Boost Your Traffic With Expired Domain Names
Until now you might have thought that expired domain names are excellent just for branding.
But do you know that by registering the right expired domain names you can significantly boost your website’s exposure and traffic?
There is no doubt that Yahoo! is the world’s biggest portal. It’s no secret that many websites are making tons of money just from the fact that they’re on Yahoo!. It’s also nothing new that it’s getting more and more difficult to get listed there.
Now, listen to this. There are tens of thousands of websites listed on Yahoo!. That’s tens of thousands of unique domain names, some of which *expire*. Catching my drift?
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Example:
You own XYZ Web Hosting Corporation (xyzhosting.com) and you want to boost your website’s traffic. John Qwerty once had a web hosting business too, with a domain name qwertyhosting.com. He even got listed on Yahoo.com and received some solid traffic from them over the years. Unfortunately his business flopped and he didn’t renew his domain name, so it naturally expired.
Despite the fact qwertyhosting.com is available for re-registration, QWERTY Hosting is still in Yahoo! index. By registering qwertyhosting.com and pointing it to your xyzhosting.com, you’ll get a steady flow of qualified visitors from Yahoo!
It’s not just Yahoo.com that you can get residual traffic from. Some of the domain names that have now expired once were thriving online businesses linked from tens (maybe hundreds) other websites. Chances are that many of those links are still active, pointing to the now dead, expired domains. Now, if you can only register such a domain name, you can capture a stream of traffic that would otherwise go into a black hole.
To find such names, you need two things:
a) a list of expired domain names.
b) a link popularity checker to see whether a particular expired domain name has any links pointed to it.
With BizMint.com you get both things at once! After you signed up, you’d simply search for a domain name with a specific criteria and with one more mouse-click you’d instantly learn how many links there are pointed to a particular domain name.
Some people are getting hundreds of visitors every day thanks to these little-known tricks!
About the Author Simon Grabowski is the owner of many online businesses that generate close to a million dollars in annual online sales. His latest is the BizMint.com, a unique, sophisticated tool that helps you to explode your online business by searching and registering from millions of expired and soon-to-expire domain names. See http://www.bizmint.com
Thursday, July 29, 2010
How To Find The Best Domain Names Available
By Simon Grabowski, CEO of GetResponse.com
So in such a highly competitive hi-tech world, how’s it possible for the average guy or gal to register a domain name without already have been beaten to it first? After all, there are over 100,000 of the little beasts being registered daily and the queue for each domain name is probably at least a mile long. What gives?
It’s all about successful domain name branding. There is a big, big lie (a whopper of a lie, in fact) which is causing many dot-com startups to spend ridiculous amounts of money to budding entrepreneurs who got there first. Some guy who registered a great .com name back in 1993 for $100 is probably going to be on the receiving end of a $500,000 or more deal – for such domains like loans.com, taxes.com, bingo.com, and other one word generic domain names. But nowadays, unless you have that kinda cash to throw around, it’s impossible to get hold of them.
But was $500,000 worth it for a company to buy such a name? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It’s definitely very easy to market such a name, which may pay for itself ten times over in the long-run. But for the small or medium sized business, you may as well save your cash.
The lie is simply this: That all of the best branded names have gone.
Wrong! Sure, without the toolkit which enables you to find such names, it’s definitely very hard. But in actual fact, there have been many successes online for projects based on $10 domains – in fact, some companies are earning much more online than the companies who ploughed multi-thousand dollar investments into their name branding!
Here’s how to..
Find the best domains on a shoestring budget
What makes a good domain name? Since we’re left with virtually no generic names to implant our brands into, what we need to do is go for an approach at the other end of the spectrum…
We can either come up with clever phrases, or simple, to the point explanations of what our website is about. Unless your own company name is especially well-branded (like Mcdonalds or Sony), then don’t bother registering your company name as your main venture unless you think you can successfully market it in a way which ties in with your current strategies. i.e. showing your existing off-line clients or established based of contacts your new company website.
Let’s work with an example. Recently, I was wanting to come up with a domain name for a new marketing project I had. I was looking for something which would reflect selling online. Basically, I was wanting to teach others how to sell online and needed to find a good domain name that would become a home to this project.
All of my ideas for names, such as SellingOnline.com or OnlineSales.com or even HowToSellOnline.com had all been taken. Rather than settling for a long, ugly and unconstructive domain name, I plugged in the word “sales” into the BizMint search system and within moments found…
InternetSales101.com
This is a name that was previously registered, but since the previous owner didn’t renew their domain registration, was made available after it’s expiration. I registered it on the spot for around $10.
