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Buying Long Domain Names? Is it worth it?

The long held wisdom is that domain names should be short and memorable. Of course, it is great when you can get a short name that really works for your business but sometimes that is tough. So why not go for a longer one?

The idea that domain names must be short is not as valid as it once was. There are many successful web sites that have long domain names such as FreeCreditReport.com. This article will teach you when it is okay to buy a long domain name and why you would want to.

The Long and Short of Domain Names

Long domain names are a good way to go when your Web site is only going to generate traffic from online advertising such as Google’s AdWords or natural search engine results. On the Internet people find your site by clicking on hyperlinks which already have your Web site’s domain name typed in for them. So if you have a long domain name it is already there for your visitor and they do not have to remember it.

For example, suppose you own a Web Hosting Company and you specialize in offering cheap web hosting. Why not call your site CheapWebSiteHosting.com? It’s long but it communicates a lot to the customer and perhaps even more valuable is that it will communicate important information to search engines about your site. How you ask?

Search engines use the words in your domain name as one method of discovering what your web site is about and they use that information to help determine where to rank you in the search results list. So if you have the words “cheap web site hosting” in your domain name then search engines will use that information to possibly rank you higher than a domain name that does not contain those words. So by naming your site “CheapWebSiteHosting.com” you have an advantage over SmithWebSiteHosting.com when people search the phrase “cheap web site hosting.”

So, if your business is tightly focused on cheap hosting anyway you might as well use those words in your domain name if it means that search engines will match you better than those sites without those keywords in their domain name.

Domain Names in Mass Media

What about non-internet marketing? Are long domain names okay for radio or television? The answer is yes as long as it can be remembered. If you watch tv at all I’m sure you’ve seen ads for freecreditreport.com. That’s a pretty long domain name considering not too long ago you needed to have a name like amazon.com or eBay.com to be viable.  But even as I am writing this the domain name freecreditreport.com came to mind instantly. Thats a pretty good domain name for a long one. In our sample scenario, I would say that a site called cheapwebsitehosting.com will be remembered by people who have an interest in saving money on hosting. The key is to put together words in your domain name that flow naturally. “Cheap Web Site Hosting” is natural English. But WebSiteHostingCheap.com would almost certainly be a problem in the mass media.

So, should you go for a long domain name next time you buy a domain name?  That will ultimately depend on whether you can get a short version that you find suitable and how important the slight edge in search engine results is worth to you. But at least you can keep these factors in mind you buy a domain name. You just may find that a long domain name is a reasonable way to go for your business.

Buy/Sell Domain Names! Is it Profitable?

I’ve just recently stumbled across a few web sites like namepros.com and dnforum, websites that focus solely on the buying and selling of domains. And I “gotta tell ya” I was quit impressed to hear some of the success stories.

Now from my understanding, I thought profit from domain sales died at the end of the dotcom Boom. But from what I’ve seen and heard, It seems like it can be a lucrative business. Naturally there’s more to it than buying a domain name for $5.99 a year and turning around and selling it for $4,000. To come across a domain name (whether self created, expired, or purchased) spending time advertising it, sending traffic to where it’s parked, finding a broker, doing the things you need to do to up the value of the name, it’s seems like a very time consuming business.

But if you go to Sedo.com you’d be amazed at the prices that some of these domains are going for, $5,000, $10,000, even more.

It seems to me like a hidden art. There’s not very much talk about it in the general internet marketing forums. And everywhere on the net you see ebooks on “How To” write ebooks for profit, do JV (joint venture) deals, ebooks on site traffic, blogging techniques, affiliate marketing, rss feeds…… on and on and on and very little information on the business of buying and selling domain names. So that means it’s a business who’s time has passed or a very lucrative one that’s hidden from the people who jump on the bandwagon.

Just looking at current events and doing domain checks on certain subjects tells me how quickly good domains get snatched up. Believe it or not the name Farris Hassan dot com (16 year old boy who went to Iraq) is already taken.

From my studies it seems that there are a select few who are generously profiting from the buying and selling of domain names. As I mentioned above there is alot of work involved but if your willing to join a few membership sites, learn a few advertising tricks and get into the game, the selling of domain names can be a very lucrative business.

