IT.COM

Mistakes you made as a newbie

Spaceship Spaceship
Watch

Joseph David

Established Member
Impact
28
As a newbie in the domaining world. What mistakes have you made in regards to name registration or closing a deal or any other mistake you made generally. Let others learn from you.

The experts can also share some info, it will be appreciated.


- As for me I registered some crappy names. I hate seeing them in my portfolio.:shifty::shifty:
 
Last edited:
5
•••
The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
their upsales of "hey wanna add these 7 other extensions for only 50$ more
Had to laugh out loud at that. Now, people around me are like "What's wrong with her?"
 
3
•••
This is one of the mistakes I wish I had made sooner. I didn't know about Godaddy's 5 day grace period. Now, I'm not afraid to buy 100 domains in one day. I can get my money back within 4 days for the ones that turn out to be absolutely crappy.

Oh, I had them registered at Moniker. Had no idea what a Grace Period meant. Come to think of it, had no idea how I came to know of Moniker then. Also had no idea about Namepros whatsoever
 
Last edited:
0
•••
Not true. Those that talk about it being 'Purely' a numbers game are usually those that already have got caught up in over bloated portfolios or think they have made no sales because they don't have enough.

The basics are, you can have thousands of rubbish domains, where does that lead to a sale ??. You have to understand that the market you are selling into is 99% professional as either a business or a successful domainer. Having a basket of a thousand rotten apples does not make you an apple salesman. But having a small tray of ripe apples will.

You build on what is successful and that's Never bulk. Indeed You have to build your skills on buy-and-try but that doesn't require thousands of buys. Far too many here get over committed on a bad buying policy, then find themselves in too deep to acknowledge or even look for a way out. They tend to be the most vocal on here NP about everything they 'Think' they got right without wanting to face everything they've got wrong.

You'll soon spot them - They only know how to sing off one hymn sheet

Very interesting perspective. I'd like to read your thoughts on the business model of hugedomains.com that has over 300k domains in their inventory.
 
0
•••
0
•••
I don't count words or letters.

I know where to find them.

What do you mean by that? I was asking since I have a few such domains for sale. If interested, DM.
 
0
•••
Very interesting perspective. I'd like to read your thoughts on the business model of hugedomains.com that has over 300k domains in their inventory.

Ok A fair question from somebody new to domaining.

Their several major differences to take note of when comparing a very large player with a history of maintaining a large inventory. And equally the sales to support that model.

Perhaps the first thought you need to install in your mind by comparison is try to see yourself as lets say an enthusiast in an area of interest We also have to identify the majority of NP members as also purely enthusiasts, Yes we have our share of big players (several thousands of domains) But these players have built up a knowledge base usually over many years, likewise they have achieved a sales income to support that model.

Now lets come back to that enthusiasts model. So you strive to learn about domaining (and be successful) What measures do you have in place to assure yourself that you have achieved a level of knowledge to move forward. Yes of course you want to rival the big players, with number of sales under your belt. But your just stepping-out. Now with most Sales models we have controls and regulations then when you have achieved the basics We have the Market itself acting as regulator to your Unchecked enthusiasm. No Such controls in this world of domaining (except the market) So you go ahead and RENT those unlimited amount of assets (Yes domains are purely rented assets) You indeed had the financing in place for that first year of enthusiasm. Now lets hit the reality button - What knowledge have you built your thousands of purchases on. What skills have you acquired to operate and manage that inventory. The big players however have that history, skill, and management level

I could go on and on. Trust me domaining is not a Numbers game - particularly at your (and many other members) level. And even after 20 years I include myself these days
 
Last edited:
1
•••
Registering incorrect English words like "Softwares" "Nutritions" and more.

English is not my native language so it was a bit confusing for me.
 
1
•••
What do you mean by that?

I replied to the other person that not all of the 3 word .com's are worthless.
And I meant exactly that.

But I don't need yours.
 
Last edited:
1
•••
"Your domains are pigeon shit"
"Only invest in exact match keyword domains"
"Brandables suck"
"Research data metrics before you buy"
"Check traffic"
"Check alternate extensions"
"Check age"
"Radio test"
"Good domains never drop to registration fee level"

I took a couple of years, but I finally freed myself and my profit of all of this bad counsel from another era.

It's about the name, duh.
 
Last edited:
8
•••
Turned down an offer I should have accepted.
Bob

You aren't getting away that easy. :xf.grin: Pray, do tell and educate us at the same time.
 
2
•••
You aren't getting away that easy. :xf.grin: Pray, do tell and educate us at the same time.

How comes I didn't spot that ;) .

Come-on Bob I had to think long and hard how to explain the difference between the Big "successful" domainers and us small guys - be nice to delve into your experiences
 
Last edited:
0
•••
I started in 2010, and did fairly well for a newbie, in that I set studied what was selling, and had my first sale one month after I officially started (on Sedo, a .DE).

I set a few rules for myself, early on: 1) Don't buy anything you can't pronounce, 2) Don't buy anything that doesn't make sense, and 3) Ask, "Who (or what sort of business could possibly need this?"

I did make mistakes, though. My biggest mistakes were:

- Registering too many names that only had a few prospective buyers. (Rule #3 above). Back then, I'd see a handful of companies using similar terms, and think, "Maybe one of these 3-4 will be interested." Now I don't buy anything unless it's clearly a term people are searching for, and if there are at least 2-3 pages of competing companies that are actively advertising using the keywords, or sell/make products that are an exact match.