This names reflects the website perfectly… “Internet” and “Sales” are keyword rich for what I’m trying to portray and “101″ is the number which means “a course for beginners”, and .com is the most favored domain name, especially since I’m writing a course on how to sell online.
Now if I’d have found this name on a domain auction website, I’d have been willing to pay as much as $500 for it because I know the site could earn more than that every single day. But instead with the BizMint system, I was able to find an expired name which has recently be made available as was open for me to register for just $10. Bargain.
How YOU can find the perfect domain name
First of all, what’s your area of business? Write down around 5 or 10 different keywords that relate to your website and plug each of them into the BizMint search system. Make a note of all the domains that are available (or ones that are soon to be available) and see what you can come up with. Write down only the best ones that stand out at you.
After plugging in “cars” and “autos”, here’s what I came up with.
AmericanFamilyCars.com
AmericanLuxuryCars.com
AmericanSportyCars.com
CarSaleLine.com
CarsHut.com
ImportCarStore.com
Cars24hr.com
CarsForTeens.com
AutosMania.com
AutosDirectly.com
AutoSalesGuide.com
AutoSparesFinder.com
Out of the thousands of matches I received, the above are just a few that immediately caught my eye. There are probably more and more expiring daily, and having access to this system enables you to keep a permanent eye on your industry. But these are just a recent few.
Depending on your niche, the above domains would be perfect for the right kind of car website. Sell lower-priced cars especially for the young student driver? CarsForTeens.com says it all. Or perhaps you compile a list of the lowest price cars available in your state? AutoSalesGuide.com is right on the money. Or how about AmericanLuxuryCars.com for the well-to-do business man? These are just a few examples of many.
The next step is to analyze the search results you receive and use them to provide further inspiration for the kind of website you’re looking for. Many times the expired domains churned out at you are good enough to register on their own – but at an absolute minimum, even if you don’t register any, they can provide great inspiration for your own ideas.
For instance… you may not want Cars24hr.com, but instead 24hrCars.com. The list doesn’t show this domain as expired but that doesn’t mean it’s not available. You can use the Whois search on the main BizMint members-only page to find that specific domain and see if it’s available. If it is, you can grab it for registration immediately.
So in such a highly competitive hi-tech world, how’s it possible for the average guy or gal to register a domain name without already have been beaten to it first? After all, there are over 100,000 of the little beasts being registered daily and the queue for each domain name is probably at least a mile long. What gives?
It’s all about successful domain name branding. There is a big, big lie (a whopper of a lie, in fact) which is causing many dot-com startups to spend ridiculous amounts of money to budding entrepreneurs who got there first. Some guy who registered a great .com name back in 1993 for $100 is probably going to be on the receiving end of a $500,000 or more deal – for such domains like loans.com, taxes.com, bingo.com, and other one word generic domain names. But nowadays, unless you have that kinda cash to throw around, it’s impossible to get hold of them.
But was $500,000 worth it for a company to buy such a name? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It’s definitely very easy to market such a name, which may pay for itself ten times over in the long-run. But for the small or medium sized business, you may as well save your cash.
The lie is simply this: That all of the best branded names have gone.
Wrong! Sure, without the toolkit which enables you to find such names, it’s definitely very hard. But in actual fact, there have been many successes online for projects based on $10 domains – in fact, some companies are earning much more online than the companies who ploughed multi-thousand dollar investments into their name branding!
Here’s how to..
Find the best domains on a shoestring budget
What makes a good domain name? Since we’re left with virtually no generic names to implant our brands into, what we need to do is go for an approach at the other end of the spectrum…
We can either come up with clever phrases, or simple, to the point explanations of what our website is about. Unless your own company name is especially well-branded (like Mcdonalds or Sony), then don’t bother registering your company name as your main venture unless you think you can successfully market it in a way which ties in with your current strategies. i.e. showing your existing off-line clients or established based of contacts your new company website.
Let’s work with an example. Recently, I was wanting to come up with a domain name for a new marketing project I had. I was looking for something which would reflect selling online. Basically, I was wanting to teach others how to sell online and needed to find a good domain name that would become a home to this project.
All of my ideas for names, such as SellingOnline.com or OnlineSales.com or even HowToSellOnline.com had all been taken. Rather than settling for a long, ugly and unconstructive domain name, I plugged in the word “sales” into the BizMint search system and within moments found…
InternetSales101.com
This is a name that was previously registered, but since the previous owner didn’t renew their domain registration, was made available after it’s expiration. I registered it on the spot for around $10.
This names reflects the website perfectly… “Internet” and “Sales” are keyword rich for what I’m trying to portray and “101″ is the number which means “a course for beginners”, and .com is the most favored domain name, especially since I’m writing a course on how to sell online.