Big Considerations For Domain Name Owners

As domain names continue to surface, the numbers of people who engaged into getting, purchasing, and owning a domain names rises. This event therefore leads to an increase in number of the domain name owners. Given such fact, the International Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers or the ICANN with its Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) recently presents serious dangers to the innocent domain name owners.

So, there surfaced a number of considerations for the domain name owners to avoid loss of their domain names. One of the considerations that the domain name owners should give attention to lessen the danger of losing their domain names is to get a trademark registration that match their respective domain name. This process is not too difficult for the fact that some of the countries today cater to this service and this is not really required by the law to employ a trademark company.

Following such consideration for the innocent domain names owners’ sake is the act of keeping the Whois information up to date. This is considered to be very important since there are some cases where a court or the UDRP tribunal ruling against particular domain name owners based its judgment in line on incomplete or out of date Whois information. And after doing such move, the domain name owners should also check their Whois and Domain Name System information not just once but always.

Since it is a common case where most of the domain name owners fail to pay their registration fees and therefore lose their domain names, it is therefore necessary for the domain names owners to pay for such registration fees to keep their domain names in function and up to date. One major support for this fact is that Whois information of certain domain name owners that is out of date will only lead to the situation where their domain name registration fee never reached them.

And finally, in cases where someone contacts the domain name owners regarding their domain names, it is important that they are aware that regardless of how folksy or friendly a letter could be from someone asking their domain names, any answers by the domain name owners that makes of the possible blunders may probably cause a lawsuit or UDRP complaint taking advantage of the domain name owners’ blunder. But, if the domain name owners really receive a UDRP complaint, then it is a right time to respond the complaint, since the majority of UDRP decisions against the domain name owners are default decisions that is where the domain name owner failed to respond to the complaint.

Benefit of Expired Domains

When you are creating a business or new website on the internet, as you probably know you will need a domain name. This of course is the obvious for any internet business, without a domain name you will not have a website, end of story. Now if you are new to the internet business world (where have you been?) you may not realize the importance of SEO tactics. SEO tactics, if done correctly, are designed to give you an advantage within the search engine ranks. Of course, you may be sitting there wondering, “What in the world are you talking about”.

Well, this all leads to the title of the article and will answer the question what is the “Benefit of Expired Domains”. You see when an domain has been in use by another person and this person allows the domain to expire without renewing, the domain name is placed back into the pool of “domains for sale”. This is where the benefits begin to show, just like a new domain name, the expired domain name is available to anyone who wishes to purchase it. What is the difference between a new and expired domain name? Simple, the expired domain name has already been in use. This means that the previous own has likely invested a great deal of effort and time, not to mention money into the promotion of that domain name.

Furthermore, this means that the expired domain is likely all over the internet, with a multitude of back links. Think about it, taking possession of an expired domain name means less work for you and more time for other, more important issues. You will have the opportunity to take advantage of the work that someone else has already performed. The expired domain could already be listed with many search engines, forums, directories, and a wide variety of other websites that have this link already on them.

What does this mean? Because the previous owner already did most of the legwork, it leaves less for you to do. The traffic specific to that expired domain now becomes your traffic, which leads to your sales, and ultimately your revenue. All of this because someone else was kind enough to do the work for you already and let the domain name expire.

Now surely you would know by now, that if you were to purchase a brand new domain name, you would have to do all the advertising, promotion, SEO work, submission to search engines, forums, and directories yourself. That is a lot of time, effort, and money spent on your part and trust when we say it takes a lot of all of the above to make a new domain work. It makes sense to take advantage of an expired domain does it not? We think so, you should find the expired domain of your choice today and begin taking full advantage of the legwork that has already been done for you and use it for your website.

Are Free Domain Names Worth The Cost?

Everyone likes a bargain. It’s even wise to keep one’s costs down. On the other hand, you can be so cheap that you cut your own throat.

Here are two ways to register a domain name for free and some reasons why you might not want to.

1. You Must Have Your Own Top Level Domain (TLD) Name

Your business website should definitely have its own top level domain (TLD) name. This means a name like yourcompany.com. It doesn’t mean a subdomain of someone else’s domain name, such as yourcompany.someisp.net.

Sometimes persons hesitate to register a proper domain name because of cost, lack of knowledge, or indecision. However, paying the nominal fee charged by the domain registrar for your own domain name can reap rich dividends.

