested in the subject/business (bodypiercing.com).
characters - does the domain includes any numbers or hyphens? Certain names work well with hyphens, such as science-fiction, and others do not, such as do-it-now. extension - .coms are the most valuable, with .net next, then .org. Some country domains, such as .cc or .to, are increasing in value.
brand - is the domain or anything similar to it already being used in the industry? Is the domain likely to confuse visitors? A strong, clear domain free of ties to other sites/businesses is the most valuable.
generic or specific - is the domain name generic, likely to appeal to a wide audience (music.com), or is it specific, and likely to only appeal to those interested in the subject/business (bodypiercing.com).
What You Need to Know To Register a DomainYou'll need to know several things in order to register a domain on your own (i.e. without your ISP holding your hand). First, you'll need to know the primary and secondary DNS (Domain Name Server) that you'll be using. If you don't have two already in mind (yes, you'll need two DNS), most registrars provide a service in which they'll let you use their DNS when you register a domain. Some charge for this service, while others don't. You'll also need to know the IP addresss of the 2 DNS you mentioned above.
If you intend to be the admin, technical, billing and zone contact for your domain, all you will need to know if the above DNS info. If you don't know this info, but you plan to use your web host as the host for your domain, you can use whois to look up your host's domain name, and use the DNS entries from that domain name. If your host is to be the technical or admin contacts for the domain you will be registering, you'll need to know your web host's NIC ID, which can also be obtained by looking at their whois record (or you can just give your host and call to find this information out.
The Domain Business (Domain Sales)
Domains are not just an easy way to point folks to your site, they're a virtual real estate property now. In the last couple years, many domains have fetched some amazing prices. Here's a list of some of the more impressive sales:
Domains are not just an easy way to point folks to your site, they're a virtual real estate property now. In the last couple years, many domains have fetched some amazing prices. Here's a list of some of the more impressive sales:
Business.Com -- $ 7.5M
AsSeenOnTV.Com -- $ 5M
AltaVista.Com -- $3.25M
Wine.com -- $ 3M
Loans.com -- $ 3M
Autos.com -- $2.2M
WallStreet.Com -- $ 1.03M
Drugs.Com -- $ 823K
Question.Com -- $ 175K
Vote.Com -- $ 250K
Rock.Com -- $ 1M
University.com --$ 530K
BlackJack.Com -- $ 460K
eFlowers.Com -- $ 1M
Computer.Com --$ 500K
internet.com --$ 100K
AsSeenOnTV.Com -- $ 5M
AltaVista.Com -- $3.25M
Wine.com -- $ 3M
Loans.com -- $ 3M
Autos.com -- $2.2M
WallStreet.Com -- $ 1.03M
Drugs.Com -- $ 823K
Question.Com -- $ 175K
Vote.Com -- $ 250K
Rock.Com -- $ 1M
University.com --$ 530K
BlackJack.Com -- $ 460K
eFlowers.Com -- $ 1M
Computer.Com --$ 500K
internet.com --$ 100K
Do You REALLY Own Your Domain?
Picture this: You finally found the ultimate domain name for your business, and you've set the site up. Things are going well, and you sleep at night, assured that your domain is safe forever (or as long as you pay the yearly registration fee). Along comes unscrupulous domain grabber Joe...he finds that the domain name he wants is already taken by you. So he checks to see if you have a copyright on the domain name. You don't, so he registers the name as a trademark. Two years pass, and then you get a note from your domain registrar saying that someone else owns the trademark for the domain you own, and they promptly pull you into a legal dispute, the outcome of which is ultimately that you have to turn the domain over to the trademark holder, Joe the domain grabber.
Picture this: You finally found the ultimate domain name for your business, and you've set the site up. Things are going well, and you sleep at night, assured that your domain is safe forever (or as long as you pay the yearly registration fee). Along comes unscrupulous domain grabber Joe...he finds that the domain name he wants is already taken by you. So he checks to see if you have a copyright on the domain name. You don't, so he registers the name as a trademark. Two years pass, and then you get a note from your domain registrar saying that someone else owns the trademark for the domain you own, and they promptly pull you into a legal dispute, the outcome of which is ultimately that you have to turn the domain over to the trademark holder, Joe the domain grabber.
Could it happen? Yes it can. But you can do something to stop it from happening--just trademark your domain before someone like "Joe" does. It'll cost you about $350, and you can do it yourself. Start by checking to see if the name is already trademarked, something you should have done even before you registered the domain name in the first place.
Changes to Your Domain Name Registration Without Your Ack?Imagine this: you wake up from a restful night's sleep, start to enjoy the morning coffee while you check out your web site, and--whoa, what happened to your site? Can your site be replaced by someone else's content without someone hacking into your web site? Sure, if you're like everybody else and have not changed the default security features of your domain registrar.
Changes to Your Domain Name Registration Without Your Ack?Imagine this: you wake up from a restful night's sleep, start to enjoy the morning coffee while you check out your web site, and--whoa, what happened to your site? Can your site be replaced by someone else's content without someone hacking into your web site? Sure, if you're like everybody else and have not changed the default security features of your domain registrar.