Now if I’d have found this name on a domain auction website, I’d have been willing to pay as much as $500 for it because I know the site could earn more than that every single day. But instead with the BizMint system, I was able to find an expired name which has recently be made available as was open for me to register for just $10. Bargain.
How YOU can find the perfect domain name
First of all, what’s your area of business? Write down around 5 or 10 different keywords that relate to your website and plug each of them into the BizMint search system. Make a note of all the domains that are available (or ones that are soon to be available) and see what you can come up with. Write down only the best ones that stand out at you.
After plugging in “cars” and “autos”, here’s what I came up with.
AmericanFamilyCars.com
AmericanLuxuryCars.com
AmericanSportyCars.com
CarSaleLine.com
CarsHut.com
ImportCarStore.com
Cars24hr.com
CarsForTeens.com
AutosMania.com
AutosDirectly.com
AutoSalesGuide.com
AutoSparesFinder.com
Out of the thousands of matches I received, the above are just a few that immediately caught my eye. There are probably more and more expiring daily, and having access to this system enables you to keep a permanent eye on your industry. But these are just a recent few.
Depending on your niche, the above domains would be perfect for the right kind of car website. Sell lower-priced cars especially for the young student driver? CarsForTeens.com says it all. Or perhaps you compile a list of the lowest price cars available in your state? AutoSalesGuide.com is right on the money. Or how about AmericanLuxuryCars.com for the well-to-do business man? These are just a few examples of many.
The next step is to analyze the search results you receive and use them to provide further inspiration for the kind of website you’re looking for. Many times the expired domains churned out at you are good enough to register on their own – but at an absolute minimum, even if you don’t register any, they can provide great inspiration for your own ideas.
For instance… you may not want Cars24hr.com, but instead 24hrCars.com. The list doesn’t show this domain as expired but that doesn’t mean it’s not available. You can use the Whois search on the main BizMint members-only page to find that specific domain and see if it’s available. If it is, you can grab it for registration immediately.
How to Profit from Expired Domain Names
How to Uncover The Internet’s ‘Secret’ Goldmine
Great domain names are becoming increasingly scarce. Close to 23 million “.com” names have been registered, and over 22 thousand are being purchased every day. It means that you’re more likely to win the lottery than find a good domain name.
Owning a domain name that helps to successfully “magnetize” a flood of traffic is like gold to any online business. But the increasing scarcity of domain names that are memorable, short and suggestive have turned them into hot commodities. Look at some of the recent acquisitions in domain names:
business.com sold for $7.5 million
– asseenontv.com sold for $5 million
– altavista.com sold for $3.3 million
– loans.com sold for $3 million
– autos.com sold for $2.2 million
– wallstreet.com sold for $1.03 million
– forsalebyowner.com sold for $835,000
– drugs.com sold for $825,000
– cinema.com sold for $700,000
– art.com sold for $450,000
– engineering.org sold for $199,000
– fruits.com sold for $160,000
– perfect.com sold for $94,000
However, while some domains may have been sold for millions, corporate buyers backed by large bank accounts are not alone in the domain name game. Even entrepreneurs and speculators are making a good living in buying and selling domains.
Everyday, domain names are selling for as little as $100 or as much as $1 million on public auction sites. For example, eBay.com recently featured actual bids for as little as $500 for “golegs.com” to as much as $20,000 for “arlington.com” — and thousands more hovering anywhere in between.
Some individuals seem to know where to grab these “nuggets of gold.” In fact, a handful know about an untapped goldmine that lies discreetly tucked away in the dark corners of the Internet. And the awareness of this source has helped these “lucky” individuals generate either outrageous fortunes or outrageous levels of traffic for their website.
The goldmine to which I’m referring is the pool of expired domain names. While only a few people may be privy to its existence, it is nonetheless ballooning with every passing day. As much as tens of thousands of unclaimed, unrenewed and expired domain names become available on a daily basis.
An expired domain is one that was registered previously but wasn’t paid for in time for the renewal date, thus returning it to the pool of available domains. There are many reasons for non-renewal (e.g., the owner forgot, has lost interest in the venture, was no longer in business, was no longer reachable or just didn’t pay for it for whatever reason).
However, you may be asking, “Sure, but I’m never going to find good domain names let alone do so before someone else snatches them up.” For a long time, being “lucky” also meant being alert for the countless domains that become available, and being swift in registering them before anyone else does.
However, new tools are now available, making the process of searching, finding and registering great domain names a lot easier. In fact, some of them also help you to become aware of soon-to-expire domains, granting you an almost psychical edge over your competitors that allows you to snap up names just seconds after they’re actually dropped.