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Internet address like (ignoring the http part) someisp.net/hosting-accounts/yourco/, or yourcompany.someisp.net, just doesn’t look as professional as yourcompany.com. It might be free (as in included with your web space) but it just doesn’t cut it.

Consider: If you put your URL on your letterheads, business cards, signs, et cetera, which Internet address looks more professional?

If you mention your URL on your radio advertising or to a customer over the phone, which one will be easier to remember?

As well, what if your web host goes out of business or you decide that you want to change to another provider. Now, you need to notify everyone that you have now changed to yourcompany.someotherisp.net. You will also need to change all your stationery, signs, and advertising to reflect the change.

On the other hand, the domain name yourcompany.com, could be transferred from one web host to another simply by informing your domain name registrar of the change.

So, to avoid losing business and incurring unnecessary additional costs, be sure you have your own top level domain name.

2. Should You Get a Free Top Level Domain?

It is possible to get a free top level domain from Dot TK (@www.dot.tk). (You may also get paid dot tk (.tk) domains from them.) However, there can be disadvantages to using a free top level domain name.

Here are some of the restrictions noted on the Dot TK website.

You may register no more than three free domain names.

The ownership of the free domain remains with Dot TK. This means that you can’t sell it. (Of course, if you pay for the domain you do own it and can transfer it to a new owner.)

Also, if you don’t have 25 visitors come to your home page within a ninety day period, your free domain name registration is cancelled.

You need to have existing web content somewhere so that your dot tk name can be forwarded to it.

There may well be other disadvantages.

Apparently, Dot TK uses frames to show your website. This being the case, you may have issues with navigation (bookmarking or finding specific pages) and search engine friendliness.

Therefore, for serious business use, consider carefully the true cost of free domain names.

All About The Invalid Domain Name

Invalid domain name is one of the common cases that happened under the domain name arena. Many machines have often noted some invalid domain names and that some errors on the domain name operation often surfaced.

Speaking of the invalid domain names, many resources have noted that if an invalid domain name is detected, you will eventually receive a message indicating the errors. These invalid domain name messages therefore play a somewhat important role in the place of the invalid domain names.

Some of the conditions that cause the emergence of the invalid domain name messages are greatly stated in most resources and one of those is when the Domain Name Service or DNS host name or the DNS domain name specified in the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol or TCP/IP properties contains invalid characters, which then makes an invalid domain name.

Also noted is when there is a particular problem with the internet service provider’s Simple Mail Transport Protocol server. This mentioned thing is said to be a server that is applied for outgoing mails. And another reason for invalid domain name message is the situation when there are invalid characters or spaces in the Computer Name box.

Outside of these grounds for invalid domain names messages, there are certain resolutions that most of the experts recommends for such dilemma. So, it is considered that if the main reason for the invalid domain name message is the DNS host or domain name contains invalid characters, it is important to you check that the DNS host name and the DNS domain name contain contains only valid characters. For particular mention, so to prevent the invalid domain name message, is to know that the valid characters for the DNS host name and the DNS domain name are letters A-Z, numerals 0-9, and the hyphen. However, there are also some instances that the period contributes a part for preventing an invalid domain name message since this is also used as a separator. In verifying the domain name system, many things or steps are involved and most of those are greatly technical.

However, if the cause of the emergence of the invalid domain name message is that there is certain problem with the SMTP Server, it is important that you wait for a moment of time, and then try to send the message again. And if you still receive the invalid domain name message, it is a right move to better contact your Internet service provider or ISP.

Such are just a few of the principles the surround the case for invalid domain names. So if you are really interested to know everything about it, you better try searching some resources that provide some of the technical procedures.

All About The DNS Domain Name System

We all know that in the world of domain names today, the presence of the DNS domain name system is very much significant. It is interesting to know that the acronym DNS actually stands for Domain Name System/Service/Server. However, I will be using the term DNS domain name system here to provide you with a clear knowledge about the meaning of this particular thing.

The DNS domain name system is actually a powerful tool that contributes a great part in the domain name process. It is often described as an internet service that translates or transforms the domain names into an IP or Internet Protocol address.

