| In its infancy, the Internet boasted serious | | | | Before you overwhelm yourself, stick with what you |
| competition in the business of buying and selling | | | | know. The better you understand a category, the |
| domain name. Lawsuits were thrown around and | | | | easier it will be for you to choose a particular domain |
| hefty checks were written to purchase well-known | | | | of interest because you will be able to think of |
| names. Today's market tells a different story. No | | | | something you would type in your browser. |
| longer a baby, the Internet poses new challenges in | | | | Keep These Things in Mind |
| the domain name business. | | | | Don't limit yourself to dot-coms. Though dot-coms |
| If you are thinking about entering the domain name | | | | have a sustained dominance over other domains, |
| trade, or have already stepped foot in its icy cold | | | | alternative extensions hold great value. The same |
| waters, my advice will greatly help you. I will teach | | | | goes for foreign country domains. They're also priced |
| you the value of domain name purchases, and what | | | | discernibly lower than dot-coms. You may end up |
| to look for when buying and selling in the business. | | | | paying 3 times less. |
| Strategies in the Domain Game | | | | Some great domain ending choices |
| Sedo.com, an international company that offers an | | | | are:.net,.info,.biz,.tv, and your origin endings like.ca |
| online marketplace for buying and selling domain | | | | or.uk. Not only will they help define your business, but |
| names and websites, reported over $80 million in | | | | they will also provide great SEO, or search engine |
| revenue generated from the domain name business | | | | optimization, benefits. |
| in 2009. On any given day, lists around 15 million | | | | If you purchase unique domain names, then your |
| domains for sale. | | | | annual cost is around $10 to maintain it. That is why |
| As an entrepreneur, you can no longer rely on buying | | | | you find so many dead-end domains out there. |
| and selling the highly touted single-name domains. | | | | Savvy businesspersons buy the domain and hold onto |
| Nike.com, Walmart.com, and others aren't exactly | | | | them because it costs so little to do so. |
| sitting at your fingertips. | | | | If the domain is clever enough, you can even bring in |
| So, you have to be clever, inventive, and consistent | | | | a small income from advertisers hoping to reap some |
| when working in this business. Success is simply a | | | | benefit from an accidental click. If you have quality |
| matter of seeing opportunity, going after it, and | | | | pricing for ads on your domain, then you can certainly |
| having a little extra wit when it comes to | | | | make a good profit from its sale. |
| decision-making. | | | | Knowing the Market |
| One thing is for certain: the domain business has | | | | When you are in the market for purchasing domain |
| consistently thrived during our economic downturn. | | | | names, you need to know how much traffic the |
| The ability to produce a little sunshine through a | | | | name gets and how it ranks in search engines. Find |
| cloudy economy will ensure success for years to | | | | out who the original registrant is. If the seller isn't the |
| come. | | | | original registrant, you will want to know how many |
| In an economy riddled with high unemployment rates | | | | others have handled the domain name and what was |
| and a sluggish market, getting into a business with a | | | | posted on it in the past. |
| consistent 30% annual growth is probably one of the | | | | If the site had shady or unethical content previously, |
| wisest decisions you can make. | | | | run the other way. You can research domains at |
| It's in the Value | | | | Archive.org. |
| Typically, online property increases in value over time. | | | | Once you buy a domain, you need to figure out |
| Unlike stocks or real estate, you have the option to | | | | what to do with it. Like any investment property, |
| choose a product that is generic or descriptive | | | | you want to add value to it. Determine what your |
| enough to have an evergreen quality to it. Being | | | | budget is and how you can improve your purchase. |
| evergreen in the online world is essential because | | | | Give the website a unique identity that invites a |
| your domain will exist forever if you choose wisely - | | | | recurring audience. Provide content above and |
| constantly driving traffic over time. | | | | beyond the advertisements on the site. |
| If you invest wisely in the right online property, and | | | | Things to Consider |
| sit on it long enough for the value to appreciate, you | | | | Remember that anything you add to the domains |
| will see a serious return on your investment. | | | | and site you purchase will add value. The longer you |
| When searching for domain names to purchase, you | | | | hold onto it, the greater the increase of search |
| need to keep a few things in mind. Find domains that | | | | engine rankings, and the larger will be your audience. |
| are generic, defined by categories, and contain only 1 | | | | Find sites that don't cost too much to maintain over |
| to 2 words if possible. | | | | the course of several years. This will allow you ample |
| Create a list of all possibilities: hobbies, interests, | | | | time to boost rankings, grow your audience, and add |
| niches, and vertical markets. If you really sat down | | | | valuable content. When it comes time to sell, you will |
| and thought about it, your possibilities are endless. | | | | have quite an asset to offer. |