Nevertheless, a compelling domain name can help an online business become more visible, credible and accessible. And it can also help a person make a fortune. While finding one was very prohibitive, with the help of tools that are now at your disposal you can be a part of the gold rush, too.
© 2002 By Simon Grabowski, CEO of GetResponse.com
About the Author –
Simon Grabowski is the owner of many online businesses that generate close to a million dollars in annual online sales. His latest is the BizMint.com, a unique, sophisticated tool that helps you to explode your online business by searching and registering from millions of expired and soon-to-expire domain names. See http://www.bizmint.com/
Great domain names are becoming increasingly scarce. Close to 23 million “.com” names have been registered, and over 22 thousand are being purchased every day. It means that you’re more likely to win the lottery than find a good domain name.
Owning a domain name that helps to successfully “magnetize” a flood of traffic is like gold to any online business. But the increasing scarcity of domain names that are memorable, short and suggestive have turned them into hot commodities. Look at some of the recent acquisitions in domain names:
business.com sold for $7.5 million
– asseenontv.com sold for $5 million
– altavista.com sold for $3.3 million
– loans.com sold for $3 million
– autos.com sold for $2.2 million
– wallstreet.com sold for $1.03 million
– forsalebyowner.com sold for $835,000
– drugs.com sold for $825,000
– cinema.com sold for $700,000
– art.com sold for $450,000
– engineering.org sold for $199,000
– fruits.com sold for $160,000
– perfect.com sold for $94,000
However, while some domains may have been sold for millions, corporate buyers backed by large bank accounts are not alone in the domain name game. Even entrepreneurs and speculators are making a good living in buying and selling domains.
Everyday, domain names are selling for as little as $100 or as much as $1 million on public auction sites. For example, eBay.com recently featured actual bids for as little as $500 for “golegs.com” to as much as $20,000 for “arlington.com” — and thousands more hovering anywhere in between.
Some individuals seem to know where to grab these “nuggets of gold.” In fact, a handful know about an untapped goldmine that lies discreetly tucked away in the dark corners of the Internet. And the awareness of this source has helped these “lucky” individuals generate either outrageous fortunes or outrageous levels of traffic for their website.
The goldmine to which I’m referring is the pool of expired domain names. While only a few people may be privy to its existence, it is nonetheless ballooning with every passing day. As much as tens of thousands of unclaimed, unrenewed and expired domain names become available on a daily basis.
An expired domain is one that was registered previously but wasn’t paid for in time for the renewal date, thus returning it to the pool of available domains. There are many reasons for non-renewal (e.g., the owner forgot, has lost interest in the venture, was no longer in business, was no longer reachable or just didn’t pay for it for whatever reason).
However, you may be asking, “Sure, but I’m never going to find good domain names let alone do so before someone else snatches them up.” For a long time, being “lucky” also meant being alert for the countless domains that become available, and being swift in registering them before anyone else does.
However, new tools are now available, making the process of searching, finding and registering great domain names a lot easier. In fact, some of them also help you to become aware of soon-to-expire domains, granting you an almost psychical edge over your competitors that allows you to snap up names just seconds after they’re actually dropped.
Nevertheless, a compelling domain name can help an online business become more visible, credible and accessible. And it can also help a person make a fortune. While finding one was very prohibitive, with the help of tools that are now at your disposal you can be a part of the gold rush, too.
© 2002 By Simon Grabowski, CEO of GetResponse.com
About the Author –
Simon Grabowski is the owner of many online businesses that generate close to a million dollars in annual online sales. His latest is the BizMint.com, a unique, sophisticated tool that helps you to explode your online business by searching and registering from millions of expired and soon-to-expire domain names. See http://www.bizmint.com/
Beware Trademarked Names In Domains
Simon Grabowski
A warning about registering copyrighted domains
I'll make this section quick and to the point.
One thing you should never be tempted to do is register a domain name that contains a company name which isn't yours, especially when it comes to bigger companies. So don't even think of registering MicrosoftSoftware.com or McdonaldsHamburgers.com, because their legal departments will eat you alive. Literally.
In the early days of the net, there were a lot of "cybersquatters" who registered company domain names in the hope that they could bid them to massive companies and reap millions of dollars for their efforts.
Hundreds of court cases and thousands of dollars in legal expenses later, all that happened was the courts summoned the "little guy" to give up his trademarked name and literally give it away to the big companies.
So the warning is simply this. If you spot a hot domain that you think would bring a major company's purchasing department to its knees, resist the temptation. You'll go through much more hassle than it's worth.
To ensure that there won't be any copyright conflicts on the particular name, use a trademark search on any new domain. I personally use http://www.nameprotect.com.
