Domain for Business

If you think websites are mushrooms that simply grow anywhere, think again.

Creating a website is sure easy with templates provided for you. Registering your domain name is an entirely different thing.

Purchasing your domain name through domain providers are e breeze as you only need to sign- up and pay their registration and monthly fees. However, to control domain registration, a body called Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was commissioned.

Specifically, there are also domain registration overseer bodies per country. Their task is to control and oversee the domains created.

This is important for business people like you as you have to be sure that your domain name is registered- because if not, your website and e-mail on that domain will not work.

The actual registration or domain registrar is not ICANN itself nor the end-user of the domain. There are registered and designated domain registrars that actually do the registration of domains. They are legitimate and legal as they are recognized by the higher bodies in domain name registration such as ICANN. They are also summoned to edit or modify and delete certain information about a domain name.

This is one of the primary reasons why domains are not free. They are purchased because a lot of technical registration has to be done by the domain registrar before the domain name actually works. Maintenance of the domain name is also another thing.

There are also scams in global domain registration. Some will say that they are designated registrar and legitimate sellers of a certain domain. Check with your local domain body.



By: Jikly Batista

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Charles J. Bonner asked:


Choosing a domain name may seem like an exercise in frustration, and you may be tempted to register the first one you stumble upon that isn’t already taken.  Slow down!  It requires more thought than that, and your choice will have a tremendous impact on the ultimate success of you Web site.  In this article, we will discuss how to discover a domain name that will work for you.

There are four main concerns when choosing a domain name:

1.  Technical Requirements.

2. A Memorable Name.

3. A Descriptive Name.

4.  Keyword Research.

Technical Requirements for Domain Names

Let’s get the easy part out of the way first.

When we talk about a “domain name,” we’re referring to the part of a Web site address that comes between “www” and “.com.”  For instance, in “wwwYourWebSitecom,” the domain name is “YourWebSite.”  You must register the domain within a particular “top-level domain,” the part that comes after the rightmost “dot,” as in “.com,” “.info,” “.us,” etc.  That is, “YourWebSitecom” is a different domain than “YourWebSiteinfo.”  You might be able to register “YourWebSitebiz,” even though “YourWebSitecom” is already registered.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”) defines what a domain name must look like.  These rules may be summarized as follows:

*  63 or fewer characters.

*  Only numerals, hyphens, and English letters.

*  Must not begin with a hyphen.

*  Must not end with a hyphen.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite that cut and dried.  There are varying interpretations of the rules.  Some say that a domain in a four-character top-level domain (.info, .mobi) can only be 62 characters long.  There are several schemes regarding how to encode non-English letters, etc.

We can avoid getting bogged down in these points of confusion by remembering two things:

1.  You don’t want a long domain name anyway, so don’t worry about whether the limit is 64 or 62 characters.

2.  Non-English letters, encoded in schemes that might not be universally applied, mean that your domain name may look different (and nonsensical) on various parts of the Internet, so don’t use them.

Choosing a Memorable Domain Name

Your domain name must be something that people can remember and that they can type in readily, or recognize at a glance when they see it as a clickable link.

Among other things, this means that your domain name should be short.  All of the genuinely short domain names are already taken.  Virtually every single word in the English language has been registered as a domain name, as has every combination of up to five letters.  So, don’t get too hung up on “short.”  As we will discuss later in this article, you want to find a balance between “short” and “descriptive.”

Although a domain name may include hyphens, you are better off without them.  If you wanted to register “YourDomainNamecom” and found it was unavailable, you will not be doing yourself any favors by registering “Your-Domain-Namecom.”  Users will confuse the two Web sites, and will be more likely to go with the shorter version.

Choosing a Descriptive Domain Name

Your domain name should describe what the user will find on your Web site.

Look for a descriptive phrase about your chosen specialty.  Is your Web site about baby care tips for working mothers?  For parents of babies with special needs?  Whatever specific area you intend to address, put together three or four words that say it.  You don’t have to say it very well, at this point.  As we will discuss shortly, there are tools to help you refine your descriptive phrases.  For now, just come up with a few phrases that describe your Web site’s content in three or four words.

Keyword Research when Choosing a Domain Name

You want your domain name to be short and descriptive.  That means that each word in it must have value.

Keyword research can identify powerful keywords for your Web site’s content, but it can also find words to use in your domain name.  There is one difference, as will be discussed below.

Keyword research identifies the words and phrases that people are using when searching for information related to your planned Web site.  You will use these keywords in your Web site’s content and in any pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, but you should also use them in your domain name.  A keyword-rich domain name is more likely to rank high in search engine results.

When researching keywords for use in your Web site content or in PPC advertising, you want search terms that are frequently used but rarely matched.  These are the high-value keywords that can make the content of your Web site stand out in the search engines.

However, when you are looking for keywords to use in your domain name, you should concentrate on frequently used keywords, and not necessarily those that are rarely matched.  This is the difference alluded to earlier.

Keyword research can not tell you whether a domain name is available.  It can only tell you what people are looking for and what they are finding in the content of Web pages.  So, identify terms that people are looking for, then determine what domain names are available that use those terms, and you will have a winning domain name.

Take the list of descriptive phrases you identified in the last section, and use each one as the starting point for keyword research.  From your keyword research, build a list of phrases that people are searching for when they want to find the kind of content you plan to offer.

From that list, focus on the shortest phrases that are relevant and clearly descriptive of the content you intend to offer.  Now, check to see which of these phrases are available for you to register as domain names.

What if you find two or more keyword-rich domain names available?  Register all of them!  Choose the one you like best as the main name for your Web site, but keep the others.  You can use them as “redirect” pages, and you always have the option of using the alternate names later.

