New to the world of domaining

[nickyfs]

Hi to all Namepros,

I'm Nicky and as you might reckon, pretty new to world of domaining.

Being the owner of a medium sized web / digital agency I've finally decided to make the big leap and give domaining a shot. Since I didn't want to make a overall large investment in this risky market I've decided to start fairly small and registered an average of 25 new domains but not without making a little bit of research first. I've read through this forum which was quite helpful and consulted a few other resources but I still got a couple of questions. I'd be very grateful if someone could help me out here.

As mentioned above I made a preliminary research before purchasing the actual domains, so I used the Google Keyword tool to check on Global monthly searches and EstiBot where most of my domains turn out in a range of 130 to 800 USD. (I've also tried SeDo and Godaddy's appraisal tools but numbers differ quite a bit from tool to tool).

Shortly after there came the question on where to publish/ park these domains and I've opted for Afternic. My domains have been there now for about 2 weeks and I got a total of 20 clicks and about 1300 views according to the dashboard's statistics.

Since we are talking new domains here (none of them have been ever registered previously) I reckon that I am not yet eligible to list these on the premium network due to domains being "too fresh" and need to be registered at least for 60 days + but which is absolutely fine with me ( I did not expect to make money out of them over night ) however my main question is if parking is really the best way to increase these domains value, or if I should eventually switch over and build so called "micro-sites" out of them?

Some expert advise would be truly appreciated.

Thank you very much and best regards,
Nicky

 

[Kate]

Welcome to the forum.
My suggestion: do not rely on automated appraisal ever.
Instead, look at reported sales and see what kinds of domains (and extensions) are in demand.

The fact that your domains have never been registered before is not a good sign. You can still get lucky and sell one domain but you'll probably be paying something like $400 just in renewal fees every year for the rest. Consider developing at least a few.

Parking is useless for domains that have no traffic, the vast majority of domains don't really qualify.
Also, I want to stress that bad domains don't become good domains just with age. You can keep them for 10 years and nobody will even look at them. The vast majority of domains are "'bad" because they will never sell, on the other hand any domain can be "developed". But if you are expecting to make sales, set the bar high and remember quality > quantity.
Good luck

 

[Jurgen Wolf]

Weekly reports for you: http://dnjournal.com/domainsales.htm

 

[Name Trader]

Welcome to NamePros, Nicky.

As sdsinc is telling you. Automated valuations are pretty much worthless. The only thing that matters is how much a buyer wants your domain and is willing to pay for it

Are you sure your domains have never been registered before? Domains which have never been registered don't usually get any traffic. But your seem to have some traffic. You should check all your domains at the WayBack Machine on Archive.org, to see if they have had websites in the past. Also check out DomainTools.com and enter your domains in the box on the top right, and click on the drop down box ans selecy Whois History,

The absolutely best way to increase a domains value is to develop it into a real website. Putting up a micro-site will help a bit, but not a lot, in increasing a domains value. A micro site could also be just a for sale page where a visitor had the possibility to email you with any interest in the domain. Although I haven't had much success with for sale pages, they are quite a good way to handle the targeted traffic a domain gets from type-ins.

I usually use Above.com to park my domains which Above.com optimizes between four parking companies. I would say hands down that you should park your domains at Voodoo.com, if you are looking for parking revenue. If you get no revenue then point them back to Afternic, or at least the domains with no revenue.

You don't necessarily need to park and sell on the same platform (afternic/sedo/etc). For example I park my domains with Above.com, and sell on Sedo/Afternic/GoDaddy/OwnWebsites. GoDaddy has been by far my best venue for selling domains, since I started using them beginning of this year. I would highly suggest you add your domains to GoDaddy's Auctions. But be aware, there are no quick sales on any platform. You might have to wait months/years/never for your first sale.

Hope my comments helped and good luck with your venture into domaining.