Tread with caution... because if you launch a multi-million dollar venture on a domain that doesn't belong to you, you may end up giving it away.
A warning about registering copyrighted domains
I'll make this section quick and to the point.
One thing you should never be tempted to do is register a domain name that contains a company name which isn't yours, especially when it comes to bigger companies. So don't even think of registering MicrosoftSoftware.com or McdonaldsHamburgers.com, because their legal departments will eat you alive. Literally.
In the early days of the net, there were a lot of "cybersquatters" who registered company domain names in the hope that they could bid them to massive companies and reap millions of dollars for their efforts.
Hundreds of court cases and thousands of dollars in legal expenses later, all that happened was the courts summoned the "little guy" to give up his trademarked name and literally give it away to the big companies.
So the warning is simply this. If you spot a hot domain that you think would bring a major company's purchasing department to its knees, resist the temptation. You'll go through much more hassle than it's worth.
To ensure that there won't be any copyright conflicts on the particular name, use a trademark search on any new domain. I personally use http://www.nameprotect.com.
Tread with caution... because if you launch a multi-million dollar venture on a domain that doesn't belong to you, you may end up giving it away.
Trademarked Domain Name Disputes
Domain names are becoming "hot" property - as in *theft* for resale. More and more companies are finding they cannot get their trademarked names as a domain name because so few good names are left. But sometimes it's outright extortion as when a Fortune 500 company name is reserved by someone that has no intention of developing a site under the domain, but simply "parks" it somewhere and waits to be contacted by the big boys to purchase the name for astronomical fees.
A more lucrative market for domain names exists in short, memorable generic names like Loans.com or Homes.com which can apply to an entire industry as can be seen in recent news.
One of the lesser known and more frustrating issues is when a small business name or new product domain name is reserved by someone hoping to make a buck or two. Here's a question faced by small business owners getting started online.
"I've trademarked a name, but the domain name is taken, it was reserved by another company right after I registered my trademark. Do I have a legal right to the domain name?"
The following link is to a page titled "Domain Names, A Trademark Owner's Nightmare"
It discusses legal issues and cites two cases that have been taken to court over domain name hijacking.
People who do this may be doing it intentionally or innocently, but generally, you don't have a case unless you've got a long established use of the trademarked name and can prove that the registrant was intending to extort excessive fees from you in the hopes you'd buy the name back from them.
You can take it to court if you like, but it's not likely to do you any good unless you can prove that the registrant had the intent to squat on the name and not use it, hoping that you would be willing to pay excessively to get it back.
Still, the case may cost you more than it's worth.
This is an unresolved battle with more and more companies. Until laws are passed (not likely) there will be no way to protect a domain name other than being the first one to reserve it. You may have a case if they are harming your business in some way by the inappropriate use of that name. But if they are simply using for another purpose, you might consider selling them the trademark instead. ;-)
Contact the registrant of www.your-trademark.com to see who it is, there's a way to find the registered owner by going to this address and typing in the domain name.
If your domain name is already taken, search the WHOIS database to see who owns it!
It will return a registrant name, host name and the name servers. You might consider contacting them and simply explaining your trademark situation, your desire to own the name and then simply ask if they would consider a reasonable solution. Possibly something as simple as a suggestion that you'd like to avoid a court battle and make it worth their time to sell it to you by offering twice what they paid for it.
If they have not spent large sums developing a branding strategy for the name, they may be willing to give it up. If it's only few months old it may be possible that they haven't begun to develop their site or their strategy yet. You may be assuming the worst but then be confronted with a friendly and accomodating person willing to look for an equitable solution!
Good luck with your own names and trademarks!
A more lucrative market for domain names exists in short, memorable generic names like Loans.com or Homes.com which can apply to an entire industry as can be seen in recent news.
One of the lesser known and more frustrating issues is when a small business name or new product domain name is reserved by someone hoping to make a buck or two. Here's a question faced by small business owners getting started online.
"I've trademarked a name, but the domain name is taken, it was reserved by another company right after I registered my trademark. Do I have a legal right to the domain name?"
The following link is to a page titled "Domain Names, A Trademark Owner's Nightmare"
It discusses legal issues and cites two cases that have been taken to court over domain name hijacking.
People who do this may be doing it intentionally or innocently, but generally, you don't have a case unless you've got a long established use of the trademarked name and can prove that the registrant was intending to extort excessive fees from you in the hopes you'd buy the name back from them.
You can take it to court if you like, but it's not likely to do you any good unless you can prove that the registrant had the intent to squat on the name and not use it, hoping that you would be willing to pay excessively to get it back.
