150 Domain tips

[IconPacks]

Hi guys,

Thought it would be interesting to create a thread where everyone contributes a few tips to make a Top 150 domain tips list. Just general snippets of advice/knowledge that might prove useful to other domainers/developers out there. If we get over 150 tips I'll update the thread title.
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Rules
- only 1 sentence per tip.
- must relate to domain names (buying/selling/development etc...)
- tips not facts, so can be opinions.
- no duplicates.

I'll start, with 5 from me.
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1) Create brandable domains by replacing the first letter(s) of a common word.

2) Don't start work developing an idea around a domain that you don't yet own thinking you can grab it when you're ready!

3) Don't use hyphens in the domain if you can help it.

4) Does the domain look good in upper and lower case?

5) Say the domain out loud before registering it, is it easily pronounceable over the phone?

 

[1901gt]

104) Invest in .info! They will become big in the near future!

 

[RJ]

105) Domain name conference events are a great place to learn more about the insides of the domain industry and network with other domain owners and businesses. DomainFest: www.domainfest.com Domain Roundtable: www.domainroundtable.com TRAFFIC: www.targetedtraffic.com

 

[IconPacks]

106) Check for the readability of a domain (e.g coollinks isn't as easy to read as coolsites) Also check if the first word could be perceived as overrunning into the second - e.g. gamershell (gamers hell? gamer shell?).

107) Try and avoid domains with negative connotations. (e.g. SlowPay, DownHost etc...)

108) If you can't get the noun (e.g fish), look for the plural (fishes), or other word combinations; fished, fishing, fisher, fishy etc...

 

[IconPacks]

Come on guys, more tips! Read over what we have, and then think up a few more unique ones... we can hit 150

109) For beginners; don't be fooled into thinking you have to register your domains with your web host, it's advisable to keep your domains and your hosting separate.

110) Use a Thesaurus to help come up with additional words.

111) If you are developing a number of domains on your own reseller hosting account, it is usually a good idea to add whois protection to your nameserver domain. (n1.xxxxxx.com)

112) Watch out for alternative spellings UK/US (e.g. ise vs. ize)

 

[Web Master]

This valuable thread should be Stickied!

 

[End User King]

RULE NO. 113

Whenever I solicit an end-user with a similar domain, I
always use their domain name without ext in the subject line,
I always get a response this way...." How Much? ", " No Thanks! ".

Example, I own NewLaptops(.net), I contact the owner of the .org, info, even com
and I place in the subject line NewLaptops or New Laptops.

I dont know why the boost in response, but I attribute it to the end
user thinking maybe their domain has expired, is in violation of Trademarks,
or is an offer to " buy their domain ".


Nurca (Calvin)

 

[bliss]

114) Most forum thread domain sale topics that start with "Some Great Domain Names", "Sweet Names", "etc". Often are the opposite.

115) Use a RSS reader to pull different popular forum domain sales areas into one easy to read place.


//So close to 150..

 

[Jackie]

116) Avoid registering unnecessary Top Level Domain names. Often, a subdomain of a domain name you already own makes much more sense. For example, if you needed a distinct section of Press Releases for Example Company. If you already own example.com, why register examplepress.com when you can easily create a subdomain like press.example.com for this purpose. Remember the domain name system is hierarchical, and you can create in theory an unlimited amount of X.yourdomain.com subdomains without registration fees. This will definitely save you money in registration and renewal fees, and if you are thinking of just letting the examplepress.com domain drop when you don't need it anymore, somebody could pick up that domain and put undesirable content there, possibly damaging your reputation. If you had created a press.example.com subdomain, then all you would have to do is keep up with the renewal of your example.com domain.

117) If you are evaluating the search results of a multi word/part domain, searching for the exact phrase will give you more realistic figures. If you are evaluating the search performance of "carwash.com", then you would search the phrase "car wash" (including the quotes) rather than without the quotes. With the quotes, the search engine searches for the entire phrase within webpages (yielding a more accurate indicator). Without, the search engine searches for either of the words "car" and "wash" in webpages (yielding an inflated amounts of results). This should be standard behavior among major search engines such as Google and Yahoo.

