Eclipse Domain Services Library

You have decided to start your own business online and you want to start advertising and getting potential customers to your site. Imagine being able to run your business 24 hours a day 7 days a week and never leave your house to do so.

Running a business online can be very profitable if you have the correct domain name for your business.

You don’t want to mislead your customers by advertising something that you don’t sell to get them into your store. This can lead to trouble and you dont need that.

When you choose your domain name you may want to consider your most popular item that you will be offering and see if you can add that into your domain name.

Like if you have the name “Pens R Us” chances are your customers will know that you are selling pens, paper, and office supplies. When they need to order they can click on your site to choose from the many varieties that you carry. They may even be able to get their company logo on the pens when they order.

This is a great way to add your business product into your domain name.

If you are selling pens and office supplies and you choose a domain name such as “Paper Products”, this covers a lot of general ground and may not attract the potential customers that you would have attracted if you had used “Pens R Us”.

You need to try to be specific on your domain name in order to get it right. Your name sometimes says it all and it is all that someone will see. Choose a name that is important to your business and you will be a success.

When it comes to domain names, don’t think that you only need to worry about the ones that you registered. This is because with the phenomenon of cybersquatting, domain names that are similar to your company’s trademark could be registered to unscrupulous webmasters, intending to use them in bad faith. What happens is once the cybersquatter has gotten sales or Adsense clicks from their domain name, they will try to sell it to the original entity holding the trademark. When things get to this point, the price is significantly higher, sometimes even thousands of dollars. This is despite the fact that the individual or organization buying the domain name originally had the rights to it in the first place.

So, how does a company protect themselves from cybersquatting? Well, first they need to be aware of whether or not domain names related to their trademark are being registered and used in bad faith. The best way to do this is to sign up for Google Alerts. This is a service that allows individuals or organizations to track any websites, comments, articles, etc. that are being made about their website or brand.

If they receive an alert that shows a domain name that is similar to their trademark, they could be dealing with a potential cybersquatter. The keyword of course is ‘potential.’ The person may not have any intention on selling the domain name back, though they are still using it in an illegal manner.

Either way, website owners can exercise their right to an arbitration proceeding if they found their trademark has been used in bad faith. The type of arbitration proceeding that is the most common for domain name disputes is called Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. This process can allow disputes to be settled out of court through an ICANN-approved UDRP provider. The decisions made through the UDRP panel are legally binding, though they can be challenged in a traditional courtroom if either party thinks things are unfair.

Another way companies can avoid cybersquatting is by trying as best they can to register any domain names relating to their trademark. This would include obvious derivatives where their whole trademark is included, as well as more creative derivatives where only a part of the trademark is used. If a company finds they are having difficulties coming up with different domain name combinations on their own, they can use a domain name generator. They should use both automated domain name generators as well as those in which a human comes up with the different combinations. In either case they need to think of combinations for all types of extensions, even free ones such as .tk or .co.nr.

In conclusion, no one should have to succumb to a cybersquatter. Too much money and work goes into building a brand to have to spend thousands to a shady webmaster. Instead, website owners should be aware of how their trademark is being used. If there is a problem they can consider a UDRP proceeding. In the meantime they need to try to get as many domain names containing their trademark as possible, so cybersquatters won’t have an opportunity to do their dirty work.

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Domains that have been registered and never dropped are called “Aged Domains”.

These domains normally sell for more than a new one because they have been around for a while. They’re usually out of the Google Sandbox and for those who are looking for aged domains with a history, it can help them make a living online or raise credibility in their niche markets simply because if the domain has been around for years, it appears that they have as well.

Aged domains can also be found on forums like DNForum.com and simply by typing in the keywords “Aged Domains” into the search bar you can easily locate domain auctions that include these older domain names.

I have purchased dozens of domain names for $40 or less that were anywhere from 5 – 10 years old. Just based on the age alone I was able to flip these domain names for over 5x what I paid.

For instance, one domain name I purchased was never used, meaning it had never featured a website on it. It just sat parked in the users account for over six years.

I purchased the domain for only $30.00 and because of its age, I was able to flip it for $379.00.

That’s quite a boost in profit from a domain I paid so little for.

While there is no exact science on how to flip domains here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Development Potential

When you analyze the availability of domains in your list, consider what each domain name could represent and be used for when creating a website presence.

An example of which is whether the domain name is one that could represent a product title or better serve as a personal portfolio, a social community, a directory or perhaps a forum.

While it is unlikely that the purpose of the domain name will match your ideas when it is sold, thinking of a clear purpose for each domain name will not only help you make sound choices during the selection process, but it can also be included in a domain auction as a way of passing on ideas to prospective buyers.

2) Length

It cannot be said enough – most of the domain names you purchase should be relatively short, basically consisting of two words.

3) Trademark Issues

Avoid registering any domain names that could infringe upon the trademark of existing companies. Whether or not you believe that the company will take action shouldn’t be considered.

The last thing you want is to purchase a domain name that is unable to be sold due to buyers being cautious or concerned of building a website on a domain that ends up being seized by a company wishing to protect their identity.

4) Relevant / Popular Keywords

Does the domain name contain popular keywords that are used by those seeking out more information in search engines? If so, your domain name just increased its value instantly.

One of the easiest ways to determine whether a keyword is a common one is by using the free service available at www.SEOBook.com or Keyword Discovery.

5) Existing Traffic

If you are purchasing aged or recently expired domains, you will want to determine whether there is existing traffic to the website or not, thus increasing its value immensely.

Organic, natural traffic sent directly from search engines is the best kind, however, back links from other websites are also very important to potential buyers.

An easy way to determine the number of backlinks as well as page rank and other important information is by visiting www.CheckPageRank.net where you can enter in domain names and retrieve useful data relating to the name itself.

When it’s time to register your domain names, you can use any registrar that you wish.

Personally, I use www.TLDwebshop.com, a favorite among domain buyers and sellers. Regardless of the registrar you choose, you will want to make sure that you park them on service sites such as www.Afternic.com or www.Sedo.com so that you are able to generate revenue while you are preparing to sell the domain itself.

6) Spelling

Is the domain name easy to remember? If your customer purchases the domain and builds a business with this name, will he be able to easily brand it?

For example, domain names with double letters in them such as www.cashhour.com may often be mistaken for www.cashour.com. Keep in mind that domains with odd spellings, hyphens or numbers would have to be clearly spelled out, or explained, when someone is attempting to promote their website through word of mouth, rather than in print.

Consider this when registering domain names and make sure that the names you choose will not be mistaken or misspelled by potential customers of yours or the person purchasing it from you who will experience a significant loss in perceived value.

When choosing your domain names, there will be many factors that come into play – the type of audience you are offering to, the auction sites you are featuring them on, the price range you are expecting and so on.

There is no ‘one way’ to do this, and you will need to learn to become a better domain evaluator (and purchaser) through hands on experience. Using the guidelines above, however, will help you maximize your efforts and minimize your costs (and losses).

Have Questions About Domain Names or Hosting Plans?
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