Still, the case may cost you more than it's worth.
This is an unresolved battle with more and more companies. Until laws are passed (not likely) there will be no way to protect a domain name other than being the first one to reserve it. You may have a case if they are harming your business in some way by the inappropriate use of that name. But if they are simply using for another purpose, you might consider selling them the trademark instead. ;-)
Contact the registrant of www.your-trademark.com to see who it is, there's a way to find the registered owner by going to this address and typing in the domain name.
If your domain name is already taken, search the WHOIS database to see who owns it!
It will return a registrant name, host name and the name servers. You might consider contacting them and simply explaining your trademark situation, your desire to own the name and then simply ask if they would consider a reasonable solution. Possibly something as simple as a suggestion that you'd like to avoid a court battle and make it worth their time to sell it to you by offering twice what they paid for it.
If they have not spent large sums developing a branding strategy for the name, they may be willing to give it up. If it's only few months old it may be possible that they haven't begun to develop their site or their strategy yet. You may be assuming the worst but then be confronted with a friendly and accomodating person willing to look for an equitable solution!
Good luck with your own names and trademarks!
How to Change Domain Name Registrar How to Transfer a Domain Name
Are you getting the service that you require from your domain registrar? Actually, thinking about it for a minute, it might be a better question to ask, do you even know what services are available? Are you aware that you can shop around and get better prices, more features and far better customer service?
Guess what? All domain registrars are not the same.
Okay, let’s back up a minute. Way back when the internet was young (maybe 5 years ago) all domain names were handled by Network Solutions, Inc. In those dark, evil days you had no choice. It didn’t matter what you thought of the process, it was unimportant that you were not getting service and the price, well, was a standard high fee.
A few years ago the government decided that Network Solutions would no longer be a monopoly. The government wanted to do this to deregulate the industry and encourage competition, and also perhaps to spur a little bit of growth into this thing called the internet.
Okay, so now you do have a choice. In fact, there are well over a hundred different domain registrars at last count. They seem to be springing up all over the place, and the level of support and service, as well as the price, seems to vary greatly.
You may not know it, but you can change domain registrars at any time. It’s actually not very complicated at all.
Here are some of the questions that you may have regarding domain transfers.
How much does it cost?
It depends upon the domain registrar. I have found that many will transfer your domain for no cost to get your business. Others will charge a few dollars ($5 to $20 or more), but will drop the fee if you extend your domain for a couple of years. Shop around and find a good deal.
What are the advantages of transferring?
You may not like the domain registrar you are currently using – perhaps they have poor support or cost too much. You can shop around and find the best solution for your needs.
Remember, though, that if you are like most people, domain registration is something you will not do very often, so perhaps customer support is not all that important.
What are the disadvantages?
Transferring a domain can be confusing. Also, there is no guarantee that the new registrar will be any better than the old one. Again, remember that domain registration is not something that you should need to deal with very often (if you are like most people) so it may not be worth the effort to change.
Can any domain be transferred?
Yes, any domain registered with any registrar may be transferred to any other registrar.
What does a registrar do?
The registrar manages your domain name. They maintain security and the structures that make the domain work.
Does changing registrars have any effect on ownership?
No. When you change registrars you are only changing managers. You still retain ownership.
Are there reasons why a domain may not be transferred?
Yes. Some of these are listed below.
- The domain name is in a legal dispute of some kind.
- The identity of the domain name holder is in dispute or unknown.
- The domain name holder is in bankruptcy.
- The domain has only been with the registrar for 60 days.
- The registrar refuses to transfer for other reasons.
How is a domain transferred?
This varies from registrar to registrar. Some require a notarized form to be delivered to them, others can do it using a web site form. How long does the process take?
The registrar will usually take five to ten days to review and validate the request. Once it has been validated and put into action, it will take a couple of days for the change to filter through the internet.
Will the web site associated with the domain be accessible during the change?
Yes. This normally does not effect access to your web site. The registrar is changed, not the web site address and other information.
Guess what? All domain registrars are not the same.
Okay, let’s back up a minute. Way back when the internet was young (maybe 5 years ago) all domain names were handled by Network Solutions, Inc. In those dark, evil days you had no choice. It didn’t matter what you thought of the process, it was unimportant that you were not getting service and the price, well, was a standard high fee.
A few years ago the government decided that Network Solutions would no longer be a monopoly. The government wanted to do this to deregulate the industry and encourage competition, and also perhaps to spur a little bit of growth into this thing called the internet.
Okay, so now you do have a choice. In fact, there are well over a hundred different domain registrars at last count. They seem to be springing up all over the place, and the level of support and service, as well as the price, seems to vary greatly.