Aside from knowing such basic function of the DNS domain name system, it is also interesting to learn that a basic possession of the DNS domain name system is caching. This property takes place in situations when a server welcomes information about a mapping, it caches that information. Therefore, with such function, a later question for similar mapping can use the cached output, and will not result to additional questions to other servers. And generally, the DNS domain name system applies the caching to optimize the cost of the search. But how does the DNS domain name system caching works?

In terms of caching, it is very nice to know that every server has a cache for currently applied names along with records of where the mapping data for a particular name was taken. So when a particular client is asking the server to determine a certain domain name, the DNS domain name system then does check if it has the power for a domain name, and if it does, the system doesn’t need to cache the information. However, if it has no authority for a domain name, the DNS domain name system then checks its cache whether the domain name has been resolved currently, and if yes, the DNS domain name system reports the caching data to its clients.

There are some instances that the DNS domain name system cache can be examined when the system cached the data once, but didn’t adjust it.  Due to the reason that the information about a certain domain name can be changed, the server may have inaccurate data in its caching table.  There is a certain value known as the Time to Live or known as TTL which is applied when to age the information. So whenever an authority responds to a request for a domain name, it then involves a Time to Live value in the answer which indicates how long it assures the binding to linger.

A Simple Guide To Choosing A Domain Name

There has been much debate on which factors are the most important when determining what domain to purchase. Choosing a domain name should be deeply tied to the business plan and the vision of the company. A domain can be chosen for its advantages in Search Engine placement, a company’s brand, or as a description of a general term. One must consider a domains size, pronunciation, how memorable it is, and if the name is taken in other similar forms or extensions. For example, if one registers a domain.net, but the domain.com is taken and developed, creating a brand for domain.net would be very dangerous and might end up being confused for its .com counterpart.

Search Engine Placement Domains

The purpose of these domains is to rank high in the search engines, because the actual domain name contains the keywords being searched for. Search Engine domains are very rarely brandable, and are mostly used exclusively as side Internet properties to redirect traffic to the main site. A company who sells red widgets would benefit from acquiring red-widgets.com and redwidgets.com , because it is natural that people will remember such address, but most importantly, that domain name has a high probability of ranking at, or very near to, the top of a search for ‘red widgets’. A very popular tool used to find what is being searched for on the net is: Overture Keywords (http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/)

Brand Domains

When coming from the offline business into the online, the obvious choice for brand domains is the offline brand name as .com and/or .country extension. Country extensions are used in countries were there is more popularity in their country extension than on the .com. In the case that no previous brand existed before moving online, one most be very creative into the approach of a brandable name. At this point, there are millions of domain names registered and many times, one finds that the desired domain is taken. There is a consensus among most Internet domain experts that the shorter the domain, the better. A domain that is about 5 letters long is highly desirable for a brand. However, the domain must sound right as well. Xyqpt.com would be undesirable, because it cannot be easily said or remembered to the general public.

General Term Domains

In the height of the Internet Bubble, general term domains were the most popular choice. Many companies failed, even though they had the generic word for their market. Companies like TheKnot.com refused to purchase Weddings.com, because they were conscious that they needed to focus on brand. Although this strategy worked for TheKnot.com, generic words have a value of their own that cannot be ignored. Like Search Engine Placement Domains, which attract a large number of visitors through search engine referrals, so do generic word domains. For this reason, generic word names are still very much desired and their value continue to rise. What should be learned about the Dot Com Bubble is that generic domains are not everything in a dot com business, rather they are a valuable (yet, not essential) component in an array of variables that make an Internet business a success. The current value of these domains, and other domains in general can be seen at an online publication that covers recent domain name transactions at: Domain Journal Sales (http://www.dnjournal.com/domainsales.htm)

A Guide To Domain Name Registration

Are you considering doing business online? If you’re affirmative about that then, you need a home for your site on the Internet first, for that you’ll have to register a domain name.

A domain name provides your website an Internet address. Under the Domain Name System DNS, domain names are framed of the four elements – a server prefix, a domain name, a domain suffix or extension, and a country code (optional). For instance, www.jasssony.com is an example of a domain name where ‘www’ is the server prefix, ‘jasssony’ is the domain name and ‘com’ is the domain suffix.