When you registered your domain, you selected the method of authentication you will use when you make changes to your domain. Generally, if someone requests changes to your domain name, a note is sent to the admin and technical contacts, and once they respond, the changes are made. Two problems with this: a lot of domains are set up so that when a change request is made, the change is completed and THEN the admin and technical contacts are contacted. Worse yet is that sometimes, even when the admin and tech contacts are asked about the changes before they are made, and they reply with a NACK (no, do not make the changes), the changes are still pushed through, and the domain can be re-routed to a different DNS, pointing your prized domain to a different web site.
To fix this problem, change the method of acknowledgment so that you are asked first, then the changes are made (or better yet, you can even set it up so that you will be required to use a password to make changes). Second, do not ignore any messages you receive asking for your ack to make changes (you'd be surprised how many people do). Third, periodically check the details that are listed in the domain database for your domain to make sure that the correct information is still listed.
Do You Have a Domain for Sale? What Have You Done for PR?
Perhaps a few years ago you bought a couple domain names, thinking that sooner or later you could sell them for a profit. You may have even listed them at one of the domain brokerage sites out there. And even though you think the domain is valuable, it's not getting any bids--not a bite. What gives? Simple...lack of promotion.
Perhaps a few years ago you bought a couple domain names, thinking that sooner or later you could sell them for a profit. You may have even listed them at one of the domain brokerage sites out there. And even though you think the domain is valuable, it's not getting any bids--not a bite. What gives? Simple...lack of promotion.
Just like a great web site with no links to bring folks to it, the best domain name in the world won't sell if nobody knows about it, or it will sell for substantially less. Here are several things you can do to promote your domains that are for sale:
- actually point the domain to a page that indicates the domain is for sale, and provide contact information
- submit the "for sale" page to the 10 largest search engines
- list the domain on the various domain brokerage sites
- put a small note about the domain being for sale in your email signature
finally, consider submitting a press release to one of the PR news companies that submit it to thousands of jouralists, such as Internet News Bureau or Internet Wire.
What Exactly is a Google or a Yahoo? Domain Names and Branding
As well all go through the process of choosing a domain name, we tend to try to find the shortest, most easily remembered domain. Unless you are trying to find a domain with the same name as that of your business, you may have tried to find a generic term that would apply to your business, or perhaps a very short phrase. Just make sure that you understand that a generic term is not necessarily the best name you can choose for you business.
Think about this: just what exactly is a google or a yahoo. I could guess that a "yahoo" was a slang term for idiot or jerk, or something similar. The word "google" might sound like a non-technical word for a technical apparatus, as in "could you hand me the google, Smithers, it's on the floor next to the thingamajig?" Almost everyone now knows that Yahoo refers to a famous web directory, and a lot of folks now realize that Google is a search engine. That's what effective branding does, it sticks in your mind. When you look for your domain name, don't be afraid to try some quick, easy to remember phrases, perhaps something your child may have babbled to you. You may be the next "Yahoo."
As well all go through the process of choosing a domain name, we tend to try to find the shortest, most easily remembered domain. Unless you are trying to find a domain with the same name as that of your business, you may have tried to find a generic term that would apply to your business, or perhaps a very short phrase. Just make sure that you understand that a generic term is not necessarily the best name you can choose for you business.
Think about this: just what exactly is a google or a yahoo. I could guess that a "yahoo" was a slang term for idiot or jerk, or something similar. The word "google" might sound like a non-technical word for a technical apparatus, as in "could you hand me the google, Smithers, it's on the floor next to the thingamajig?" Almost everyone now knows that Yahoo refers to a famous web directory, and a lot of folks now realize that Google is a search engine. That's what effective branding does, it sticks in your mind. When you look for your domain name, don't be afraid to try some quick, easy to remember phrases, perhaps something your child may have babbled to you. You may be the next "Yahoo."
Domain Lists and Why You Should Read ThemOften, it is impossible to keep up with the latest information on the subject of domain names. There are several email-based discussion lists out there that you can join to stay more fully informed. Most of the "leaders" of the domain industry are represented on these lists, and you can get some great tips and information from them. Realize that these lists are not the place to ask "how do I register this" or "what's a TLD." Also realize that some of these lists are quite topical, and the threads can get quite heated at times. That said, here is a list of some of the better domain-related lists.
CNRP-IETF List
Domain-Policy List
InterNIC Guardian Objects Discussion List
InterNIC Registration Services Info (RS-INFO)
InterNIC Registration Services Talk (RS-TALK)
Uniform Resource Names
Nc-tlds -- Non-Commerical (Internet) Top Level Domains
Domain-Policy List
InterNIC Guardian Objects Discussion List
InterNIC Registration Services Info (RS-INFO)
InterNIC Registration Services Talk (RS-TALK)
Uniform Resource Names
Nc-tlds -- Non-Commerical (Internet) Top Level Domains