You may not know it, but you can change domain registrars at any time. It’s actually not very complicated at all.
Here are some of the questions that you may have regarding domain transfers.
How much does it cost?
It depends upon the domain registrar. I have found that many will transfer your domain for no cost to get your business. Others will charge a few dollars ($5 to $20 or more), but will drop the fee if you extend your domain for a couple of years. Shop around and find a good deal.
What are the advantages of transferring?
You may not like the domain registrar you are currently using – perhaps they have poor support or cost too much. You can shop around and find the best solution for your needs.
Remember, though, that if you are like most people, domain registration is something you will not do very often, so perhaps customer support is not all that important.
What are the disadvantages?
Transferring a domain can be confusing. Also, there is no guarantee that the new registrar will be any better than the old one. Again, remember that domain registration is not something that you should need to deal with very often (if you are like most people) so it may not be worth the effort to change.
Can any domain be transferred?
Yes, any domain registered with any registrar may be transferred to any other registrar.
What does a registrar do?
The registrar manages your domain name. They maintain security and the structures that make the domain work.
Does changing registrars have any effect on ownership?
No. When you change registrars you are only changing managers. You still retain ownership.
Are there reasons why a domain may not be transferred?
Yes. Some of these are listed below.
- The domain name is in a legal dispute of some kind.
- The identity of the domain name holder is in dispute or unknown.
- The domain name holder is in bankruptcy.
- The domain has only been with the registrar for 60 days.
- The registrar refuses to transfer for other reasons.
How is a domain transferred?
This varies from registrar to registrar. Some require a notarized form to be delivered to them, others can do it using a web site form. How long does the process take?
The registrar will usually take five to ten days to review and validate the request. Once it has been validated and put into action, it will take a couple of days for the change to filter through the internet.
Will the web site associated with the domain be accessible during the change?
Yes. This normally does not effect access to your web site. The registrar is changed, not the web site address and other information.
1-800-Get Rich Can Toll Free Number Domains Pay Off
1-800-Get-Rich Can Toll Free 800 Number Domains Pay Off?
Copyright by Mike Banks Valentine ©
The toll free number 1-800-Get-Rich belongs to the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Perfect vanity number for a casino, right? Well apparently not. Their website shows the actual numbers, 1-800-438-7424 for the marketing department of Resorts Atlantic City. Those NUMBERS are nowhere near as memorable as is the mnemonic device of letters representing those numbers on the telephone keypad. It makes you wonder, did the casino have bad luck (no pun intended) or receive bad publicity for their 800-Get-Rich phone number?
Doing a Google search for 1-800-GET-RICH returns several spoof articles using the toll free number to make light of get rich quick schemes. Seems as well suited to a casino as to satire, since gambling represents the ultimate get rich quick scheme.
But on the web there’s a another element to toll free numbers you must consider. 800 numbers are used as domain names which seem to stick in our memory as a web address just as well as a phone number. Resorts Atlantic City Hotel Casino should buy the domain name www.1800getrich.com and assign that marketing department toll free 800 vanity number to the Casino.
The domain name is for sale as of this writing if you visit that web address. You can be certain that the current domain owner knows that the toll free vanity telephone number is owned by Resorts International Hotels www.resortsac.com which matches the domain www.1800getrich.com. It has to be enticing to think a large corporation may want his domain.
The casino owns the toll free number but isn’t using the mnemonic for it. Makes you wonder about the history of the domain name, since WHOIS records show it was reserved only this past May of 2004, AND the history of the vanity number since it is going unused, at least on the web site. Hmmmm…
There are vanity phone number resellers online that actually specialize in providing 800 numbers with matching domain name for those seeking the consistent branding for their business. Clearly this is simply a marketing ploy by savvy 800 number vendors, as those domains may be full of hyphens and may cost more than they should due to the perception of value-added.
An interesting aspect to toll free numbers as domain names is that of 1-800 copyright and trademarks. Take for example, the well known flower retailer 1-800-FLOWERS.com where they use both the domain name and the toll free number. Both are copy- righted and trademarked names and essential to the business.
Legal precedent allows trademark owners to confiscate domains from “cybersquatters” who buy domain names containing trade- marked or copyrighted words and phrases hoping to sell that domain back to the trademark holder. But it is less clear an issue when it comes to descriptive toll free and vanity phone numbers. How about 1-800-PINDROP.com – which you would think would be registered to Sprint Communications? Curiously, as of October of 2004, this domain was available. What do they use? www.pindrop.com (without the 800) goes to Sprint.com.
