Keep your domains organized

[BarryR]

Hi all,

I am fairly new in domaining, I like it a lot. Not only it can deliver some good money (I have made a few thousands this year), but more the fact of "looking and searching". Like walking around with a metal detector to find precious/historical stuff. Anyway I am getting off the path... My question:

How do you manage your domains? You use an app or just excel? You put on every domain a potential value or business idea... Etc. Can you show some examples?

 

[Willox Perez]

Congrats on the early success and glad to hear you are liking domaining. This is a very good question since it is so important to start organized in this business. The more domains you continue to get the more disorganized it will become if you do not set a foundation.

There are some software type of services out there that help you keep your domains organized but I am not too familiar with them as I take the approach of using Google Docs and keeping track this way. I run the business with my partner so having everything on Google docs helps us both have access to it and the ability for both of us to make changes.

We have multiple excel documents that help us keep track of all our investments over time an activities.

#1 In the first excel doc we include the price we bought the domain at, where we got it from, at what registrar is it currently, the date we purchased it. Then we have a section of the potential profit we want to make from it in the following order: 10x, 20x, 50x (basically that number times our initial investment). We keep track of when the domain sold as well.

#2 Another excel document we have is a daily accountability one in which we keep track of our daily activities and at the end of the week we see what we got done or if we were lazy and did not do anything. (THIS ONE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT)

#3 I have an excel that lets me keep track of my outbound marketing when it comes to reaching out to end users and selling domains privately to them. I include the site, email, name and date when I sent the email so I can then follow up. (This has been working ok but it is time consuming so we are going to look into the following tool that James from NamePros mentioned, I suggest you check this out. Awesome to organize your emails and following up --> https://www.namepros.com/blog/this-gmail-plugin-can-improve-your-outbound-domain-sales.908430/)

So this should give you an idea of possible ways to get organized. We don't have any samples of the excels right now but I will talk to my partner and see what we can come up with.

- Will

 

[DaveX]

I use Excel because I can upload directly to my website.

 

[Shams]

Very Well Guys. compare to all of you. I'm the lazy one and I'm using efty to manage all my domains data. It's easy as a point of accountability and domain management. Efty also provides many great features such as landing pages and domain store.Efty's latest integration with escrow makes it more valuable to domainers and as well as to the buyers.

 

[BarryR]

Congrats on the early success and glad to hear you are liking domaining. This is a very good question since it is so important to start organized in this business. The more domains you continue to get the more disorganized it will become if you do not set a foundation.

There are some software type of services out there that help you keep your domains organized but I am not too familiar with them as I take the approach of using Google Docs and keeping track this way. I run the business with my partner so having everything on Google docs helps us both have access to it and the ability for both of us to make changes.

We have multiple excel documents that help us keep track of all our investments over time an activities.

#1 In the first excel doc we include the price we bought the domain at, where we got it from, at what registrar is it currently, the date we purchased it. Then we have a section of the potential profit we want to make from it in the following order: 10x, 20x, 50x (basically that number times our initial investment). We keep track of when the domain sold as well.

#2 Another excel document we have is a daily accountability one in which we keep track of our daily activities and at the end of the week we see what we got done or if we were lazy and did not do anything. (THIS ONE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT)

#3 I have an excel that lets me keep track of my outbound marketing when it comes to reaching out to end users and selling domains privately to them. I include the site, email, name and date when I sent the email so I can then follow up. (This has been working ok but it is time consuming so we are going to look into the following tool that James from NamePros mentioned, I suggest you check this out. Awesome to organize your emails and following up --> https://www.namepros.com/blog/this-gmail-plugin-can-improve-your-outbound-domain-sales.908430/)

So this should give you an idea of possible ways to get organized. We don't have any samples of the excels right now but I will talk to my partner and see what we can come up with.

- Will

Thanks! some good advice!

 

[Kate]

Excel (or LibreOffice ) can be enough unless you have complex needs or a large portfolio.
You just need a few columns: domain name, registration date (optional), expiration/anniversary date, registrar, and a few notes.
As always, make sure you have backups.

A DB (Access or something else) is even better. A simple front-end with a few forms will get the job done in an efficient manner. Automate as much as you can.

Try to consolidate with a few registrars if possible. I acquire domains from different sources, so I maintain accounts with most mainstream registrars. But I always transfer out to my preferred registrar(s).

Updating my records is very quick, maybe 30 seconds/day on average.
What takes time is to log in to each registrar, select the names to be renewed, make payment, wait for confirmation. So it's better not to have domains scattered across dozens of different registrars for that reason.

I am bit wary of third party sites like Efty because of privacy considerations.

What is crucial is to keep track of names coming up for renewal. You will not always get the reminders from your registrar, trapped as spam or whatever. So you just cannot rely on them.
Bottom line: Always keep an up to date inventory.

There is another benefit too: when you begin treating your domains like real assets, you have a better overview of what you're spending, and you're earning. if you don't do that, how do you know where to cut costs or whether you are really making a profit at all ?

 

[itsmeyall]

I like one app in the play store you can put your names and easily see which one due soon
And i keep two lists the reject mistake pile. And the gem pile if i calculate all the fees associated w
ith renewals for portfolio and have that ammount already submitted in your account then dived that total by 52 weeks you have one year ready and waiting and each week add the divided amount then youll always be two year ahead for the ones your hoping to hold not near big a sticker shock when prepare in increments for me

 

[BarryR]

I see a lot of people talking about renewing their domains. But I have never ever done that. Is it not normal to automatically renew your domains?

 

[itsmeyall]

I see a lot of people talking about renewing their domains. But I have never ever done that. Is it not normal to automatically renew your domains?

Its normal to automatically renew domains if you always have cusion in your attached pot but for me i dont have it like that! An automatic renewal can be a painful surprise if your budget is in balancing act mode, which mine usually is 'fraid to admit!

 

[mhdoc]

I have started using Scrivener to track my domains and websites. It is marketed as a tool for authors and has a reputation for being hard to learn. However, it lets me track all sorts of things in a very free form way.

I do a lot of developing so besides the obvious domainer information I like to track hosting, DNS settings, content, etc.

 

[Domain Lead Finder]

Look at my sig, open a free account and you can import your portfolio and track it.

 

[Nerevar]

I am now using Efty.com in addition to an excel document.

 

[JamesCrew]

I was using a single Excel sheet for managing my domains but last year (in 2015) I made it a little more easier for myself to keep track of my domains. So I created another Excel sheet which now has all of my "current domains I own".

The old Excel sheet is now serving as a Master file which has all the record of my previous domains I have ever purchased (current active domains + domains that have been expired).

In the new sheet, when there is an expired domain, I simply delete the row, but in the Master file, I mark it as an expired domain that I don't own anymore. This way, I can know what domain I used to own and in which year.

All you need to do is create Six Columns in Excel:

S. No. | Domain Name | Purchase Date | Expiry Date | Remarks | Pricing

PS: When one or few of my domains are about to expire in a three-months time, I simply mark them in RED color so that I can renew them before they get out of my hands.

Hope it helps.

 

[indiegrind]

Efty is what I use for domain management,

I set up a business bank account which i pay and deposit all domaining related profits and expenditures from and have it linked to WaveApp for accounting and invoicing.

 

[mehreenshaikh]

Hello Dear

- Like strolling around with a metal locator to discover valuable/authentic stuff.
- You utilize an application or simply exceed expectations.
- I utilize exceed expectations in light of the fact that i can transfer specifically to my site.

 

[Branded Domains]

I am old school still use notepad to organize all my domains