Now, why stop at 150 tips in this useful thread? Onward and upward I say!

 

[End User King]

My next tips are somewhat in opposition of these two... (#67 on the thread) Use Whois name protection to hide your contact details from the world, otherwise it's available as public info. (#70 on the thread) When you are expecting domains to drop, check their availability at more than one registrar. While some show a domain as still taken, others may be showing it as available!

85) If your reason for registering a particular domain is to sell it, then make sure your who-is info is accurate and up to date, so buyers can contact you quickly and easily.

86) Check domains with DN Analyzer. If a name shows as taken, go to whois.net and confirm that it actually is. Using several registrars to check for available names will result in the name being stolen by a registrar, a taster or a squatter.

I'm sorry, but Dn Analyzer seems to be a parked page. Not cool :hehe:

 

[IconPacks]

118) When registering a domain with a number in it (number5.com) see if you can grab similar sounding domains as well (numberfive.com) and possibly num5.com and numfive.com.

119) Try and register domains made up of common phrases or saying (youneverknow.com, whydidyoudoit.com, giveitago.com).

 

[briman1970]

I'm sorry, but Dn Analyzer seems to be a parked page. Not cool :hehe:

You can download it here... http://www.download.com/Domain-Name-Analyzer-Generator/3000-2381_4-10306477.html

 

[Jackie]

120) Consider using an escrow service, especially when conducting transactions of a high value. When using an escrow service, the escrow company will act as a middle man for the transaction. The buyer will first pay the escrow company, then the seller should ship the goods (domain name). Once the buyer has confirmed that he/she has received the goods, the escrow company will pay the seller. If the seller fails to ship the goods, then the buyer will receive his/her money back from the escrow company. This helps to ensure for a smooth transaction and helps to prevent either party from being scammed. But there is a price for this convenience. Usually, the escrow company will charge a percentage of the transaction value as a transaction fee. The buyer and seller must agree prior to the transaction as to which party is responsible to pay this "escrow fee".

 

[IconPacks]

edjackiel thanks for your tips, please try and keep them as short as possible though

Here are some more from me;

121) If you own a lot of domains and have catch-all email setup on them you may be getting a lot of spam, consider turning off catch-all and have just one email address per domain (info or sales @xxxxxxx.com) redirect back to your primary email address.

122) Some domain registrars will give you a personal renewal code which can save you some money (~$1 off/domain) if you are renewing a lot of domains.

123) For commercial domains it is recommended to keep your domain name relevant to your content (don't sell skis at petfood.com for example), if a potential customer can tell what you likely sell just from looking at your domain name that's a great start.

124) Reply to anything you consider is a genuine bid on your domain name, even if it is a lot lower than you expected you can always counter with a higher offer and start a dialogue with the buyer.

125) Play this Domain Name Appraisal Game - you have to guess the sale price on 10 domains in a row, you get graded at the end and get to see the actual price the domain sold for. Playing this simple game for an hour can improve your knowledge of what domains are worth and what they can sell for.

 

[ofclean]

126) If an extension has tons of short, premium names available, that's probably because there is no demand for them.

 

[IconPacks]

127) Watch out for registrars that offer unofficial domain extensions. (e.g .shop, .xxx, .cool) these names only work with certain ISPs otherwise users need to install a 3rd party browser plug-in to see the domains.

128) Keep a watch list of potential names you are considering buying.

129) If you are unsure of a domain (especially potentially brand able ones) ask trusted friends and family on their opinion of the name(s).