It appears there are wide inconsistencies in using toll free 800 phone numbers as domain names but they can be memorable, which is one measure of a good domain name. They also aren’t limiting as to word length. I’ve always felt it’s a bit odd to type in 1800keywordphrase.com as a domain name, but only because there is no hyphen in it. 1800 looks like eighteen hundred and is just as strange as typing 247 for domains as a suggestion they are always open, more often seen as 24/7, but domain names can’t have that slash mark in them.
As a matter of fact, I’ve always disliked numbers of any kind in domain names – especially those using numbers in place of the words “to” (up2me.com)& “for” (good4you.com) But, as owner of http://website101.com I’m at odds with the dislike for numbers in domain names. Still, it works better than 1800website.com or 1-800-website.com, both owned by Verio Web Hosting and both purchased in August of 1996, but neither have web sites configured at those addresses. They must not have been a worthwhile domains, yet they keep them.
If it offers you another option for a memorable web address, 800 number domains may be worth considering.
Mike Valentine operates WebSite101 domain name tutorial http://WebSite101.com/domain_name/ Free domain lookup tool to find out who owns domain names at How to Find your Domain Registrar
Copyright by Mike Banks Valentine ©
The toll free number 1-800-Get-Rich belongs to the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. Perfect vanity number for a casino, right? Well apparently not. Their website shows the actual numbers, 1-800-438-7424 for the marketing department of Resorts Atlantic City. Those NUMBERS are nowhere near as memorable as is the mnemonic device of letters representing those numbers on the telephone keypad. It makes you wonder, did the casino have bad luck (no pun intended) or receive bad publicity for their 800-Get-Rich phone number?
Doing a Google search for 1-800-GET-RICH returns several spoof articles using the toll free number to make light of get rich quick schemes. Seems as well suited to a casino as to satire, since gambling represents the ultimate get rich quick scheme.
But on the web there’s a another element to toll free numbers you must consider. 800 numbers are used as domain names which seem to stick in our memory as a web address just as well as a phone number. Resorts Atlantic City Hotel Casino should buy the domain name www.1800getrich.com and assign that marketing department toll free 800 vanity number to the Casino.
The domain name is for sale as of this writing if you visit that web address. You can be certain that the current domain owner knows that the toll free vanity telephone number is owned by Resorts International Hotels www.resortsac.com which matches the domain www.1800getrich.com. It has to be enticing to think a large corporation may want his domain.
The casino owns the toll free number but isn’t using the mnemonic for it. Makes you wonder about the history of the domain name, since WHOIS records show it was reserved only this past May of 2004, AND the history of the vanity number since it is going unused, at least on the web site. Hmmmm…
There are vanity phone number resellers online that actually specialize in providing 800 numbers with matching domain name for those seeking the consistent branding for their business. Clearly this is simply a marketing ploy by savvy 800 number vendors, as those domains may be full of hyphens and may cost more than they should due to the perception of value-added.
An interesting aspect to toll free numbers as domain names is that of 1-800 copyright and trademarks. Take for example, the well known flower retailer 1-800-FLOWERS.com where they use both the domain name and the toll free number. Both are copy- righted and trademarked names and essential to the business.
Legal precedent allows trademark owners to confiscate domains from “cybersquatters” who buy domain names containing trade- marked or copyrighted words and phrases hoping to sell that domain back to the trademark holder. But it is less clear an issue when it comes to descriptive toll free and vanity phone numbers. How about 1-800-PINDROP.com – which you would think would be registered to Sprint Communications? Curiously, as of October of 2004, this domain was available. What do they use? www.pindrop.com (without the 800) goes to Sprint.com.
It appears there are wide inconsistencies in using toll free 800 phone numbers as domain names but they can be memorable, which is one measure of a good domain name. They also aren’t limiting as to word length. I’ve always felt it’s a bit odd to type in 1800keywordphrase.com as a domain name, but only because there is no hyphen in it. 1800 looks like eighteen hundred and is just as strange as typing 247 for domains as a suggestion they are always open, more often seen as 24/7, but domain names can’t have that slash mark in them.
As a matter of fact, I’ve always disliked numbers of any kind in domain names – especially those using numbers in place of the words “to” (up2me.com)& “for” (good4you.com) But, as owner of http://website101.com I’m at odds with the dislike for numbers in domain names. Still, it works better than 1800website.com or 1-800-website.com, both owned by Verio Web Hosting and both purchased in August of 1996, but neither have web sites configured at those addresses. They must not have been a worthwhile domains, yet they keep them.
If it offers you another option for a memorable web address, 800 number domains may be worth considering.
Mike Valentine operates WebSite101 domain name tutorial http://WebSite101.com/domain_name/ Free domain lookup tool to find out who owns domain names at How to Find your Domain Registrar
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