‘Dot-com’ is an example of a top level domain extension. There are generic top level domains, gTLDs, and country code top level domains, ccTLDs. Register a domain name of your own. Many ‘Internet Service Providers’, ISPs and Web Hosts also offer free or bargain-rate domain services that essentially make a domain name an extension of theirs. For example, if the ISP is a fictional like ‘youneedweserve’, then the resulting domain name could be www.youneedweserve/jass/index.html. While registering your own domain name, make sure that the extension name should look like a professional one. With an extension domain name, you always have to change the ISP or web host.

Many people do not realize it, but it is a fact that the names on the Internet really matter. Choose a domain name that identifies the business and it should also be easy to remember; so many people type the names or partial names into search engines for finding the site that they are seeking for. Most of the best or obvious domain names are already registered by the people. You should also consider the facts when you are choosing a domain name for the online business and how to register a domain name.

Registering a generic top level domain name or a country code top level domain, the things mostly depend on the market for the product or service. For example, if you are selling your product or services to USA, you can use the country code top level domain, dot-us domain. If you are marketing the products or services globally, you can choose to register the online business as a dot-com or a dot-biz.

10 Tips For Accurate Domain Registration

You should think about registering a domain name before you actually do it. Many people come up with a catchy name, or feel the need to lock in their name, and rush out to buy a domain name. But there are several things to consider in your domain name. After all, your domain name is an extension of your business and your image—don’t you want to project the right one?

These ten tips will help you to pick just the right domain name for you and/or your business.

1. The extension you select makes a statement to user about where you are and who you are aiming to attract. For example, .co.uk tells people you are operating out of the United Kingdom, and .ca tells them you are operating out of Canada. If that is important to you, then register accordingly. If you would rather give them impression of being a global company, or based in the US, then pick a .com name.

2. Use a reputable registration service. Unfortunately, some domain registration services are little more than a scam. They are only middlemen. You tell them the domain name you want, and they register it, for a fee higher than you would pay! In the worst case, they actually register the domain name using their information, so it becomes very difficult for you to do anything with your domain name.

Do some background research into the company before you register a domain with them.

3. Use keywords in your domain name. These will sometimes help search engines in ranking your website. For example, if you sell gourmet dog treats online and from your own store, but your business name is “Laura’s Homemade Snacks,” you might consider two domain names: one for your business name, and one for keywords. In this case you might select “gourmetdogtreats.com” as your domain name to represent to the search engines and searchers what you are about.

4. Short names are easier to spell correctly. What’s easier to remember and type in: gourmetdogtreats.com, or laurashomemadeandgourmetdogsnacks.com?

5. Avoid trademarks from other companies. Companies have been known to sue website owners for copyright and trademark infringement, so be very careful if you try to play off an existing business. Make sure that you register a domain name in good faith, and think about the possibilities and connections that might exist between you and another business.

6. Avoid hyphens. Sometimes you must use hyphens because the straightforward name is gone. In that case, a better idea is to come up with a completely different name. The problem with hyphens is that users may end up visiting the wrong site. If you try to register gourmetdogtreats.com but it is already taken, you might choose to register gourmet-dog-treats.com instead. But you run the risk of someone trying to find you typing in the first address. This means you lose business. Better to try and register a name like homemadedogtreats.com instead.

7. Consider buying several different extensions so no one else can infringe on your success by registering a similar name. For example, if you register homemadedogtreats.com, you might also take .net and .org (with the same name), since these are the most popular extensions after .com. That way, no one can register homemadedogtreats.net and try to piggyback of your success.

8. Look for companies that offer telephone support. If you have trouble with your domain name, you need to be able to contact the company and talk to someone. If there is no phone contact, that may be a sign that you are not dealing with a reputable company.

9. Look for accreditations (i.e., ICANN). Reputable companies will seek out accreditations because they know it boosts their business image to be part of a group that enforces good business ethics and practices. Failure to have an accreditation does not necessarily mean the company is bad, but it could mean that. If the company you are looking at does not have an accreditation, make sure you check for other things like phone support, payment procedures, etc.

10. After you find a company you like, do a search on Google for “domain registration.” Does your company of choice appear in the first couple of pages of results, or just via Adwords? If the latter, they may not have been around for a long time and may not be reputable. A legitimate company with a solid track record will be ranked in Google’s search engine, especially within the first couple of pages. Beware of registration companies that you can only find in Adwords.

These ten tips will help you as you seek to register your domain name.