Please share the best tip you feel comfortable sharing.
Start small
Most of the time, freshly registered names aren't worth much
Sell to end users, not domainers
Hopefully we can get a nice little list. If you want to expand on an idea you made, please do so out of your initial list; this will keep the thread looking clean as well as providing helpful info.
The enthusiasm many newbies feel leads them to register many below average names before they really have a good idea of what they're doing. Limit your registrations or hold back altogether until you've learned the attributes that make a domain valuable. Channel your enthusiasm into learning, not spending. They'll be plenty of time for spending later.
Don't expect to register a name one day and sell it the next.It's not that easy and it takes time....sometimes months or years to sell a name.
Start with what you know or are interested in.At least if you can't sell it,you can always develop it.
.5, Patience. It's a virtue, but also the key to surviving the domain game.
1, read the NamePros legal section FIRST! it's too easy to fall to the temptation of registering a name that actually is trademarked by someone else.
2, Either have a broad understanding of internet/domain dynamics or pick your niche(s) that you're well versed in. Why? Because in your area of expertise, you will know future developments, trends and product launches. This level of knowledge can give you a comfortable head start.
3, End User is KING!
4, Unfortunately, this industry is HIGHLY competitive. While NP has a great community, at the end of the day, everyone is striving to protect their interest, so don't expect anyone to share knowledge just because your name/NP ID is cute. (To this day i'm trying to figure out how some people are doing it: Spade, NameTrader, Yofie - just to name 3 that came to mind first...)
4.5, If you have "deeper" pockets, familiarize yourself with the Domain Auction Houses, such as Snapnames, TDNAM, Sedo, etc. and be on the lookout for drops - which is a science in itself....
5, PPC or Development. Never let your domains sit there and generate money for the likes of GoDaddy, etc. Once you own the domain, IMMEDIATELY park it until you get to develop it. While development should ALWAYS be the goal, there are some domains that are better being parked.
6, If you don't have these skills already, GET THEM! ASAP!! Which skills? Oh yeah, development (the evil word) ! It's vital, it's essential, it's your golden egg in the basket that you don't own just yet. Basic HTML, .php, JavaScript. Then there's the graphic aspect. Photoshop (Fireworks), Flash, etc. You don't have to be an expert, but you should be knowledegable to a certain extent, it's going to make your life easier.
6.5; You do have options then: Own domains for PPC. Develop domains for the long term. Buy undervalued sites and spruce them up for flipping. No one said that Flipping is restricted to Real Estate.
7, The most convenient solution for domainers: Domain Tasting. There's quite some controversy about this topic, I for one absolutely am in 100% favor of this practice. Make use of it with every domain you register. Some registrars are charging a small fee for tasting, which in the end will still save you tons of money. Register > Park: you realize that the domain you registered is insufficient in self support through parking > cancel the domain.
8, Network. Network and while you're at it, Network some more. It's all about who you know, how well established you are, your reputation, honesty, ethics, etc.
9, Read first, then ask. While new domainers are quickly forgiven when they ask redundant questions or questions that have been answered a billion times, nothing is more questionable than seeing the same question 10 times when the answer is sitting in the thread that's just one click away. If you read the threads and the answer is still not clear -> Ask as much as you can. Contradictory? Not really. Just Read > Then ask
and the final #10, Be Persistent. Domaining as opposed to Stock Trading is not a business of dynamic. It's asking for a steady hand with sometimes long term vision.
That's my 10cents of domainer's knowledge. I should adhere to most of these points myself. But as always, it's easier to preach than to actually do.
if a friend or news article somehow gave you the impression that this is quick and easy - it's not. don't buy hundreds of domains in your first month because i can guarantee that you'll regret it and become frustrated.
even if your main thing is domaining, try to learn the basics of everything, from hosting to html, and search engines to social networking.
Start your own blog on a subject of interest to you and other people (using a free blog site like blogger.com), and reg a cool domain to point to it. Visit other blogs to see how they monetize them. Try to post something every day or every few days.
Register domains for words and word combos that people are already searching for. Use keyworddiscovery.com or wordtracker.com free versions to check word/term popularity, and google searches with " " on the term.
Don't go crazy regging, remember in a year's time you'll have to pay to renew the domain, so keep a budget in mind.
Check dnjournal.com for weekly sales report to see what domains people are buying, and how much they are paying.
This is a great tip! I'd never thought of that. I registered a domain name and started my own blog on it but since I can't really afford a proper web hosting, I used the registrar's free web hosting instead. The thing is I find their advertisement on my site kinda annoying and I have to develop it from scratch. This will elimenate both problem. Thanks!
I would love to see this thread in the Sale Category, maybe entitled BEFORE YOU TRY SELLING DOMAINS IF YOUR A NEWBIE!
I went strait to the sell section, because there were so many categories and I was interesting in selling. It's been a week and I've just now stumbled on this thread..which is fantastic! Way to go Intel...you've helped me a LOT as did follow up posts! THANKS!
__________________
Signatures are limited to 4 lines. Thanks. ~M.
Without question, this is the best advice to live by if your a newbie. I sure wish I would have read this thread before I registered 50 domain names in the first week! I would have saved myself a pretty penny.
I've now learned to calm down and think rationally. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Don't just buy a name because you think it sounds cool. Cool sounding names don't guarrantee success in this business. Also, try to register names that have a high CPC rate. I get some traffic on a few of my domain names but only cash in on .5 per click. Believe me, that's not good!!