- "I'll launch a website about this someday." Easier said than done. The days of minisites are (mostly) over, and web development, if done properly, is time consuming. If you aren't interested in the subject matter, you'll be bored (I always think of Elliot Silver's story about TropicalBirds (dot) you-know-what. Back in the day, it had content on it). The point is: it's a lot easier to click and buy a domain than it is to build a quality site on it, and it's a dangerous way to accumulate too many names.

- Quality over quantity. Thankfully, I didn't get in TOO deep of a hole, but at my peak, I had 600 names. Now I'm at 300. It's much easier to manage.

The best way to keep from buying crappy names it to set rules for yourself, and study what's selling (on DNJournal, not just NP). Then buy names that are the same in length, quality, and extension to what's selling.
 
Last edited:
4
•••
Registered a lot of meaningless self created words.
 
0
•••
The current situation is that manually registered domain names are difficult to sell at high prices,
The current market value of 4L.COM is very low,
In the long run, 4L is a very good choice
 
0
•••
My most painful mistake was that I sold a name on auction and completed pushing, before checking on my email where someone had placed a higher price as a starter bid on the same domain.
 
Last edited:
1
•••
The biggest memorable mistake I made was registering quite a few geo service domains that included the word "Realtor"; only to find out the word is trademarked. After a few more years, I've also figured out that most real estate agents are very cheap when it comes to their own marketing. We live and learn......
 
4
•••
After a few more years, I've also figured out that most real estate agents are very cheap when it comes to their own marketing. We live and learn......[/QUOTE]


What do you mean by this cause am currently working on a real estate domain. Do you mind sharing more light o this?
 
0
•••
After a few more years, I've also figured out that most real estate agents are very cheap when it comes to their own marketing. We live and learn......


What do you mean by this cause am currently working on a real estate domain. Do you mind sharing more light o this?[/QUOTE]
It obviously doesn't apply to every real estate group, but in my experience the vast majority of the agents that I've spoken with in regards to domains seem to be operating on a minimal marketing budget. Now, that being said, I have had some success in selling real estate domains, but I've had other verticals perform much better.
 
1
•••
0
•••
What do you mean by this cause am currently working on a real estate domain. Do you mind sharing more light o this?
It obviously doesn't apply to every real estate group, but in my experience the vast majority of the agents that I've spoken with in regards to domains seem to be operating on a minimal marketing budget. Now, that being said, I have had some success in selling real estate domains, but I've had other verticals perform much better.[/QUOTE]

Hey lee, I know I'm probably a competitor in this, but would you mind sharing insights into how to crack the real estate market? I've got 2 domains (totally worth it, I promise) that I need to offload, but only at the right price;)
 
0
•••
Though I still consider my domain knowledge equivalent to a newbie, now I have a small portfolio of around 110 domains which doesn't make me feel bad. Some are good, some average, some below average. But the majority of them are saleable but when no one knows.

As a complete newbie, I wasted around $200 on hand reg. on my 2nd day of domaining. But luckily somehow I recovered that amount from this lot. I was surprised when I made a sale of .exchange extension. This was the 3rd name I registered & returned 50% of the amount I spent on the whole lot. Then I sold those names at wholesale price & reinvested in better names after reading this forum for the next 4-5 months. Repeated this again & again. All these 110+ are acquired from domains income only. No fresh capital. Now payment for one small retail sale of $200 is pending, expected to get credited today. Will get more names.

But still, a lot to learn!

Few points -
*Spend at least 3months learning on this forum before investing in your first domain

* stay away from hand reg for 1st year.

* Read & make notes for future reference.

*When you start hand registering names, don't register it immediately. Write the list & look at it at least 4-5 times within 2 or 3 days. If you still feel them worthy, go for it.

Your last point is totally on point! Sums it all up for newbies
 
1
•••
My biggest beginner's error was thinking that names I found to be funny or clever would have market value. This was not ever the case.

Like I recently registered TextAnEx.com:xf.frown: I hope my ex buys it!:xf.grin:
 
1
•••
I think my biggest mistake was getting too excited about small domain names that never went anywhere.
 
0
•••
10 years ago...
1. registered .com domain with 3 hyphens.
2. register .bz domain (as google treats it like .CO, worldwide targeted) but the site didn't show up worldwide.
3. registered .org domain for commercial use. Though it was highly ranked in google search results, not many leads were converted to sales.
 
1
•••
See this article,
I want to share my experience, about a few years ago,

My mistake
01. At that time, as a beginner, I saw a short domain name,
I don't know what an IDN domain name is. I saw a short domain name and I think it is very valuable.
I spent about $1,000 on the purchase. When I bought it on impulse, I found it was rubbish, no one asked for it, and the domain name I purchased finally seemed to have expired

02.
Through brokers, negotiate with people, help people buy good domain names,
Contact the domain name buyer to complete the transaction at a reasonable price,
However, the buyer changed his mind and eventually handed over the domain name to his own hands, causing losses.

Don’t buy domain names that are worthless and don’t understand

However, after continuous learning and experimentation, and some good luck, I finally made a little money in the domain name field :xf.smile:
 
1
•••
Back