 

[faisj]

130: Don't rely on organisations like greatdomains.com they only provide there opinion,
they are not screened by anyone for there work and they can't say what is a Premium Domain. You always judge a domain yourself or ask multiple opinions like here at NamePros.com
131: See The PPC Parking Guide.com for information (and signup) at PPC Parking Programs
http://www.theppcparkingguide.com/

 

[gazzip]

Bump......almost there ! :blink:

132) research your domains keyword/s in Google news, it may help to give you an idea of the potential endusers that may be interested in it.

Added > Google News Alert is handy for this, just put in your keywords !


.

 

[trlg]

86) Check domains with DN Analyzer. If a name shows as taken, go to whois.net and confirm that it actually is. Using several registrars to check for available names will result in the name being stolen by a registrar, a taster or a squatter.

sorry, but i fail to see the logic in this. Is there any special reason for trusting in (the owner of) whois.net to not do the same above any other registrar (you're saying that "Using several registrars to check for available names will result in the name being stolen by a registrar, a taster or a squatter.")? After all, whois.net is also owned by a commerical entity, verio.net. You're assuming that u can trust verio.net here? (i'm not saying u can't, btw, but... this definitely seems to be the assumption here).

 

[Dotmainer]

7) Don't register domains while under the influance of drugs or alcohol. (just say no)
8) Keep the domain length down don't over do it. On Average get 10 char domains.
9) Keep the word count down in the domain name. 3 is pushing it, 4 is overboard.


these tips are copyright to me, any use of these tips will require royties to be paid in full before use, any reproduction of these tips will be meet by a fireing line, where you will get a choice of smoking for the last time before you are shot dead. haha j/k

7) -> why not ? i dont see this as tip !

104) Invest in .info! They will become big in the near future!

104) -> this is not tip because go into .mobi section and they tell you .mobis will become big, and in .tv-section same, some others tell you just to register .com's

 

[godolphin]

133) Have a look at related keyword sales at dnsaleprice.com before registering, buying or selling domains. You will be able to gauge the demand for a particular keyword in the aftermarket and determine a ball park price for your domain name.

134) In your signature at Domain Forums list select names for sale, it does help sometimes, of course quality of the name matters too.

 

[SharonTucci]

Sharing some tips

Hey guys..... After reading the financial success thread, I thought it might be a nice idea if people who have been around domains for a bit took a minute or two or three to share one or more tips.

I'll get the ball rolling and hopefully others will chime in

Try and not be a jack of all trades when it comes to domains unless you have incredibly deep pockets to begin with. Try focusing instead on a few areas. Ones you can learn about inside and out. This makes it easier to get SOME kind of momentum going, to maximize sales opportunities, to maximize monetization possibilities, to be able to spot good deals on the acquisition side, to be able to purchase domains at a fair price that you can make an immediate profit on because you know how to best monetize or you have the benefit of volume.

 

[Spade]

My best tip would be to read read read.... If you dont know the newest and latest news or sales information, you dont know whats hot... you wont know what kind of domains to attack and you'll find your always one step behind everyone else... Try to have the forsight to see whats ahead and beat your fellow domainers to it...

 

[MinionDH]

*Focus on cashflow*

Instead of buying hundreds of names at reg fee - buy 1 solid generic name with traffic (preferably .com - be sure to avoid TMs). Park the name, save the monthly revenue, and then use the money to buy another name with traffic. If you sell the occasional domain, again, use the money to buy another name with traffic. Keep repeating and you will have solid portfolio and steady income.

"Follow the traffic. Follow the money" -Frank Schilling

 

[Damion]

A good tip i picked up in another thread a while back:

Try to spread your renewal dates as much as you can, it sucks to let domains go that you don't want to let go simply because the total of renewals in one month is to much to cope with.

 

[paxton]

Try to get the highest possible rev share from your PPC providers. Sometimes all you have to do is contact your account manager and ask politely. Other times you can "negotiate" a higher bonus for parking revenues by promising to move revenue domains that are currently parked at a competitor.

It doesn't hurt to ask, and you could find yourself making anwhere from 10% to 40% more revenue each month simply by inquiring about an upgrade.