I wish everyone the best of luck. After my rough start, I sure could use some of that luck myself.
Buy Generics. Search results per day is an excellent metric to qualify what is a generic.
Sell excess inventory immediately at cost+ when not monetize-able. Longer reg periods left get higher value from resellers than expiring soon domains. Not every domain is end user material and even if it is, maybe you can't reach that user...so sell for whatever profit you can make, its a lot better than taking a loss on it eventually.
Always have a cash flow surplus as you grow your inventory and NEVER EVER consolidate renewals, getting your entire portfolio to renew at one time can potentially put you out of business.
If this is the first time you have seen this little phrase, then you have not done enough reading. If you have seen it at lesat 10 times, then you are on the right track. As emphasized, read and learn. Not just about TMs, but domaining in general. Many different subjects are covered from legals, to PPC, to auctions to developing to much much more.
DO NOT have a knee jerk reaction if you receive a C&D. Be logical and think the situation out. If they have a case, be careful on how you proceed.
Another tip, do not take domaining or NP personally. You will be called a cybersquatter, a lowlife, a leach on society from outsiders. You will be taken to task on this board if we feel you crossed a line. Speaking for myself, I will be blunt at times. It is not to be mean spirited, but it is to drive home a point. If someone posts and it shows bad faith, I will call you a cybersquatter. If you don't like it, learn why I did. We usually list why we feel that way.
Be receptive to other's opinions. Sometimes it can get heated around here, but we all have the same goal, to raise the reputation of the domaining community.
Read UDRPs. If someone links a decision, read that decision and learn the process and see how conclusions are made. These are the end line (usually) for domain disputes. This is where we get most of out opinions.
HAVE FUN!!!! This is an aspect of domaining that is sometimes missed. I love the business and had a great time buying and selling. Stay with what you know.
__________________ www.DNQuest.com Free 8.95 reseller account. Track emails you send, PM me. NEW TO DOMAINS? Please, before you post, type in "trademark" in the NamePros.com search box & read for a week. Then type in "tm", read threads you may have missed. Then type in "celebs" & "fan sites", read some more. You'll cover almost any questions you might have about trademarks. Saves time, money & headaches.
Hello Everyone,
I was surfing the web and came across this site. I am new to this and wanted to ask which site you would suggest I look at for typos and where should I save them? I have used the typo feature on DomainTools.com and it seems to work very well.
If I save the domain on that site do you know if there is any additional charge to put a landing page up? Where would you guys and gals save the names for the best value. I am going to save several hundred names and I want to make sure I do it at the right site.
I have to say, I am a little confused by the mixed attitudes towards TMs and typos. I have read in the parking threads from people who claim to be making lots of money from TM and typos, and other people responding with kudos towards this income. But elsewhere people are telling newbies, in no uncertain terms, to steer clear of them.
What's a newbies, like me, to do then? I am sure most people are in this for the money, and if there is money in TM's and typos....?
1) If you believe that you have found the opportunity to hand reg a gem of a .com, ask yourself why no one else has thought of this name, or why was the name allowed to expire and pass by all the people who instantly pick up the drops. Odds are the name isn't near as good as you believe.
2) Perform advanced google searches where your term is only to appear in the url.
3) Perform advanced google searches where your term is only to appear in the url and then if you notice a single web site appears often, perform the same search excluding that individual site. Use overture often to see how many people search for that term.
I have seen a term go from 66000 returns on google, then to only 8 returns where the term is found only in the url and then down to only 5 returns when you omit the repeating web site from the url search.
Once you do that, you will see why the term has never been registered by anyone.
4) Understand that there are millions of 5 letter domains and many of them sound just as cool as yours.
5) IMHO, you will not get rich quick...rather you will lose money quick if you do not look at domaining as a long term investment.
6) If you are new, avoid brandable names unless you are selling to end users or you are developing names. You will be astounded that no one wants to buy your amazing two word name for even $12, let alone for $7.
7) Understand that domaining is a massive industry, with the best names generally going to the biggest players, with computer programs that have an edge in picking up dropped names for big domaining companies.
8) Understand that all of the good generic dot coms are gone....they have been gone for years.
9) Understand that even having a fantastic generic namen in a different tld is no guarantee of success. Seach the term 'anime' on google, wow, 167 million returns. NOW:
Head over to sedo, and take a look at how many unsold domains with the sole name ' anime' are for sale....18.... of them... there are no instant riches in domaining.... even with a golden generic name.
10) Ask yourself very seriously if in the long term you will be able to make more money investing in a mutual fund or simply putting your money in a high interest savings account.....do not spend what you can't afford to lose.
The opportunity for hand regging an undeveloped dot com and expecting to sell it for huge profit, is long gone.
There are no instant riches in domaining....end of story.
Hard work, patience, determination and realistic expectation of what you are likely to achieve is what will keep you enjoying domaining and hopefully making a profit on your investment.
Head over to appraisals board, some people register the worst names you could ever imagine and then get so upset when they find out that there name is worth less than the reg fee.
Some peoples expectations are way too high in the domain name registration world.
I hope my post stops one person from registering something like buyreallycheappropertyindubai.com.
There is lots of opportunity but there is no easy money in domaining.
Word of Advice Thread 
Saving Domains????? 