For the same reason, register your domain name in various top-level domains if they are available, such as .com, .info, etc.  Lock in your options on those alternate names, and lock out your competitors from stealing the results of your research.

Conclusion:  What to Do Next

Before you rush out and register the first available domain name you come up with, do your homework.

*  Think of a short list of descriptive phrases about the Web site you intend to build.

*  Do some comprehensive keyword research on each of those descriptive phrases, and build a list of more keyword-rich descriptive phrases.

*  Choose the shortest, most memorable phrases from your list, and check which ones are available to register as domain names.

*  Register as many of these keyword-rich, descriptive domain names as you can.

 

In a current economy domain name investing might be one of few opportunities that save your property from foreclosure.

According to a recent Verisign report, over 162 million Top Level Domain Names (TLDs) have been registered this year up until the end of the first quarter of 2008.

This represents growth of 26% percent year over year and 6% growth as a quarterly comparison.

The Verisign June Domain Name Industry Brief states the company processed peak loads of more than 50 billion Domain Name System (DNS) queries a day during the first quarter of 2008.

WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU?

In a current economy when hundreds of thousands people loose their jobs, and investing in neither real estate nor public stock pays off, investing in a web name, domain is a fantastic opportunity.

The .com domain extension is still the most popular, but it’s extremely hard nowadays to locate premium domains directly from domain registrar (a company accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and/or by a national ccTLD authority to register Internet domain names).

But even buying a domain from wholesalers and playing aftermarket trading can pay off few folds.

DO YOUR MATH:

If you ever tried to start tech venture and raise venture capital, you might know that VCs expect the highest return on their investment. 500% is considered great return even by players of high risk investment games that bet millions dollars on each horse that potentially can exist on public market or via acquisition.

You can easily invest in internet domain names very modest amount of money and expect 500% ROI.

Let’s say you buy 1-10 premium brandable domains from a wholesaler for $5000 each.

Even by only holding the domain for few years without developing them, you can easily sell your premium domains for $25,000 each and have $20,000-200,000 net profit (depending on the size of your portfolio) while doing nothing.

Why? Because in 2-3 years Internet will grow beyond ones imagination, more and more laid-off professionals will become self-employed and start registering their businesses and build web sites. But there are only so many premium domains that consist of 1-2 words are available. Doubt it? Try to locate quality brandable domains and see for yourself.

Here are some premium domains, potentially very profitable, that you can buy from aftermarket for a reasonable price and sell few years later with great profit without lifting a finger:

http://www.DomainsThatScream.com

IDEA on how you can make money from the domain above:

The domain is great for affiliates of hosting and related services.

http://www.Adsensetion.com

http://www.SmashingAd.com

IDEA on how you can make money from the domains above:

These premium domains can be sold to advertising agencies, marketing, graphic and web design companies.

http://www.Salecstasy.com

http://www.SalesEcstasy.com

http://www.BuyersJam.com

http://www.BuyerJam.com

http://www.SmashingStore.com

http://www.SmashingShop.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those are top domains that are suitable for those for e-commerce, on-line retailers and their affiliate partners.

http://www.CRMdesigner.com

http://www.CRMjam.com

http://www.ProfitCRM.com

http://www.ChangeCRM.com

http://www.DynamicsCRMdemo.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those are fantastic URLs and soon will be in tremendous demand by customer relationship management (CRM) software companies, their resellers, referral partners and on-line affiliates.

http://www.LawyerJam.com

http://www.LawyersJam.com

http://www.LegalTribute.com

http://www.LawyerRocks.com

http://www.YourLegalAction.com

http://www.LegallyChallenged.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those are very profitable domains that you can sell to legal firms, individual lawyers, their referral partners and on-line affiliates.

http://www.AccountingJam.com

http://www.AccountantJam.com

http://www.AccountantsJam.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those are very profitable domains for legal firms, individual lawyers, their referral partners and on-line affiliates.

http://www.VoteOrganic.com

http://www.ProceedOrganic.com

http://www.AimOrganic.com

http://www.TargetOrganic.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those domains are great investments and can be sold to green, sustainable companies.

http://www.SmashingLoan.com

http://www.SmashingLoans.com

http://www.LoansMystery.com

http://www.Loanier.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those are domains with profitable keywords – great opportunity for accounting firms, individual accountants, their referral partners and on-line affiliates.

http://www.SolarGiver.com

http://www.SolarSpeaks.com

http://www.SolarToBe.com

http://www.SolarJunkies.com

http://www.SolarMastery.com

http://www.SolarItIs.com

http://www.SmashingSolar.com

http://www.ProceedSolar.com

http://www.DoingSolar.com

http://www.SolarDo.com

http://www.SolarTribute.com

http://www.AnnounceSolar.com

http://www.SolarEcstasy.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those domains are great investments and can be sold to alternative energy, green, sustainable companies, solar product manufacturers and resellers.

http://www.RestateBuddies.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Great investment. Can be sold to real estate listings, developers and marketers.

http://www.tantra-girls.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Fabulous domain that can generate a lot of traffic to tantra lovers and spiritual development fans.

http://www.VirginEthiopia.com

http://www.VirginPhilippines.com

http://www.VirginBangladesh.com

http://www.VirginUkraine.com

IDEA on how you can make money from these domains:

Those domains are great investments for photographers. Can be sold to travel agencies, resort developers etc.

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You even can develop your domains in simple informative web sites and monetize them by placing Google AdSense and affiliate links. It can bring you steady passive income before your big sale day comes.

Still not convinced? Then watch your bank account shrinking during next 5 years while global economy is in the dust.



By: Alex

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